Principles of Management
Friday 31 August 2012
Sunday 29 July 2012
IBM
ABOUT:
International Business Machines Corporation, or IBM, is an
American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in
Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware
and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in
areas ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology.
ORIGIN:
The company was founded in 1911 as the Computing Tabulating
Recording Corporation through a merger of three companies: the Tabulating
Machine Company, the International Time Recording Company, and the Computing
Scale Corporation.[4][5] CTR adopted the name International Business Machines
in 1924, using a name previously designated to CTR's subsidiary in Canada and
later South America. Its distinctive culture and product branding has given it
the nickname Big Blue.
HISTORY:
In 1886 Herman Hollerith, a statistician for the US Bureau
of Census formed the TabulatingMachine Company and Thomas J. Watson became its
leader in 1915 and made the companyslogan “Think”. It changed its name to
International Business Machines (IBM) in 1924. It wastaken by the US government
at the beginning of World War II in the war effort and given a one percent
profit, which it used to fund war victims and orphans.During the period between
1910 and 1960, it developed products from punch-card tabulatingmachines to
room-sized calculators to mainframe computing systems for large enterprises
andchanged the nature of accounting, calculation and basic back-office business
processes.In the 1970s and 80s, IBM product lines expanded from its traditional
mainframes tominicomputer and personal computers and applications moved from
backend operations todepartmental operation. In 1981, the company introduced
the IBM Personal Computer or PC,allowing the use of computers in schools, homes
and businesses. Components for the computer were sourced from outside the
company. The processor chip came from Intel and the operatingsystem, called DOS
(Disk Operating System), came from Microsoft.IBM introduced the ThinkPad in
1992, the first in a series of notebook computers to bemanufactured by the
company. In 1995, IBM acquired Lotus Development Corporation andTivoli Systems.
In 1997, IBM demonstrated computing’s potential with Deep Blue, a 32-nodeIBM RS/6000
SP computer programmed to play chess on a world class level.During the
nineties, with the Internet and open standards, IBM embraced the network
computing model and coined “ebusiness” to describe how network computing can
transformcore businesses and transactions.In October 2002, IBM acquired PwC
Consulting, the global management consultingand technology services unit of
PriceWaterhouseCoopers. IBM sold most of its harddisk drive operations to
Hitachi in December 2002. The sale involved the creation of a joint venture
called Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, which was 70%-owned
byHitachi.In2003, IBM Research launched On Demand Innovation services, which
teamed customerswith a team of researchers who specialize in business
transformation and technology consulting. Over one billion will be spent over
the next three years and will be staffed with200 IBM research
consultants.Today, IBM is by far the largest information technology in the
world and the eighth largestcompany in the world. In 2003, it had revenues of
US $89.1 billion, a net income of 4.32,more than 366,000 employees in 170
countries with approximately sixty percent of revenuesgenerated outside the
United States.
VISION:
Solutions
for a small planet
MISSION:
International Business Machines (IBM)
Mission Statement:
"At
IBM, we strive to lead in the invention, development and manufacture of the
industry's most advanced information technologies, including computer systems,
software, storage systems and microelectronics.
We translate these advanced technologies into value for our customers through our professional solutions, services and consulting businesses worldwide."
We translate these advanced technologies into value for our customers through our professional solutions, services and consulting businesses worldwide."
IBM PRODUCTS:
Product Type
|
Product
|
Software
|
Business Analytics
Enterprise Content Management
Information Management
Lotus(Collaboration)
Rational (Software and System delivery)
Tivoli (Service Management)
WebSphere (Integration and Optimization)
MainFrame Software for IBM System Z
|
System
|
Pure System
Power System
System Z and Pure Systems
System X
Blade Center
Unix Systems
System Software
|
Storage
|
Disk Storage Systems
Tape Storage Systems
Storage Area Network
Network Attached Storage
|
Additional Products
|
Certified Used Server and Storage
Certified Used Personal Computers
Networking
Point of Sale
Security
Semiconductors
Upgrades, Accessories and Parts
Hardware Financing
Software Financing
Financing for Medium Business
|
IBM SERVICES:
Service Type
|
Service
|
Business Service
|
Application Innovation
Business Analytics
Business Strategy
Commerce Consulting
Mix Market Expertise
Business Consulting
|
IT Services
|
Application Management
Business Continuity and Resiliency
Cloud
Data Center
Integrated Communications
Mobility Services
Security
Software
Strategy and Design
Systems Lab
Technical Support
|
Outsourcing Services
|
Application Outsourcing
Business Process Outsourcing
IT Outsourcing and Hosting
|
Training
|
Offerings
Certifications
Conferences and Events
|
Additional Services
|
Consulting Alliances
IT Service Financing
Project Financing
Working Capital
All Services
|
IBM Milestones:
The following is a timeline
of milestone events in one of the quintessential U.S. corporate success
stories.
