People and their behaviour always fascinate me. This has led me to interact with a range of people and deal with situations from all sections of the society. Capacity building of individuals and organisations has been my primary professional interest, and in this task my training in management and organisation development has been of great help. Through my work with organisations of different kinds, spanning over more than two decades, I have often wondered why some sections of people and business organisations generate wealth from the same economy which also has millions of people struggling to eke out a living. This I think has much to do with the capacity or the lack of it, and creating opportunities for all to generate wealth. For, the different worlds of the rich and poor in India are more than just structural differences.

This has been the inspiration behind this book. I have had close interaction in some way or the other with three different types of organisations – business, social development, and government. All the three systems work for capacity building of their stakeholders and through that of the larger society. The term ‘empowerment’ has become a key word to depict any positive change in the lives of people. I felt that by comparing the functioning of the three systems – all concerned with the future of the country – we would have a better appreciation of various nuances and shades of meaning associated with empowerment. At a time when organisational boundaries are getting increasingly blurred, such an exercise, I felt, would be all the more rewarding and meaningful.