Posts filed under ‘Communicating For Productivity’
A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION Absenteeism Reduction Drive
Dear Friends,
Following is just one of 200+ letters that I wrote to 7500 employees of Larsen & Turbo Ltd’s, Mumbai factory, when I was General Manager (1979 – 1987). This open honest communication led to a remarkable improvement in industrial relations.
If you wish to download the entire set, just click here
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
—————————————–
To:
Labour Officers in Powai
A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION
Absenteeism Reduction Drive
– We measure absenteeism by Calendar Year. Two months of 1985 are over.
– You have set a target for yourself to bring this down by 1% point in your respective areas.
– For this each one of you must have devised your own strategy and action plan (with target dates for carrying out specific activities).
e.g.
– Issue of advisory/warning letters
– “ “ chargesheets
– Completing inquiries
– Issue of Punishment letters
– Group/individual counselling
– Asking foreman/PWD to counsel
– Displaying graphs on shop floor depts./units
– Showing films
– Issuing “Congratulation” – letters of various kinds.
– Writing letters to family-members of ‘bad‘ cases.
– Telling him/family how much more he would have earned had he not absented.
– Visiting and “talking” to Doctors who keep issuing
certificates.
– Compiling last 5 years SL data (as Mr.R.V.Kadam did
for PMA).
– Find out his indebtedness (2 year take-home salary projection as compiled by PRL recently for 8/10 PF loan defaulters). I have requested LDP to compile this on computer for 500 worst-cases. Please follow-up with him to find out how soon he can give you this data.
– Persuading Credit-society not to grant him further loans until his absenteeism improves upto a certain point.
– Talking to foreman/manager not to give him O/T till he improves.
– Calling concerned Shop-Rep/Jt.Secretary and speaking to concerned worker in their presence/in the presence
of foremen.
– Educating all Shop-Supervisors on when to grant leave/
/when not to grant
– How to handle medical certificates submitted late.
– When and why to refuse “REGULARISATION”
– Provisions/Quotas
– Unwritten practices (Pl. attempt to compile from all over Powai and write them down).
– When a “misconduct/when not Short Leave
– Leave to attend court-cases (always LOP)
– Improving leave records/leave cards for fast/accurate data -base.
– Telling Supervisors how to use “Hot-Stove” principle (burns the moment you touch). i.e. demanding explanation the very next day and forwarding notes to concerned Personnel Officer at once to take action where required.
ACCENTUATING POSITIVE MOTIVATING FACTORS
1. Better physical working conditions (you must point out in writing, like an
auditor – after taking personal rounds of each and every work-station).
This means you must make exhaustive notes.
2. Improving Supervisor/Worker Human Relations. (give each Supervisor, a complete bio-data of all the family-members of each and every worker in his dept).
Encourage Supervisor to inquire about the family-problems and help wherever he can. You will be amazed how much can be helped, between you and the Shop-Supervisor ‘. From ration-card, to bank accounts to getting a gas cylinder to admitting a child in a school etc. etc. – each man has a hundred problems ! And these weigh heavily on his mind resulting in
– frustration
– anger
– insubordination/defiance
– bad discipline
– bad human relations
– poor productivity.
Even if you manage to solve one problem each, of 5 employees each day, it will go a long way ‘. And even if you are unable to solve, just plain listening will make him feel good. Try and see !
I have spoken to you on many occasions, about the NEW ROLE of a Personnel-man.
In Puranas, we have heard of the roles of
Brahma – the Creator – God
Mahesh – the Destroyer-God
Thirty-eight years after Independence, our mentality has remained slavish (in shackles) and the traditional Labour Officer is still carrying-on his role of the “Destroyer” – the man who issues charge-sheets and dismissal letters!.
At best, a few valiant “Personnel Officers” are donning the garb of Vishnu – and trying to maintain industrial-relations just below the boiling-point. They follow a policy of “Containment“.
But, alas ! THERE ARE NONE TO ASSUME THE ROLE OF Brahma – the Creator of good-will, creator of new order. Creator of new industrial-man !.
Last week, I circulated an article on Industrial-relations in Japan (get your copy if you have not and make sure that every Supervisor in your group has read the same).
This article narrates the story of 2 personnel officers of Toyota company who visited families of workers every night (3 families each night) for more than 3000 nights -spread over 10 years!
