Right the First Time?

Japanese, we hear and read, have become famous for doing every thing right the first time. What with their TQM, zero defect programs, kaizen and gemba kaizen etc.

However, in many other countries, it is opposite; right the first time? No. Never. It is not even right the second time or the third time.

A friend of mine who is a business manager in one of the reputed organizations in a big city was narrating me an experience. He wanted to organize a training program for the managerial staff in his company on "productivity". For this, he was in search of a good video film on "productivity" with around 20 to 30 minutes of running time. He came to know that an organization devoting itself fully to the cause of productivity training was having such videos. He contacted the organization personally. He was put to a clerk who was supposed to show him the list of videos the organization had and also to arrange a preview of videos which my friend would select.

My friend had to sit in front of the clerk for nearly half an hour before the file containing the list of videos was traced. After the list was traced, it was found to be an old version. The clerk said, "I think that we have received some twenty more videos since then". Let me check my other records. Other records were equally difficult to locate. So, he stretched his memory and and updated that list- God alone knows how much and how accurately updated that list was!

My friend scanned through the list and selected two videos titled "Productivity" and "Productivity is Every One's Business". In the list against the titles of the videos was written the language in which narration was for the video. On checking with the clerk, he ensured that the narration for the two selected videos was in English, which is what my friend required.

Then, my friend met the officer in that organization who asked my friend to come again the next day for the preview. He instructed the clerk to ensure that at 4 PM sharp the next day everything would be in readiness for showing the videos. The clerk nodded in confirmation.

As per the program, the next day, my friend reached the productivity organization at 4 PM and met the officer. The officer asked my friend to sit down and asked, "Yes gentleman, what can I do for you? From which company you are? etc." My friend some how checked his annoyance and keeping his cool said, "I met you yesterday and you asked me to come today at 4 PM for preview of those videos, you remember?"

The officer looked amused. "Yes, yes, now I remember. I never thought that you would really be so serious about them and also be so punctual". He called the clerk and ordered him to do the needful and asked my friend to follow the clerk.

The clerk gave a big yawn first and then called his computer cum LCD operator, "Listen, show these videos to the gentleman". The operator quipped, "But how's that possible? We have already given the projection screen to ABC Company this morning only". The clerk went on, "Doesn't matter, project on the wall; after all this gentleman wants to have just a peek at them. Even if the projection on the wall is not very decent, don't worry".

Well, that's that. The operator took him to a small dingy room which was supposed to be the computer laboratory cum the projection room for LCD projector. In an almirah, the DVDs and VCDs containing the videos were kept one on other quite haphazardly. The operator took nearly twenty minutes to pull out the jackets of the DVDs on which were written the titles of the videos that my friend wanted to see. The operator connected the LCD to the computer but LCD's lamp would not light up. He started fiddling with the wires, plugs and adapters and in the process, got a mild electric shock. He smiled at my friend, "That's part of the job. This is not the first time". Finally, the LCD and computer, both started. My friend adjusted himself on to a broken stool trying himself to keep away from the open electrical wiring all around. And what did he see on the wall, a video titled, "Do it Right the First Time".

"My God, this is not the video I wanted to see", my friend said. The operator was not much disturbed though. He said, "Doesn't matter. The video you want to see must be in the jacket meant for the video "Do it Right the First Time". So, he took out the DVD from the jacket labelled "Do it Right the First time" and loaded into the computer.

This time the title that came on the screen-wall was, "Right Methods, Right Answers".

And that was the beginning of an unending research project. The operator was taking out DVDs/VCDs one by one from each jacket (right method!) and started showing their titles to my friend through projection on the wall-screen. Not a single video was kept in it's proper jacket. "Effective Executive" video was kept in "Negative Attitudes" and "Negative Attitudes" video was kept in the jacket meant for "Modern Scientific Management" and so on.

It took the operator exactly one hour before he stumbled on "Productivity". My friend, at last, took a deep breath and the operator beamed as if he had made the greatest achievement in the world.

"Yes, the title came all right- "Productivity". Only the title was in English- narration in the film that followed was in some language other than English.

