A manager's Day at the office " Define,Organize and Envision"..

Operations keep the lights on,

Strategy provides light at the end of the tunnel 

and Management is the engine that moves the organization forward.

When Mandi sir walked into the classroom , I hoped to have as good a learning experience  as the previous class.I was proven right when Sir made us build a tower with small cubical blocks after putting forward a thought provoking question :

"Whom do you want to make shoes: A cobbler working alone or A group of workers in a large organization(be it Nike,Adidas etc)"

The answer lied in comparing the traditional ways of manufacturing commonly called craftsmanship and the modern methods of managing a large workforce in any organization.

Rather than jumping to a conclusion , sir made us analyse the two options and after proper discussion we listed down the following aspects which throw light on the stark contrast between craftsmanship and modern management techniques which divide the work into well defined tasks

Parameter	1 person craftsmanship	Modern management method
Work	Ambiguous as work is not divided into well-defined tasks	Crystal clear with each worker focusing on the assigned task
Skill Level	High level of skill is needed	Deskilling takes place especially for the worker at the lowest level
Satisfaction	Sometimes it may increase but it may lead to complacence which hampers the end result	Low
Time	One person does it all, so more time is needed	Less time and increased productivity as we break down work as WORK => JOB=>ACTIVITY => TASK => ELEMENT

Then we were given options two bid for one of the two options to build a tower from the cubical blocks

1) Keep the eyes open ;  one person involved ; no other instruction

2) Blindfold one person(worker),worker use one hand only, another person acts as manager and another one presumes the role of CEO.

When I know too much about the work, my emotions may cloud my ability

For open eyed worker , the expected length of tower was 22 and for blindfolded  it was 17

In contrast the blindfolded person built a tower of 25 blocks and justified the perspective that well defined tasks lead to enhanced productivity.

Management is, above all, a practice where art, science, and craft meet

One simple question "What does it take to be a craftsman?"

It takes time. It takes experience. It takes mentoring. And, it takes a lot of trial and error. 

Now , consider today's hyper competitive world where it takes 18 seconds to  assemble a new bike , a solicited brand of today becomes an obsolete memory tomorrow and making room for trial and error can be a recipe for lagging behind.

An important inference of the activity was that proper planning, well defined roles and decisive thinking by the manager in terms of direction to be taken and work allocation are necessary for efficient throughput and resulting benefits.

Teachers are expected to reach unattainable goals with inadequate tools.The miracle is that at times they accomplish the impossible task

"A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world"

— John Le Caré

The above quote describes my experience when I sat on the floor in a class on "Principles of organizational behavior" wherein our esteemed professor, Dr. Prasad (aka Dr. Mandi) told us to keep his table aside and volunteered to sit with us.

There was an air of frankness about him and students felt comfortable talking to him and replying to his questions.

Then started a round of queries regarding the famous Mandi event and when the professor took those simple toys out of his bag, I wanted to catch the sponge ball(with a globe designed on its surface) which he threw in the air for students to catch(imagine the joy of a young child playing and learning simultaneously!!)

When someone estimated the price to be around Rs.20, considering the fact that a normal globe costs more than the stated price,I thought "we can combine things to make more useful products which the "not so well off" may afford and use for constructive purpose.

Next came the toy which looked like a butterfly , but it was balanced by the professor on a single pen and made to rotate , which made me think "we may look at things from a different point of view to open up new avenues both in personal life and any area of organized activity as well".

We knew how to use our BRAIN.. He made us use our MIND...

The Newtons Cradle:

Last and the very best was the contraption of 5 silver balls hanging in a line forming the Newton's cradle(none of us knew what it was!!).

This simple design demonstrates the basic laws of physics but  a first time observer may think "When the ball at one end strikes the group of others, it sends the ball at the other end into the air.But why are the balls in the middle so calm?"

To give a feeling of management lesson, it looked like an organization where individuals come and go, but the real strength lies in sticking together and working towards a common goal.

"The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual”

Vince Lombardi

The class concluded with sir acknowledging the ability and zest of common salesmen in buses and trains who demonstrate immense determination to sell in order to arrange for a day's meal.

                                                       
                                                    Life Of An Indian Salesman
                                

I believe, that looking at the practical applications of different theories and working to implement them sensibly was the crux of the class but i was left with even more to explore when Sir ended the class saying

"Consumption is creation, Creation is consumption "

Applying the principles of this course in real world I hope to reach a stage wherein I earn as I learn and learn no matter how much I earn.