The idea was not to set some kind of a record to get into the Guinness-Book -of Records!
There was an ABSOLUTE single-mindedness of purpose – to remove misunderstanding between workers and management.
When I read this, I was reminded of our own Arjuna of 5000 years old. After teaching him archery, when Guru Dronacharya asked him to look at the small bird in the far-away tree and aim for its eye, Arjuna was the only disciple who replied
“I can see nothing but the eye!“
What made Arjuna a magnificent archer was the fact that he had a magnificent obsession .!
In life, all of us must have an obsession – any obsession at all – and it is entirely up to each one of us to make that magnificent.
H. C. PAREKH
March 4, 1985
M-25
Instant Industrial – Relations !
Dear Friends,
Following is just one of 200+ letters that I wrote to 7500 employees of Larsen & Turbo Ltd’s, Mumbai factory, when I was General Manager (1979 – 1987). This open honest communication led to a remarkable improvement in industrial relations.
If you wish to download the entire set, just click here
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
—————————————–
To:
Dear Colleague
These are days of “instant-everything” – instant coffee, instant music (computer – created), instant baby (test-tube version ?), instant health (Sheri-Louise), instant death (Bhopal) and even
Instant Industrial – Relations ! .
That is the feeling I got the other day when I was one of 13 speakers at an Industrial Relations Seminar (they always have “new dimensions” – I wonder what happens to the old dimensions ?). Were it not for the thoughtful absence of some of the speakers, the remaining speakers would have got only sufficient time to say,
“It is good to have industrial-relations and it is better to have good industrial-relations. Thank you !.“
But then there are sufficient people (with more than sufficient company-money) in a city like Bombay, who are all too eager to listen to a lot of jargon in the fond hope of becoming instant IR experts in the course of one day !
What a sharp contrast to know that the personnel managers of Toyota company
“began a pilgrimage in 1952, to talk with employees in small discussion-groups, at their homes, after work-hours, in an attempt to re-establish mutual dialogue.
On an average, they made three visits a night, coming home after nine o’clock, six days a week …… The two managers had to continue their itenerary for ten years, before they were convinced that their mission was finally completed”.
Ten years, 9000 families, one hour with each family ‘. – all to re-establish mutual dialogue !
Is it any wonder that the country with the least labour-laws has the most harmonious IR climate ?
In the enclosed article on
“Industrial Relations in Japan” ,
you will come across many examples of the Japanese tenacity when it comes to building trust between groups of employees – by whatever name called.
A few months back, MR. MISU, one-time director of HITACHI, said,
“As individuals, Japanese people are not very brilliant. We have won only 4 Nobel-prizes in all these years against 109 won by the Americans. But when it comes to working collectively as a team, we are almost unbeatable !”
I would request you to pass-on this article to as many supervisory persons in your department as you can – just anyone who says he has not read it. Some of them, who might still be around in Powai, in the year 2001 A.D., might want to start their own “pilgrimage” now !
H. C. PAREKH
February 21, 1985
M – 24
ORDERS LOST
Dear Friends,
Following is just one of 200+ letters that I wrote to 7500 employees of Larsen & Turbo Ltd’s, Mumbai factory, when I was General Manager (1979 – 1987). This open honest communication led to a remarkable improvement in industrial relations.
If you wish to download the entire set, just click here
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
http://www.indiarecruiter.net
—————————————————————–
To:
(Manager, Design – Gr. II)
ORDERS LOST
Talking to Mr. V.G. Desai (Divn. Mgr.) a few days ago, he told me that he has made available to you details of orders lost (by Chemical Division) during the last 6 months to competitors.
Mr. R.N. Mukhija (Divn. Mgr. – SWT Cont.) is making a presentation on “competition” during the next Powai-level Productivity Committee Meeting on 14th inst. at 9 a.m. in G-4. You may wish to attend to get an idea of the presentation. Earlier Mr. Gupta of Food Div. had made such a presentation.
I would highly appreciate if you and VGD can make such a presentation in the March Meeting.
Regards
H.C.PAREKH
FEBRUARY 8, 1985.
M-21
HERE COME THE INTRAPRENEURS
Dear Friends,
Following is just one of 200+ letters that I wrote to 7500 employees of Larsen & Turbo Ltd’s, Mumbai factory, when I was General Manager (1979 – 1987). This open honest communication led to a remarkable improvement in industrial relations.
