Co-creation with mutual inspiration brings results

Shikha Bansal
Shikha Bansal • 9 May 2023
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Women on Wings’ newest Strategy and organisational expert, Ellen Simons, travelled to India to work alongside business partner, Grameena Vikas Kendram Society for Rural Development (GVK) and collaborate on their next steps of growth.

There was true co-creation, mutual inspiration and concrete results at play, which mirrors findings from our 2021 impact study of Women on Wings experts and business partners. The study proved that mutual learning occurs and as a result they experience growth in their businesses and individual lives.

Templating growth at GVK

Ellen Simons spent five days with Grameena Vikas Kendram Society for Rural Development in Visakhapatnam, in the state of Andhra Pradesh. GVK designs implements community-driven initiatives that optimize value for small and marginal tribal farmers. Ellen worked together with Aneel Kumar Ambavaram founder & president, Meenal S. Machan, CEO, Sanne van den Dungen, senior manager of circular supply chains and agriculture, and Sarat Gidda, vice president, on a better structuring of the organization.

Since its start-up phase, GVK is experiencing a rollercoaster growth period and needs to expand the team and delegate in order to achieve their planned next steps. The discussions were intense with GVK’s purpose and values as the leading principle. They also addressed organization, roles, responsibilities, management styles, performance and coordination mechanisms.

Ellen Simons (picture, left) said, “It has been great fun to debate what would successfully work in an Indian context. All kinds of practical examples have been discussed. Some of which would never be put in place in a European context! I was really taken by the friendliness, hospitality, openness and drive I became part of.”

Aneel Kumar Ambavaram (picture, right) added, “This was truly co-creation with a perfect open mind for the Indian context. Ellen was very resourceful and helped us in decluttering the clutter. She delivered a framework of thoughts and templated our growth. She made the overall structure more easy and transparent.”

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