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).
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12 Mar 1986
To:
Dear
Colleague
A RED FILM !
Westinghouse's Cultural Revolution
A new film
is making rounds of Powai these days - a red film ! It is
titled "We learn from
the Japanese" - and describes experiences of
few American companies
in raising their productivity by adopting some Japanese
attitudes and values.
All those who have seen
it are highly impressed with it. Those of you who would like to see it
and show it to your
"associates" - (they
don't
call them "managers" or "supervisors" or
"workers" in Japan !) are
welcome to borrow it from Mr. Inder Sethi (extn. no. 451).
But
before you screen this film, I would
urge you to read the
enclosed chapter from a
book titled WORKING SMARTER. Having read it, please circulate it to as many "associates" of your
department as you can. (This is because one of the companies portrayed in the film
is Westinghouse !.) And in case you feed inclined to read the entire book, please phone my
secretary - Cynthia (extn. no. 307) to loan it to
you.
And at the
end of it all, tell me,
"Shall
we wait till "Employee participation in Management"
becomes a bargainable
issue (or even worse - a
legislated issue ), kicking and cursing our way to the 21st century ? Do we
need a "Management-Circular" on the
subject ?
OR