If you wish to download the entire set, just click here
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
http://www.indiarecruiter.net
—————————————————————–
To:
Dear Colleague
HERE COME THE INTRAPRENEURS
Americans are fond of coining new words and what they mean by “Intrapreneur” will become clear when you read the enclosed article.
A word is only a symbol for a concept. Concept comes first, the symbol later. But the concept itself follows a certain behaviour.
In this article, the author speaks about innovative behaviour in large firms – or rather a lack of it – and what some of the companies are trying to do about it.
The question being raised is :
Can Intrapreneurship (innovativeness ?) flourish in large companies which are characterised by
– many layers of hierachy
– centralised decision-making
– controls from the Top
– rigid structures of reporting & analysis
– intolerance for failure etc. etc.
Or is it that,
– innovations are doomed to failure in large companies?
– lack of innovation is a price a company must pay for growing big ?
But even if it be so, the kind of innovation that is being mentioned in the article, largely concerns “new products”.
What about
– process innovations &
– procedure/system innovations &
– people re-novations &
Must these too suffer as a company grows big ?
And even if we assume for a moment that Powai has grown big (a somewhat dubious assumption ! ) what,
” – resources and freedom to pursue own ideas,
– cutting back on traditional red-tape,
– endless meetings and other obstacles”
are holding back the innovations of the kind which I just mentioned ?
Or is it that, these are merely convenient scape-goats ?
H.C.Parekh
February 6, 1985
M – 20
CONCEPT OF THE CORPORATION
Dear Friends,
Following is just one of 200+ letters that I wrote to 7500 employees of Larsen & Turbo Ltd’s, Mumbai factory, when I was General Manager (1979 – 1987). This open honest communication led to a remarkable improvement in industrial relations.
If you wish to download the entire set, just click here
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
—————————————————————–
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
etc. etc.
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 !
H.C. PAREKH
December 22, 1984
M-14
The Secrets of Success
Dear Friends,
Following is just one of 200+ letters that I wrote to 7500 employees of Larsen & Turbo Ltd’s, Mumbai factory, when I was General Manager (1979 – 1987). This open honest communication led to a remarkable improvement in industrial relations.
If you wish to download the entire set, just click here
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
————————————————————–
To:
Dear Colleague
The Secrets of Success
The following article by Jayant Dubashi (India Today -30/6/84) is based on a book – “In Search of Excellence -Lessons from America’s best run companies”. The book is currently on the ‘Best-seller‘ list.
When Dr. D.F. Pereira (DGM-HRD) made an audio-visual presentation about this book to a small group of managers a few months back, I immediately resolved that I must read this book. And as if to tempt my resolve, a friend returning from U.S.A. gifted a copy to me.
But I am not one to be so easily tempted! I prompty “lent” it to one of our Vice-Presidents – who saw it on my table and must have felt tempted. I know he has a better resolve than mine.
But when I heard about this article in Indian Today, I not only managed to borrow a copy, I spent a few minutes reading it and some more minutes thinking about its relevance to L&T to-day.
The article speaks about eight basic practices which characterise the successfully managed companies (apparently “reading books on management” does not seem to be one of them!) – in U.S.A.
Are these universal characteristics? and if so, are these to be found in the best managed Indian companies?
In the absence of an Indian study, we do not know for sure. And although, Mr. Dubashi has raised many questions about the Indian companies (L&T included), these are left unanswered.
I do not think we, at L&T, need to wait for an Indian study, I don’t think we even need to conduct an in-company study.
But I do think we need a lot of soul-searching. We certainly need to examine our ways of doing things.
My personal belief is that:
All the problems of the world are known – almost all the solutions are also known. Only unknown (undiscovered) are the persons capable, willing and motivated to try out the known solutions.
Can we, within each one of us discover that person?
H.C. PAREKH
July 5, 1984
M-13
MEETINGS IN YOUR AREAS
Dear Friends,
Following is just one of 200+ letters that I wrote to 7500 employees of Larsen & Turbo Ltd’s, Mumbai factory, when I was General Manager (1979 – 1987). This open honest communication led to a remarkable improvement in industrial relations.