Just above this dingy small computer laboratory cum LCD projector room, in the lecture hall of this productivity organization, a training program was being conducted by the same organization. The name of the program was "How to Solve the Problems Systematically?"

Related Books

1. "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World" (available from Amazon, get it online as a paperback or an eBook)

Read many more management anecdotes/management case studies in the eminent author Shyam Bhatawdekar's best selling book "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World" available online from Amazon as an eBook as well as a printed book.

2. "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Volume 2)" (available from Amazon, get it online as a paperback or an eBook)

Read many more management anecdotes/management case studies in the eminent author Shyam Bhatawdekar's best selling book "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Volume 2)" available online from Amazon as an eBook as well as a printed book.

Other Related Reading

For everything you wanted to know on building leadership and management, refer Shyam Bhatawdekar’s website: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com/

Also, refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/

For “out of box thinking” articles by Shyam Bhatawdekar, refer: (Out of Box Ideas) http://wow-idea.blogspot.com/

Read other blogs of Shyam Bhatawdekar at: (Home Page for Writings of Shyam Bhatawdekar) http://writings-of-shyam.blogspot.com

I Did Not Have Heart to Fire Him

Chief construction manager Whitekar of one of the unit’s of Marvel Millennia, the multi unit, multi product conglomerate was having conference with his two senior civil engineers. One of the senior civil engineers said, “What is the purpose in making all the detailed engineering calculations and thoroughly comparing the quotes from the various construction contractors when we know for sure that this time also the management will award the contract to our permanent civil construction contractor Darub & Co. It seems that our company treats Darub & Co as its son-in-law.”

Chief construction manager Whitekar was in his usual pensive mood. He replied, “I agree with you that couple of times management went out of way to award the contract to Darub & Co while all our analysis showed that the other contractors were more deserving. No doubt, the quality of construction of Darub & Co is of quite high order but their commercial terms are also very steep. In those two or three cases, the other contractors were as good as Darub & Co quality wise and yet they were considerably cheaper also. I suppose that there was no harm to allot the contract to them and management should have done so.”

The other senior civil engineer said, “That’s why Mr Whitekar, we do not intend wasting our time in elaborate comparisons of various offers we have received this time for the new construction of buildings for the expansion project. It is a huge order and irrespective of what we do, it will be given to Darub & Co. I heard that our company and our management are quite indebted to Darub & Co for whatsoever reasons. I hear that kind of gossip.”

Whitekar dismissed this line of thinking of his staff, “Let us do a thorough professional job this time too. It’s a big project with lots of money involved. And so, we will do our job well and we will recommend whosoever is the winner as per us. We will forward our recommendations to the top management and there ends our job. It is the prerogative of the top management to award the contract to anyone whom they want to. Let us not waste time. Let us get on with our job; we have the deadline to meet.” He also added, “If we do our job well, management will have to be guided by our analysis; this time the stakes are far higher.”

The conference was over that day.

A few days later the CEO of the company was reviewing the analysis and recommendations made by Whitekar. These recommendations were forwarded by Moitra who was Whitekar’s boss and was Group President for all the construction and building activities of all the units of the company. Moitra had endorsed the views of Whitekar.

The CEO of Marvel Millennia was quite disturbed to see that Darub & Co was a bad runner up, way behind the building contractor whom Whitekar and Moitra had recommended after thorough technical and commercial analyses. Marvel Millennia management had almost got used to seeing Darub & Co as number one and it suited the management since the promoters and management of Darub & Co had proved to be of great financial assistance to Marvel Millennia on its rainy days. The CEO was in a serious dilemma.

He had a conference with the CEO of Darub & Co and asked him to look at the discrepancies and deficiencies of his proposal for the building and construction activities of the huge expansion project. He said, “Please review your entire proposal and revert to me in two days.”

