INVOLVEMENT

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 Mar 1980

Dear Shop-Supervisor:                      

SUB: INVOLVEMENT

Texas Instruments (TI) is a giant electronics-manufacturing firm in  U.S.A. and employs  41,000 people.   TI manufactures computer components.  Their latest is a computer that 'talks back ' !

(I  think  they  should  immediately  introduce  'Performance Appraisal' for the

wretched THING!)

TI  say, the  secret  of their  success  lies in  INNOVATION. They  innovate  product  designs,   manufacturing  processes, marketing  strategies and  so on.   But where  they  excel in innovating  (by their own admission) is in  INVOLVEMENT - the 'people involvement' in everything they do.

And  the results  are there  for everybody  to see  -  I mean 'hear'! (At  TI  they  have  changed  over  to   'hearing is believing'.).

Enclosed extract  from an  article about  TI, describes their PEOPLE

INVOLVEMENT.

One way of getting people motivated is getting them involved.

Another  way  of getting  them  motivated  is to  say  'HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU'.   To help you do that, I enclose  a list of your colleagues with  their birth-dates.  The list  will also tell you when  one of them completes  15/20/25 years' service with the  Company.  Both  occasions have immense  sentimental value  to an  individual.  If  you remember  these  dates, he will know you  'care' for him.  And who is above  the feeling of 'someone up there like me'?

Wishing you good-luck in your own search for 'good-will'.

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).

9 Mar 1980

Dear Shop Supervisor:             

HOW TO GET ALONG BETTER WITH PEOPLE

Some nineteen  years ago, Mr.  Gunner Hansen,  (the then GM -Manufacturing,   Powai)  presented   a  book   to  me  titled 'Business  is people'.   I was one  of the  20-odd people who received  this  gift.   Powai  was  a  small place   then and everyone knew everyone else.

Today, Powai has grown so big  that even people who travel by the same bus and  eat in the same Canteen for  years together do not know each other.   The problem, of 'getting along with people' has never been more acute.

'Business is  people' continues to  inspire me even  now (the book is out  of print but we  have two copies  in our Central Library).

Enclosed  find  a copy  of  'How  to  get along  better  with people'  (written by the same  author) which is  equally good and I hope it will inspire you  now and for years to come, in your dealings with people.

H.C. PAREKH

PRODUCTIVITY

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).

27 Jan 1980

To:

General Managers/

Joint General Managers/

Deputy General Managers.

Sub : PRODUCTIVITY

Enclosed please  find a copy of  an article appearing  in the Fortune Magazine of December 3, 1979.

I  have  underlined  a  few  statements  which  would  be  of specific interest.

According   to   the   author,  a   negative   influence   on productivity  during  66-73  period, saw  the  surge  in  the number   of   young  people   entering   the   labour  force. Disproportionately, large number of young  people lowered the average skill and experience  in the work force, reducing the productivity.

I  enclose herewith  data/graph  of  the  age-profile of  our Powai based  work force,   in  L&T, does  our own  experience reinforce the American experience?

I draw your  attention to the factor  listed on page  80 i.e. 'deterioration  in attitudes  towards work'.   This has  some parallel with our own situation.

Page 86 speaks of

1.  Company-wide productivity improvement programmes

2.  Incremental shop floor improvement

3.  Spread of 'best practices'

4.  Buying the  best equipment  (not just more  of  the same kind)

5.  Diffusion of knowledge

6.  Innovating managerial know-how  and improving industrial practices.

I hope you will find  the enclosed article and data useful in formulating   future   policies/strategies   while   planning various  resources  including the  human  resource.   I  also welcome  your suggestions  on achieving  appropriate employee mix  (skill as well  as age  wise) from  internal as  well as external source to make the best productivity gains.

H.C. PAREKH

BIRBAL & BADSHAH

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).

25 Jan 1985

To:

Dear friends

BIRBAL & BADSHAH

One day,  Badshah asked  Birbal, "How  many of my  people are honest?".

Birbal replied, 'None'. A shocked Badshah challenged Birbal to prove it.

Next day, Birbal drained the royal swimming pool and sent an announcer around the town.  people were  ordered to  bring a glass-full of milk and empty it in the  swimming pool, during the night hours.

When morning came, Birbal took Badshah to the swimming pool. it was full of clean sparkling water!

"La-hol-walla-Khuvvat! -  Explain this at once, Birbal.  All through the night, I saw by moon-light, people  streaming in with glasses of milk in their hands! ".

"Jahan-Panah, people did come - but with glasses full of water. Each one thought,  when  thousands of others were going to pour milk in the pool,  what difference  could his ONE glass of water make?".

(Unfortunately, 'the story does not say what the Badshah did to make his people honest'.).

