ARE YOU A LOCAL GODFATHER ?

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).

16 April 1986

To:

Personnel Manager/Labour Officers

ARE YOU A LOCAL GODFATHER ?

We have not met for some time now.  So let us meet

on 12/5/86

at  3 p.m.

in C4 Conference Room

I expect you to make presentation on

1 ) Absenteeism

All of you had set target to  reduce this by 1% (point) in your  respective

areas  during 1985.   How  did you  fare? Compare  with 1984  and 1983  - 

month by  month and  also total mandays lost for  the whole year.  Anything else you can think  of on  this subject.  Have  a prior  meeting to

ensure identical basis of presentation.

What  about descending  order of  "worst"  cases &  "best" cases?   What 

about  best  improvement  cases  and  worst deterioration  cases?  What 

about various  "disciplinary" actions taken?  What about "motivational"

action taken?

2)  Welfare

As  local  "god-fathers" (and  god-mother!) what  specific actions  did you 

initiate whereby employees  could get  a distinct  impression  that  you 

are  genuinely  concerned about their welfare?   Can you cite examples?  

Did you do anything  to  get  the foremen  &  managers  take  similar interest?   Did you  visit the  family of  any  workers at all, during 1985?  In

what connection?

3)  Productivity

Did you  make it  your "business" to  find out  the Order-position and 

shop-loading  of your  department?  Did  you find—Out    which  departments'  and   which  individuals' performance- index  (P.I.) is going

up or down  - and why? Did  you meet   and ask  the  concerned  foreman 

and  the worker?  Concern  for  people without  a matching  concern for

productivity  is no good.  Are  you joining unit-level productivity-

committee meetings?

4)  Issues & Strategies for the EIGHTIES :

You  have  all read  the  "Personnel  Strategies  for  the eighties".  We have 

identified the issues as well  as the strategies to tackle those issues.  We

have talked about project WARM Project ASH Project INFORMATION-

SHARE Recruitment Freeze Automation Decentralization of Personnel

Function - So on and so forth

We have even  drawn-up specific "ACTION-PLANS ". These are displayed in  my cabin - in case you have  not seen these! If  you have  not, please  take  copies and  keep  on your cabin - partitions.

Have you  done anything at all,  to implement  these? - or are you  waiting

for a  "policy-decision" -  a "management circular"?

4)  Computerisation (local)

A beginning  was to  be made  in the main  office  of PLA. PRL had drawn  up

a 12 month schedule.  Let  us review the progress.  When will  we be ready to

ask for  a PC (micro) for -  main office?  for east/west offices?   What is your preparatory  work/readiness?   Have  you  learned  how  to operate a PC ? 

Perhaps you need to learn typing first !

6)  BONUS  !!

H.C. PAREKH

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).

8 Apr 1986

To:

Dear Mr.                     

Project ASH

If  this sounds  like Sherlock  Holmes and you  wish  to know more about  this project, drop  into my office next  time you are in Bombay.  Give me a few days notice.

In the meantime I am enclosing herewith  a list of the topics on  which 0&M  Dept-Powai have issued  operating-procedures, over the past  15 years.  Directly  write to Mr.  R. Sarangan( Powai), in case you  wish to have a copy  of any one of these. This  is  accumulated  wisdom  of   the  organisation  -  the Software -  represented by S in ASH!  Can  you guess what A & H stand for?

Regards,

H.C. PAREKH

THE PAPER TIGER

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).

7 Apr 1986

To:

Dear Office-Colleague

THE PAPER TIGER

Many years ago,   China's Chairman   Mao-tze-Dong called America, a "Paper Tiger".  By that  he meant  to  tell the Chinese  people  that  there was   nothing  to be  afraid  of America -  and that the  Chinese were strong  enough to  "take care" of the imperialists.

If only Chairman  Mao had got  a chance to read  the enclosed article which  appeared  in  "THE  DAILY" newspaper  sometime back,  he might  have changed  his  mind and  called  India a "paper Tiger"  ! And being a shrewd strategist  that he was, instead of  invading us across  the Himalayas,  he would have simply gifted  1000 plain-paper copiers to the  Government of India and let  the bureaucrats of New Delhi defeat the Indian Nation ! (Apparently they  seem to be succeeding without any help from Mao  ! )

What is happening nearer home - at Powai ?

A few months  back, I was  travelling with Mr. K.R.  Sanghavi who told me the following facts :

When  KRS joined  the company  in  1970, there used to be  4 copies of SCN (Stores Credit Note) - now there are 7 copies !

At  that  time   Design  Dept.  used  to  issue   5  sets  of manufacturing drawings to various departments  - now they are issuing 22 sets !

More  statistically-oriented persons amongst  you may  derive satisfaction (1) from the  following data submitted to  me by Mr. P.R. Kothari, on  the subject of "Paper-explosion"  and I know that  PRK is not alone  in thinking that I  am, perhaps, the worst culprit!

Paper consumption for the last 3 years

DESCRIPTION	UNIT	1982-83 QTY	1983-84 QTY	1984-85 QTY
1. SUNLIT BOND PAPER - A4	Pkt of 100 sheets	9997	11517	15125
2. MAPLITHO-A3 (cut sheets)	"	760	2592	3080
3. MAPLITHO-A4 (cut sheets)	"	8200	13190	23775
VALUE (RS.)		1,51,218	2,20,408	3,65,734

But I make amends by adding, at the bottom of my circulars.

----------------------------------

                 "READ & THINK      

DO NOT FILE

      (FOR PRODUCTIVITY'S SAKE  !)"

But those amongst you who are engineers will  understand when I say,                

"Information is like entropy"

Whenever there  is a process  in which energy gets  converted from one form to another, entropy increases.

This  is  even more  true  of  "Information" !  Information simply   cannot  change   hands   (or  departments)   without increasing '. - most of the time many-fold !!.

I  found this out  in my  own, various  departments, when  we conducted a "Paper-Destruction Drive" in September 1984.

We  coughed-up (and  destroyed) 50  Tons of  obsolete/useless information!

And  my  group  does  not  even  have any manufacturing  or marketing activity !

This  reminds me  of the  Hindu trio  of "Brahma,  Vishnu and Mahesh"  -  the .-Creator, the Preserver and  the  Destroyer. Most companies have an over-abundance  of Brahmas and Vishnus but very few Mahesh -  when it comes  to paper - work.  If we can find  only one Mahesh  in each  of our departments,  I am sure we  may be  able to  shred 200  Tons of  unwanted papers (makes  excellent  packing  material  ! ) within the next  3 months !

And I don't think we should worry  if the Chairman of Siemens was to call us a "paper-cat" !

H.C. PAREKH