Accordingly, the CEO of Darub & Co had marathon meetings with his civil engineering staff. One brilliant engineer pointed out a discrepancy in Whitekar’s workout. It was a controversial civil engineering technical angle which Darub & Co had tackled in a particularly different manner as compared to what interpretations Mr Whitekar had made on that point. If Darub & Co’s point of view and their subsequent calculations based on that assumption were to be taken as correct, Darub & Co’s proposal stood out as the winner.

While all this was a controversial issue, yet when presented by the CEO of Darub & Co to the CEO of Marvel Millennia, it appealed to the CEO of Marvel Millennia hell of a lot. His dilemma was sorted out and that too with all the justifications. Finally, the contract order was awarded to Darub & Co.

The CEO of Marvel Millennia called Moitra to his office and said, “Your civil engineering staff must be more careful. They made a critical mistake which we found out here in the corporate office. But for that, I would have been in a very embarrassing situation. The contract would have wrongly gone to the other company which would have been a disastrous mistake on our part. I suggest that you transfer one of your more competent chief construction managers from one of the other units in place of Whitekar. Looks like Whitekar has lost the touch. He should retire gracefully now.”

The CEO had almost asked Moitra to fire Whitekar. Moitra went to his office with a foggy mind. He did not know what to do, how to break this news to Whitekar. Moitra had tremendous respect for Whitekar. Whitekar was a gem of a professional and gem of a civil engineer. He decided to sleep over the matter.

Next day morning, Moitra mustered lots of courage to execute his CEO’s decision on Whitekar. Instead of summoning Whitekar to his office, he preferred to do this dirty work of firing Whitekar in Whitekar’s office itself. He felt it was more civil that way. With heavy heart and mind he walked to Whitekar’s cabin. The door to Whitekar’s cabin had a peep hole in it. He stopped at the door and peeped inside. Whitekar was leaning over a big civil engineering drawing spread all across his table and was keenly pondering over some thing. He gave the impression of professionalism personified. Whitekar was absorbed deeply in his work as if he would never stop working for Marvel Millennia and would never stop being the professional manager and the civil engineer that he was.

Moitra had no heart to disturb Whitekar from his serious and genuine work. He retracted his steps and started walking backwards to his own cabin. He rolled up his sleeves and said to himself, “I will have to tackle the CEO or I am doomed.”

Related Books

1. "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World" (available from Amazon, get it online as a paperback or an eBook)

Read many more management anecdotes/management case studies in the eminent author Shyam Bhatawdekar's best selling book "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World" available online from Amazon as an eBook as well as a printed book.

2. "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Volume 2)" (available from Amazon, get it online as a paperback or an eBook)

Read many more management anecdotes/management case studies in the eminent author Shyam Bhatawdekar's best selling book "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Volume 2)" available online from Amazon as an eBook as well as a printed book.

Other Related Reading

For everything you wanted to know on building leadership and management, refer Shyam Bhatawdekar’s website: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com/

Also, refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/

For “out of box thinking” articles by Shyam Bhatawdekar, refer: (Out of Box Ideas) http://wow-idea.blogspot.com/

Read other blogs of Shyam Bhatawdekar at: (Home Page for Writings of Shyam Bhatawdekar) http://writings-of-shyam.blogspot.com

Alphonsos or Papayas?

Everyone in the factory was excited. The latest gossip was that the Chairman of their group companies was visiting their factory for the first time and that too, along with his wife. When there is smoke, there must be fire. The local management soon officially confirmed the grapevine.

In a feudal and family setup, the top positions of a corporation are always kept within the family. They are passed on from generation to generation automatically. Though the days of kings and queens are long gone, these dynastic rulers are literally treated like kings and queens till date by their subjects (employees) in their organizations. The subjects believe that if they can please their king and queen, they would get benefited. The king and queen will notice their acts of pleasing them and will shower baksheesh upon them.

In anticipation of all of this, all and sundry of the factory got into the top gear to make appropriate preparations to welcome Mr and Mrs Chairman. Particularly, the top most two managers of the unit were more busy than everyone else. Both, Bartantia and Lalkhera took up the job of pleasing Mr and Mrs Chairman as their crusade.

