KEEPING SCORE-II

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).

4 Feb 1987

To:

Dear Friends

Keeping Score-II 

(BRAVO P-PACK 1)

Productivity has many faces -  like the famous TRIMURTI at the Elephanta Caves or like Lord Dattatreya.

But whereas the ancient gods have only three-faces, the modern goddess of Productivity has as many as SIX faces I  So the modern factory-worshipper has many more choices compared to his great-grand-father.

Let us look at these faces  :

One of these faces Is MANPOWER.

But ho one wants to worship an ugly face.  Everybody wants to worship a beautiful face.

Before you start making "faces" at this statement, let me hurry and explain that what I mean is not superficial beauty (or ugliness) but the INNER beauty - the beauty of an individual's character.

In a factory situation,. Inner beauty of our manpower shows-up In many different ways, such as

-    Intelligence

-    Skills

-    Behaviour, etc.

-     

It is not easy (or sometimes oven possible) for everybody to acquire a high Intelligence or a high skill, even after many years of training in an ITI or a college.  That Is why for everyone there is a LIMIT to which he can rise/progress.

And as long as we keep making the same products and keep on using the same manufacturing-processes, we cannot even provide opportunity to our employees to acquire higher skills - even if they have a high Intelligence.

But today, this is not really what I wish to speak to you about.  I want to tell you about the "BEHAVIOUR".

When It comes to Improving one's behaviour, sky is the limit for everybody!

Batter behaviour means a more beautiful (Inner) face - a face worth worshipping.

And that is the reason, today I wish to worship the face of P-PACK manpower !

Through their Improved behaviour they have brought beauty to their faces. What "Improved" behaviour" ?

They have made themselves more available for work.

They have brought down. their absenteeism drastically within 2 years !

1984       absenteeism    -    11.3 %

1986 absenteeism          -     8.4%    

a reduction of 2.9% point

Bravo P-PACK - Congratulations !

You were practically behind everybody (except for Canteen). Now you  are No.3 In the race.  Keep-up so that you may next year become No.1.

  

Let us see how many "man-days" we could save in these 2 years.

Considering that Powai works for 305 days in a year, this saving amounts to,

18128 / 305 += 59.4  Men

But surely we have not reached the limit of improvements when we are still losing 97551 mandays each year !

That is almost equal to 320 men !  

The sixth-face of the Goddess of Productivity is still a bit ugly.

In  1987, let us bring-out our better behaviour and make It a bit more beautiful !

H. C. PAREKH