Powai is  not ancient Delhi  and we do  not need a  Birbal to tell us what  happens to "productivity"  when each one  of us think  "well -  what difference  does  it make  to the total production, if just one little myself produces less than expected, when thousands of others are working so hard?".

We know what would happen.  Our children would have no milk - but plenty of water to swim in!!

Let us all

-      work hard

-      be honest

-      prove Birbal to be wrong !

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).

1 Jan 1980

To:

Dear friends                    

THE NINETEEN EIGHTY

A very happy new year to you all. To your families just as much.

Raj Kapoor, in his  film "Boot-Polish" sings "What is it that you hold in your hands, little children?"

And the  children sing back  "Our future is  what we  hold in our hands; we have the fate at our command".

We all wish, our children could say the same. That is in our hands.

Only we, the people of Powai, could  make it possible for our children to face the future with confidence and courage.

Let us,  therefore  resolve, on  this New  Year day,  to work together for an everlasting "Peace in Powai".

With  more than  7,000 souls  at work,  Powai is  perhaps the largest  "Industrial Democracy"  in  Bombay.  Differences  of opinions  (on how best to resolve problems)  are an essential feature of a healthy democracy.

We must  not allow  our differences  to disturb the  Peace in the  year  of Jesus  Christ  -  1980.   We  owe this  to  our children.

We hold their futures in our hands.

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).

1 Jan 1980

To:

Dear Shop-Rep,

THE LAST LAP

Annual Sports day has come and gone.

Those of you who were present at the Parel Grounds on Saturday must have been thrilled by the running races

- the 400 meters

- the 800 meters

- the 1500 meters.

If the spectators were so excited, imagine the condition of the participants'. Many months of rigorous training and practice was being tested. And it was the last lap which decided who will win. But then in an individual event only one man can win.

Right now, we the employees at Powai are in the last lap of a Team Event in which we can all win - or all lose!

In our production race, fourth quarter of the year is our last lap (Jan-Feb-Mar). If we want to win (and I am sure we do), we must strain every muscle - every nerve; bring out the reserves of our energy.

You, my friends, have an important role to play in this Team Event because you are the Team Leader. You can ensure that all the members of the team pull together, equally and in the right direction. The Shop Foremen are the coaches. Consult them when in doubt. Hurdles must be overcome with determination.

You will decide whether we will win this 600 working-hour race. The last lap is on and the victory-stand is waiting.

In this race, there can be no spectators!!

H.C. PAREKH

COMMU-TIES

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).

23 Dec 1979

To;

Deputy General Managers (DGMs)

"COMMU-TIES" - Yes

"COMMITTEES" - No

We already have many Committees.

Perhaps too many.

So I would be the last person to suggest one more.

An  anthropologist   discovered  existence   of  'Committees' during the Indus Valley civilization.

While digging at "mohenjo-daro", he  unearthed a room-full of chairs  and  cups of  tea  -  "Come-meet-tea"! (Since then civilization  has made  great strides  in this  art  of doing nothing, by introducing coffee.' - it keeps you awake !)

But then  "Mohenjo-Daro' in B.C.  3,000 had fewer  walls than Powai has in  1979 A.D. - except that  these are 'invisible' I (to frustrate the anthropologist of 4,000 AD'.?)

Non-believers, kindly study Annexure 'A'

That's right.  I meant 'Barriers to communication'.

So  we should have  some more  'commu-ties'  - communication ties.

These,  I call,  'holes-in-the-walls. '  Our  windows  to  the 'worlds'.

The 'worlds' of

-      Managers

-      Officers and Supervisors

-      Technical and Clerical staff

-      Workmen and Union

Under Phase  I (OPERATION commu-ties?)  we have already made a 'beginning with the

             "PRODUCTIVITY COMMU-TIE"

at 4 levels

Under  Phase  II, I  believe we  should  establish a  regular channel of  communication with the  Supervisors and Officers. They are there to implement  Company Policy - even help frame it  (Supervisory  participation  in  Management?).   We,  the managers,  should understand  them  better  - as  a group,  -their    feelings/difficulties/suggestions.     They    must understand   better,  the   managerial  directives  and   the inconsistencies  of  managerial  action  -  whether  real  or apparent.

With the foregoing objective  in mind, I met  17 of  them on 21st   inst.    The  response   was   very  encouraging   and constructive.   I  felt that  a major  source  of energy  has remained untapped in this age of energy-crisis 11

They  would  like  to  meet   us  once  a  fortnight   (at least initially).  Say at 4.30 p.m. (G-4 Conference Room) on

-    4th   January '80

-    17th January '80

-    31st  January '80

We may call this  "INNOVATION COMMU-TIE'.  Whether innovative communication  will  take  place  or  not  will  depend  upon whether you  are present  or not.  Therefore,  I urge  you to remain present and help bring down the walls!

Then someday we will sit down and think about Phase III.

       H.C. PAREKH