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).
|
11 Nov 1984
To:
Dear Friends
Indiraji is no
more - physically. I suppose she will be remembered for many
years to come.
How many?
Ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years?
Perhaps,
We do
occasionally remember, great persons
who lived a hundred or a thousand years ago.
And on such
occasions, we do even garland their
images -photographs or
statues. Speeches are made.
Their virtues are remembered, people are told to follow their path.
And no sooner the ceremony is over,
everybody hurries home (surely
you don't expect people
to WORK on
a day like that'. ).
Anyway everbody alive,
heaves a sigh of
relief!
Thank goodness, the birth-anniversary and the
death-anniversary comes only once-a-year !
That leaves us
clean 364 days to go
about doing exactly whatever we
have been doing !
- including indulging
in violence.
Because Violence
is O.K. ! - as long as it is carried out to celebrate the memories of
your chosen hero - whether he was
-
a religious
saint
-
a political
big-wig
-
a social
reformer or
-
a trade
union leader.
Jesus Christ
might have said, "Father, forgive
them for they know not what they are doing." But ours is merely a land of
- Buddha;
- Mahavir and
-
Gandhi
!
Ours is not
the land of Jesus Christ!
So it is alright with us!
A few people, here and there -what does it matter? After
all when we are about to forget, why someone died 2000
years ago or 2 years ago, we need a new martyr to celebrate his death anniversary and to remind us to hurry home! - of course
grief-stricken!
So the
vicious circle goes on and on.
No one
stops to ask, 'How come violence has failed to solve the problems
of the world? -
or for that matter,
the problems of a community or even a company!"
This is
because violence is the language of the uneducated and the cowards.
This is
because people who resort to violence
are indirectly admitting "defeat" - an admission that they are incapable of changing the opponent by argument and logic
and discussion and reasoning - if necessary even by
- Sacrifice;
- forgiveness and
-
Love.
As far as I
am .concerned, I would say,
"We
cannot solve problems of the world or
even India - but while trying to solve our own small problems at Powai, let us remember not to
use the language of "defeat". In this factory (Nehru called it "Temples of new India"), let no one
speak of violence - ever".
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