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).
|
11 Jan 1985
To:
Mr. -
(Assistant
Manager - Quality Control)
PSW
Worker - Education - Syllabus
We need your
help in 'this vital matter !
We need a
write-up, hand-outs, slides etc. on
to include
in our training programs
I hope you
will not let us down .!
In
simple English (or better yet, Marathi) we want
to tell the workers why
defect-free production is vital to our
survival. What's the idea behind
zero-defect. How each man must become
his own inspector etc. etc.
We have
already received write-ups on
almost all other subjects. Will you please phone me ?
Worker - Education - Syllabus
Mr. V. K. Mahajan tells me
that you have contributed a write-up on,
"Better Maintenance".
I appreciate your contribution
and I hope you
and your colleagues will futher come
forward, not only with
more teaching materials, slides,
hand-outs etc. but that some of
you will actually take the
classes,
if we
wish to rank amongst the
TOP TEN PLANTS
OF INDIA, it
would become possible only
through whole hearted involvement of employees in
what have been traditionally "management - responsibilities" - maintenance being one. Changing work-attitudes & culture
has never been an easy task - even in Japan - but then
"Search - for excellence" was never an easy task! The key
is to unleash the latent potential of employees.
Worker
- Education Classes / Syllabus.
Mr. V.K. Mahajan tells me you
have contributed articles on
" Suggestion - Scheme".
I
appreciate your contribution and hope
you will actually take the
classes on this subject. You are aware
of how much importance I attach to the Suggestion - Scheme.
Whereas all other means /
instruments of employee-involvement are by nature
slow & evolutionary, I
firmly believe that
the Suggestion-Scheme can make employees "involved" in a BIG way in a short-span.
If you and your team want to set for yourselves a target of doubling the savings each
year for the next 5 years
in a row, it is
possible ! Our
Suggestion-scheme has the potential to become the main driving force of our "Pyramid of Worker Participation". You must
start your
own monthly newsletter from this month.
Mr.
(Manager -
Works Accounts - Gr. III)
Worker - Education Syllabus.
Mr. V.K.
Mahajan tells me that you have contributed
a write-up on
"Budgetary
Control System."
I
appreciate your contribution in our
efforts to increase the understanding
of our employees.
In my conceptual "Pyramid of Worker
Participation" (ask me for a
copy if you have not seen), during phase III I have
envisaged employee participation in,
"Input decisions & Output decisions".
And since
all inputs/outputs have
to be budgeted
and controlled, employee involvement
in budgeting must
be preceded by educating them on
the "process" of
budgeting. Can I request you to actually take the classes ?
Mr.
(Manager -
Design Development)
(PSW)
Worker Education Classes / Syllabus
Mr. V.K.
Mahajan tells me that you have
contributed a write-up on
"Costing
/ Cost - estimation".
I appreciate
your contribution in this
vital matter of educating our employees.
We have no
option to bring-down costs by reducing wages
!
Our only
option is to bring-up the worker-understanding and the
worker-perception of what is happening
and where we are headed.
If we can make them
appreciate what needs to be done then half the battle is won. I hope you and your colleagues will help by
actually taking classes.
Mr.
(Asst.
Manager - Maintenance Department)
Worker Education
Syllabus
Mr. V.K.
Mahajan tells me you have contributed a write-up on
"House - Keeping."
I
appreciate your efforts in
educating employees in this vital aspect.
Now that
both of us have
seen Maruti Factory,
we can appreciate what
beneficial effect good house-keeping
can have on the morale of the people and on productivity.
But since we
cannot take 7000 employees of Powai to Maruti, let us see if there is any way of
bringing "Maruti" to Powai!
Let us this
be your challenge to figure out how ?
Mr.
(Manager -
Ind. Engg.)
Gr. II
Worker Education
Syllabus.
Mr. V.K.
Mahajan told me you have contributed a write-up on
"Better Utilization of Materials."
I appreciate
your help in this vital matter.
But I hope
you will not stop at that.
I hope
you will actually take classes and use every forum available to influence worker
thinking.
And I hope
you will inspire your other
colleagues to do likewise.
Remember,
there is no other option '.
Mr.
(Manager -
Personnel Department)
(Powai
Works)
Worker Education Syllabus
Mr. V.K. Mahajan told me you have contributed an article on
"Administrative Controls".
I appreciate
this.
I expect
you and your Personnel Officers to use forums such as
- Worker Education classes
- Unit level Productivity meetings
- Shop level Productivity meetings
- Safety meetings
to maximum
advantage.
These
are our opportunities to "influence" worker thinking on a host
of subjects - also to
get valuable grass-root feedback
for passing-on to foremen / line - managers.
Mr.
(Technical
Training Centre - Gr. III)
Worker Education Syllabus
Mr. V.K. Mahajan tells me that you
have contributed articles on
"Motion-Study/Work-Study/Productivity
Better Maintenance".
I appreciate your
contribution in an area which I consider to be at the
centre of
all our efforts at changing Work-culture at Powai.
Through Worker
Education
Classes, can I request
you to extend to the
rest of Powai, what good training work
you have been doing for last few
years for the PSW Workers? The need of the day is to work "Synergetically". I am confident that you and your
colleagues in PSW won't hold yourselves back in this crusade to make Powai an oasis in the desert of polluted Work-ethics.
H.C. PAREKH
