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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Dear Denison
Policy
Review Committee ( PRC )
We have been
talking of open and frank communication as an essential first
ingredient
to attitude-change.
We have also
said,”It is only thru. attitude change that we can bring about "Worker
participation in Management".
Now look at
what has been happening at the PRC ! Take last 3/4 PRCS.
How many
managers said anything at all? (Quantity)
Those few
who cared(dared) to speak, did they have anything worthwhile to say?(Quality
Was that an
"Open & frank " (and serious) debate on issues which are grave,
of far reaching consequence to the future (the very existence) of this company
? Or was that an "Offensive-defensive" win-lose type of talk (the
little that did take place?) Was there an "engineering" of an
agreement because people did not CARE to
differ? How many people were totally withdrawn? How many unwilling speakers
being goaded into responding? How many were goody goody yes-yes? Was there
"team" in search of a solution? I can go on.
But you are a "Behavioral Scientist"
and surely better placed/equipped to understand/interpret the
"Communication-process". If this is the state-of-affairs at the very TOP
levels of management, what do we expect to achieve at the middle and lower
levels? Before we talk of participation
in decision making at the lower levels, should we not do something about
participation at the top level? These people are the real DYNAMOS and if they take the attitude of a
BY-STANDER,
where will this company end-up? The trends (adverse) shown by SDK are only
symptomatic-the disease is far below the surface.
You are the doctor of company's mental health and
all of these symptoms could not have remained unnoticed by you. We need to do something and do it fast-
Before we
reach a point of no return !
In the last
4 days, I have been "listening" to some 4/5 DGMS .
(a kind of attitude survey) Next week, I hope to listen to the GMS . You
have your own "access" to this group (on the pretext of Post -
Appraisal-Trg, etc.)
I am sure
you can "Uncover" a lot of attitudes. We (you and I ) need to get
together and develop a strategy of how can we bring about this openness. I hope
you will help