The employees of the factory unit were divided into two camps- the Bartantia camp and the Lalkhera camp. The members of each camp had total loyalty to their respective leaders. The two leaders competed very well particularly on such occasions.

Among other things, Bartantia and Lalkhera were concentrating more on planning their strategy for the ceremonial lunch that was to be staged for the king and the queen. They believed in the well known cliche that route to reach any one's heart and mind was through the stomach- so a great lunch was important. Each one was guiding his own camp accordingly. While details for each course of the lunch was being worked out to the last detail, the decision on the selection of the main fruit dish was yet to be taken.

The two camps soon contacted the other 26 group companies, separately, in order to find out the favorite fruits of Mr Chairman and Mrs Chairman. Ultimately, after lots of data collection and lots of data processing, Bartantia camp came to the conclusion that the super bosses liked the top most variety of the mangoes called Alphonso. They reported their findings and recommendation of Alphonso mango to their boss Bartantia. Simultaneously, Lalkhera camp, after detailed investigations, recommended that the king and queen liked the seedless variety of papayas. Lalkhera's prior knowledge about the choice fruit of Chairman and his wife thus got confirmed.

In fact, in anticipation of such an opportunity some day in future, Lalkhera had already planted the papaya trees almost an year ago in the factory canteen (among other departments, he was also in charge of factory's canteen and horticulture) and now the same papaya trees were giving the seedless papayas. In a way, he was a step ahead of Bartantia. Bartantia, on the other hand, would have to work hard to locate the Alphonsos since it was not the mango season. He would have to hunt for this variety of high quality mangoes and will have to get them from Mumbai at exorbitant price. Well, price won't be any issue at all when the party was meant for the king and the queen but the search would require efforts.

The final menu was compiled in collaboration of the two camps. The terms and conditions of feeding the super guests were drawn up. It was decided that each course would be introduced to the guests by either Bartantia or Lalkhera depending on who had thought of it and for which he would take the credit of selecting the course and getting it properly cooked by the chief chef under his personal guidance. That way both Bartantia and Lalkhera will get equal praise, particularly from Mrs Chairman- that always matters more under this kind of situations.

Finally, the day dawned and Mr and Mrs Chairman did arrive in the factory unit. And finally, it was also the ceremonial lunch time. Only senior executives were invited for the lunch.

Everything went off very well as per the blue print. The last course was fruits. The head waiter of the canteen brought two dishes full with the fruits and placed them in front of the Chairman and his wife. Bartantia sang songs in praise of the Alphonsos and narrated in details as to how he could get them all the way from Mumbai after lots of search though it wasn't the mango season. Simultaneously, Lalkhera sang songs of the seedless papayas that he had particularly planted in the factory since he knew that they were the favorite fruits of Mr and Mrs Chairman.

Mr and Mrs Chairman picked up a few pieces of cut fruits from each of the two dishes. Almost at the same time both quipped, "Bartantia, why, your Alphonsos are tasting like papayas?" They had finished their lunch and got up from their seats. Everyone else, including Bartantia and Lalkhera also had to conclude their lunch.

As all of them were walking out of the dining hall after the lunch, Bartantia stayed back only for a moment, picked up one piece of fruit from each dish, tasted it and to him too both the pieces tasted like papaya. He wondered, "Then, what happened to the Alphonsos?"

And then, he knew the trick Lalkhera had played on him by instructing his canteen's head waiter not to serve the Alphonsos at all. He also saw and heard Mr and Mrs Chairman profusely thanking Lalkhera for the delicious lunch he had organized, particularly their favorite seedless papayas. They even shook hands with Lalkhera. Bartantia was a mere onlooker.

Related Books

1. "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World" (available from Amazon, get it online as a paperback or an eBook)

Read many more management anecdotes/management case studies in the eminent author Shyam Bhatawdekar's best selling book "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World" available online from Amazon as an eBook as well as a printed book.

2. "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Volume 2)" (available from Amazon, get it online as a paperback or an eBook)

Read many more management anecdotes/management case studies in the eminent author Shyam Bhatawdekar's best selling book "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Volume 2)" available online from Amazon as an eBook as well as a printed book.

