PANI — BUILDING STRONGER ORGANIZATIONS
Eight Years of Partnership: Strengthening PANI from the Inside Out

ABOUT PANI

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People's Action for National Integration (PANI) is a social development organization working across Uttar Pradesh for over 40 years — building community agency and livelihood resilience across Child Development, Health, Nutrition, WASH, Gender, Governance, and Natural Resource Management. At the heart of their model is the Community Resource Person (CRP) — a trained frontline change agent who works directly with farming households and rural communities.

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CONTEXT

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PANI came to Phicus in 2018 with a clear need: to build the institutional systems, people practices, and leadership capacities that would allow their field cadre — particularly the CRP — to function effectively and grow. The engagement began with a focused diagnostic and has since grown into a multi-phase, multi-year partnership that has touched every layer of the organization.

 

THE COLLABORATION

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Phase 1 — Understanding the CRP

Phicus began by building a deep understanding of what the CRP role actually required. This led to a comprehensive skills map, a recruitment and selection process, a performance management system, a skills assessment framework, and a full capability building plan — all designed to be implemented by PANI's own internal program teams.

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Phase 2 — Building the Full Team

Phicus created personas and success profiles — skills, attributes, and knowledge maps — for every role in the program team, from Field Officer to Program Director. This culminated in detailed, role-specific capacity building plans for the year.

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Phase 3 — Implementation

A year-long rollout of the capacity building plan across field, block, and district teams. Sahuri — Phicus' grassroots learning program — served as the delivery channel for field officers, building confidence, communication, and problem-solving skills through WhatsApp audio letters. Block and district managers participated in workshops covering leadership, presentation skills, performance management, coaching, feedback, and team effectiveness.

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Phase 4 — HR Systems Strengthening

Focus shifted to building robust HR systems and processes — policies, compensation frameworks, and performance management systems — giving PANI the institutional infrastructure to manage and grow its people effectively.

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Phase 5 — Strategic Planning

Phicus facilitated a comprehensive stakeholder feedback process, synthesized findings, and supported the leadership in identifying and prioritizing strategic focus areas for the next five years.

 

Going Forward

Phicus continues to engage with PANI on an ongoing basis — a partnership built on trust, depth, and a shared belief that strong institutions serve communities better.