If you wish to download the entire set, just click here
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
—————————————————————–
To:
Service Dept. Managers
UNIT LEVEL PRODUCTVITY MEETINGS IN YOUR AREAS
I have, yesterday, personally spoken to the Union Jt. Secretary of your department regarding this. He has promised to speak to shop-reps and extend all cooperation.
It is now upto us to seize the initiative and hold these meetings every fortnight starting at once.
The performance-ratios must be, as far as possible, related to an individual’s output so he understands that he has to produce 25% more. Graphs (black-boards) must be displayed -bold & prominent.
H.C. PAREKH
June 22, 1984
M-12
INVOLVEMENT
Dear Friends,
Following is just one of 200+ letters that I wrote to 7500 employees of Larsen & Toubro Ltd’s, Mumbai factory, when I was General Manager (1979 – 1987). This open honest communication led to a remarkable improvement in industrial relations.
If you wish to download the entire set, just click here
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
www.indiarecruiter.net
____________________________________________________________
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
March 16, 1980
M-5
Promise-Of-Productivity
Dear Friends,
Following is just one of 200+ letters that I wrote to 7500 employees of Larsen & Toubro Ltd’s, Mumbai factory, when I was General Manager (1979 – 1987). This open honest communication led to a remarkable improvement in industrial relations.
If you wish to download the entire set, just click here
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
www.indiarecruiter.net
__________________________________________________________________
To:
General Managers
Promise of Productivity
The productivity has our minds agitated for nearly three years now. It was in April 1975 that our Chairman (Mr. N.M. Desai) appointed a “System and productivity Committee” to study the various. aspects of productivity and make recommendations. A Report containing the recommendations was submitted in November 1976.
Without going into the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations, this morning appears to be the most opportune time to talk to you once again about productivity. The occasion I have in mind is the signing of the four-year agreement with the Union last Friday evening.
I draw your attention to the clauses on “Productivity and Discipline” which have been incorporated in the agreement.
If a break-through has to be made on the Productivity front, a way must be found out to translate these clauses (which might at first glance appear like so may platitudes) into a day-to-day working relationship between the Shop-floor management and the workmen.
The Union and the Workmen, in return for the benefits arising out of the agreement, have agreed to raise the performance Indices by 25 points above the existing level within three months.
What does this mean?
If the current PI (Performance Index) for an individual workman or a group of workmen (Shop/Department) is, say, 50, the Union and Workmen have agreed to raise the PI to 75.
In essence, the output in physical terms, in such a case, should go up by 50 per cent.
In my numerous discussions with the DGMs, I have been informed that the Performance Indices are as low as 22/24 in many Shops. Assuming this to be true, raising the PI by 25 points over the existing levels, would mean an increase of physical output per person by over 100 per cent!
With this background, how may additional vacancies (of daily-rated workmen) should we budget in our 1979-80 Manpower Budget? This, then, is the multimillion Rupee question! (the cost of the four-year agreement).
Barring rare exceptions, if we were to propose any additional manpower during 1979-80, it would be tantamount to ourselves not having faith in the Productivity Clauses of the agreement I There are other ways of dealing severe blows to the spirit and intent of the productivity Clauses, but proposing additional’ Manpower would be the surest way of sounding the death-knell of the entire concept.
At this stage I cannot resist the temptation of narrating the English Electric case study.
English Electrics have an elaborate system of Methods Study/Time Standards based on which they calculate daily/ monthly PI for every shop. At the time of signing an Agreement with the Union some three months back, this PI was averaging 71 for the entire factory. The Productivity Clauses of the Agreement provided for the workmen to raise the PI to 81. At end of three months of constant pressure/ persuasion/monitoring/feed back the PI has actually reached 80 as on 4th January of this year. I am sending out a separate detailed Note on the subject to all the DGMS/ Production Managers with a copy of the Agreement.
H.C. PAREKH
P.S.: At English Electrics, after receiving the PI Statement every morning
from the Industrial Engineering Department, the FIRST THING that the
production Managers/Personnel Officers do is to meet the Union’s shop
representatives and bring it to their notice the shortfall in the targeted
PI for each shop. EE considered this DAILY MEETINGS with the
Union’s Shop Representatives to be a crucial factor in bringing about
productivity improvement.
January 14, 1979
M-1
Communicating For Productivity 