Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Monday 5 January 1987

WORKING SMARTER

Synopsis: Communication For Productivity
Letters written to some 7500 Workers / Managers / Union Leaders, following a period of strike / Go slow / Murders (1979 - 1987), at Mumbai factory of Larsen & Toubro Ltd. This direct / open / honest communication led to a remarkable atmosphere of trust between Workers and Management, which, in turn, increased productivity at 3% per year (ave).

5 Jan 1987

To,

Dear Supervisor :

Way back  in March 1980, , I sent to you, your own  copy of       

"How To Get along Better With People"

Then in June 1982, I was happy  to send you a copy of     

"The Incredible Japanese".

And now I present  to you     

"Working Smarter"


Somewhere in this book,  Eastman Kodak Chairman Walter  Fallen says,  "Working Smarter  means  imparting a  strong  sense  of teamwork  and giving  employees  more say  about how  they  do their  jobs.   You  can't  drive  a  good  work-force   thirty percent harder,  but we  have found that  we could often  work thirty or fifty or even  a hundred-and-fifty percent Smarter".

After you have  read this book and  experimented a little,  if you come-up  with your own definition  of Working-Smarter,  do write  to me.   I would  like  to share  it with  hundreds  of other supervisors all over Powai.

But one thing is certain.

Productivity at  Powai must go up  - not by mere  3 -  5% each year but  by atleast  15% each  year  - assuming  salary/wages are going  up by  10% each year.   At all  times it must  keep rising 5% point faster than the manpower-costs.
And this must happen soon

But how ?

To  find an  answer,  some  60 of  us  spent  a whole  day  at Lonavla yesterday.
We asked ourselves, How Much  Is Left To Any Level of Management to
Motivate Employees Through Attitude-Change & Reward/ Punishment System.               

We came to the conclusion that

-    barely  1%   can  be  motivated   through  the  negative incentive of "punishment' (thanks to our Labour-laws)

-    Some  10%  can  be   motivated  through  an  appropriate "reward" system
(Ever-rising D.A. & Bonus rewards  are the "bakshish" of  Sarkar Ma -
Bap ! )                      

-    the balance 89% can be motivated by change of attitudes. But whose attitudes ?

To begin with our own !

And the very first of. our attitude that needs changing is,

"We, the  Supervisors &  the Managers  know what  is best  for the  organisation.   Me,   and  we  alone,  have  the   sacred prerogative  of guarding  the  interest of  the organisation. So all decision-making  must be left to us.  And when we  have taken  a  decision,  we  must  not  be  bothered  to  give  an explanation   to  anybody  -   at least  to  anybody   whom  we supervise. "

If we  want  to change  others by  influencing  them with  our thoughts,  we must  be  prepared  to be  influenced  by  their thinking - be prepared to change ourselves.

In the following pages, you  will learn how the Workers - and the Managers  - are allowing  themselves to  be influenced by each  other.  They  have found  a  new relationship  which is rewarding not only  to their organisation (in terms of higher productivity) but also  to themselves emotionally.  These are not  theories  -  but  real-life  experiences  and  therefore capable of being duplicated  - even improved upon.

In  the  weeks arid months  to  come,  do  send  me  your  own experience of Working-Smarter  so that I may put together  our own version of

WORKING  -  TOGETHER   -  BETTER

for  the benefit  of  all  interested in  surviving  the  20th Century.


H. C. PAREKH

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