Other Related Reading

For everything you wanted to know on building leadership and management, refer Shyam Bhatawdekar’s website: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com/

Also, refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/

For “out of box thinking” articles by Shyam Bhatawdekar, refer: (Out of Box Ideas) http://wow-idea.blogspot.com/

Read other blogs of Shyam Bhatawdekar at: (Home Page for Writings of Shyam Bhatawdekar) http://writings-of-shyam.blogspot.com

Designation Burst

At 78, senior Dolatia was still fond of going to his vulgarly ostentatious corner office at the top floor of corporate office of Dolatia Group.

Dolatias had mopped up literally billions from the gullible public that hoped to become rich by dealing in the Dolatia shares. It was another matter that even after passage of five years since tons of money was collected, the investors did not see any dividend check.

On the other hand, the company had purchased three huge mansions and some twelve up-market cars of the latest models and gave them to the three directors of the company (and indirectly, to their wives and their grown up children) apart from the fat salaries the three executive directors were already drawing since the inception of the company. One of the executive directors was also the CEO of the company. And who were they? You guessed it right- they were all Dolatia clan- the senior Dolatia and his two sons.

As per very private inner circle of Dolatias, Dolatias used to boast of their uncanny talent of grabbing people's money and using it to their personal advantage. They used to believe that if you can get milk from others' cows, you don't have to use your own. They also used to boast of having hired highly intelligent "servants" from all over the world, at a pretty cheap price to run their company. To them the highly skilled "professionals" were no more than the domestic help.

In the mean time, the old man Dolatia was suffering from bouts of amnesia. So he won't remember the names of his servants (the executives of the company). Nevertheless he was very fond of summoning them and giving them orders on business matters.

On one usual day, he called a senior executive to his sprawling cabin. This gentleman was the Senior Chief Vice President- Manufacturing, perhaps the most important and most useful person in the company. Dolatia always seemed very courteous to any onlooker. He offered him seat to sit down. One dared not sit down in front of Dolatia unless offered a seat by him.

Dolatia looked at the new arrival quizzically and threw a question at him, "Who are you?"

Most senior executives in the organization were aware of Dolatia's amnesia condition. They knew that he had no control over his memory; he used to forget things every now and then. So they won't mind his obnoxious behavior. The Senior Chief Vice President- Manufacturing said politely, "Sir, I am Philip Mathew, your Senior Chief Vice President- Manufacturing."

Dolatia retorted in an irritating tone, "Look Mathew, I am not asking that- your designation. That- I have bestowed upon you. I keep distributing those things from time to time- chief, senior, senior chief, chief assistant, senior chief assistant and so many of them. I keep them in my pockets always. All I am asking you is, "Are you a babu (a clerk or an administrator) or an engineer?" Based on that I will decide whether I should assign the work, I have in mind, to you or to someone else who is more suitable for that type of work. It's a top level job and I must have the right person to do it."

In summary, Dolatia had just about two classifications of his senior people- a babu (a clerk or an administrator) or an engineer; designations really did not matter.

Related Books

1. "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World" (available from Amazon, get it online as a paperback or an eBook)

Read many more management anecdotes/management case studies in the eminent author Shyam Bhatawdekar's best selling book "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World" available online from Amazon as an eBook as well as a printed book.

2. "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Volume 2)" (available from Amazon, get it online as a paperback or an eBook)

Read many more management anecdotes/management case studies in the eminent author Shyam Bhatawdekar's best selling book "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Volume 2)" available online from Amazon as an eBook as well as a printed book.

Other Related Reading

For everything you wanted to know on building leadership and management, refer Shyam Bhatawdekar’s website: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com/

Also, refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/

For “out of box thinking” articles by Shyam Bhatawdekar, refer: (Out of Box Ideas) http://wow-idea.blogspot.com/

Read other blogs of Shyam Bhatawdekar at: (Home Page for Writings of Shyam Bhatawdekar) http://writings-of-shyam.blogspot.com