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).
|
22 Nov 1984
To:
Dear Colleague
CONCEPT OF THE CORPORATION
In the enclosed extract from the "MIND OF
THE STRATEGIST" Kenichi Ohmae makes the following observations :
1.
When the Japanese say that
organisation is people, they really mean it.
2.
Japanese top
managers never tire
of reminding the employees
that they, the workers, know
the business best and that
innovation and improvement must come
from the genba. (The meaning of "genba"
is explained somewhere in the extract).
3.
Separation of muscle
from brain may well
be a root cause of the vicious cycle of decline
in productivity and loss of international competitiveness in which U.S. industry seems to be caught.
4.
More equal
opportunity in training and
promotion, regardless of people's
educational and intellectual backgrounds, would be at
least as
important and pertinent to
business performance.
It is
fashionable these days,
to be talking about
the "Japanese Style of Management"'.
- and books written by Japanese authors 'sell like
hot-cakes (one more example of the high-pressure American
salesmanship, I guess ! ).
On the other hand, a close
look at some of these
books, reveal that the Japanese are saying nothing new that has not been said before - by the American
and the European authors 25 years ago !
The truth is
that there is no such thing
as an American style of
management or a Japanese style of management or a British style of management. There is essentially only one style of management all over the world viz. THE HUMAN STYLE OF MANAGEMENT .'
Of course, the context is
American or Japanese or British industrial climate. (Occasionally there is a reverse flow of
“know-how" as in the case of British Coal-miners having learned a trick or
two from the Bombay Textile strike ! ).
But the underlying theme is the
same - MEN have to be MANAGED - that is what management is all about -
anywhere, anytime.
And whereas, the other business
resources (money, materials, machinery, space and information) can be.
- planned
- acquired and
- optimised,
the only resource which can
be
- organised and
- motivated
is the HUMAN - RESOURCE !
And it is in the aspect of
MOTIVATION where the Japanese seem to have scored over the rest of the world.
And in this respect, their
“lead" over the others is so much that it is
not merely a difference of “extent" -it
is a difference of “degree' ! - so much
so that it looks like an altogether
different "style".
How have the Japanese managers succeeded so well in motivating their
subordinates, their
colleagues and themselves ? (.Unless we are
motivated ourselves, I don't think we can motivate others '.).
On page 4, Ohmae provides a clue when he writes,
" ........... in Japan every member of
the village (company) is equal and a
generalist ....... he interprets his duty as somehow more encompassing ........ he has, in a way,
a top management perspective .............".
From the foregoing, it appears,
as though, in Japan they have
succeeded in eliminating
most of
the barriers which separate persons
or groups of
persons
("classes" Vs. "Masses" ? ) such as,
- salaries and perks
- facilities and amenities
- rank and designations
- training and promotion opportunities
- job security
- punching attendance cards (?)
- eating in different dining halls (?)
- job descriptions
I am not suggesting that what works well in Japan
(or for that matter in any
other country) will
automatically work well in India.
But our options are :
1. To be
bold, venture, try-out and risk failure
OR
2. Keep talking
of " alien
philosophy, - cultural
differences, - body
chemistry - transplant
rejection - 5000 year old caste
system ",
etc.
etc. till we get overwhelmed !
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