--1889: Time-recording equipment maker Bundy Manufacturing
Co. is incorporated.
--1896: Punched-card, electric tabulating equipment maker
The Tabulating Machine Co. is incorporated.
--1911: Incorporation on June 16 of the
Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (C-T-R), which merges Bundy, the
Tabulating Machine Co., the Computing Scale Company and the International Time
Recording Co. Headed by trust organizer Charles Flint, the company has 1,300
employees.
--1914: Thomas J. Watson, Sr., joins C-T-R at age 40, after
learning aggressive sales tactics at the National Cash Register Co. that led to
his conviction on antitrust charges. The verdict was set aside after an appeal.
Within 11 months of joining C-T-R, Watson became its president. His focus on
marketing and sales and large-scale tabulating solutions for businesses helped
company revenue more than double in his first four years at C-T-R, to $9
million. Over the next four decades as IBM CEO Watson became an American
business icon, pioneering worker benefits such as paid vacations and group
insurance while instilling discipline and loyalty in generations of IBM
workers.
--1923: The first electric key punch is introduced,
representing an advance on mechanical systems.
--1924: Taking the name from a Canadian affiliate, C-T-R
formally becomes International Business Machines.
--1928: The 80-column IBM punched card, doubling prior
capacity, is unveiled and remains a standard for 50 years.
IBM's
Harvard Mark I was 51 feet long and weighed nearly 5 tons.--1931: A
watershed year in advances: IBM 400 accounting machines offer alphabetic data,
the 600 series calculating machines perform multiplication and division, and
the first automatic multiplying punch and reproducing punch machines are
introduced.
--1933: IBM acquires Electromatic Typewriters, acquiring
entry in the typewriter business, which ultimately leads to innovations in word
processing.
--1936: Tom Watson, Sr.'s, insistence on making machines
during the Depression, even when demand dried up, pays off when IBM is in a
position to participate in what was then billed as the biggest accounting
operation of all time, supplying punched-card equipment to the U.S. government
in the wake of the 1935 Social Security Act.
--1937: Tom Watson, Sr., is elected president of the
International Chamber of Congress, and at a Berlin meeting promotes "World
Peace Through Trade," taken on as a slogan by the ICC and IBM. Germany
awards him with an Order of the German Eagle medal. He returns the medal in
1940, enraging the Fascist government, but IBM's business in Germany in the 30s
stirs criticism over the years.
--1944: IBM's first large-scale computer, the Automatic
Sequence Controlled Calculator or the Mark I, is the first machine to
accomplish long operations automatically, using electromechanical relays.
--1946: IBM's 603 Electronic Multiplier is the first
commercially available machine to offer electronic arithmetic circuits. It is
more than 50 feet long, eight feet high, and weighs almost five tons.
--1948: IBM releases the Selective Sequence Electronic
Calculator, a large-scale digital calculating machine that uses
electromechanical relays and offers for the first time the ability to modify a
stored program.
--1952: The IBM 701 is IBM's first production electronic
computer, featuring tape-drive technology that ultimately led to the ascendance
of magnetic tape.
--1952: Thomas J. Watson, Jr., becomes IBM president. He was
a force behind the 701, essentially a bet-the-company stance on electronic
computers before they became more cost-effective than electromechanical
machines, leading the way for IBM to dominate computing for the next few
decades during the mainframe era.
--1956: Consent decree ends a 1952 U.S. antitrust suit, as
IBM adapts a more liberal policy toward licensing equipment.
--1956: Tom Watson, Jr., takes over as CEO in May, before
the death of his father in June. Tom Jr. moves to reorganize IBM along
divisional lines, based on a "line and staff" concept that is adopted
by American business at large.
--1957: IBM introduces FORTRAN, which becomes the main
language for technical work and is used to this day.
IBM Selectric--1961:
The Selectric typewriter is released; later models offer memory and give rise
to modern word processing.
--1964: The IBM System/360 uses Solid Logic Technology
microelectronics and introduces the concept of a family of computers that share
compatible technology, in what was essentially a $5 billion bet on future
trends.
---1966: IBM's Robert Dennard invents the Dynamic Random
Access Memory cell, which remains an industry standard.
--1969: IBM technology including an onboard computer used in
first manned flight to the moon.
--1971: Tom Watson Jr. steps down, is succeeded by Frank
Cary, and the floppy disk is introduced; it later becomes the PC data storage
standard.
--1975: The IBM 5100 Portable Computer enters the market,
weighing 50 pounds and priced at $9,000 to $20,000.
--1981: The IBM Personal Computer becomes the smallest, and
at $1,565, the lowest priced PC to date. IBM's deal for Microsoft to supply the
operating system and allow competitors to buy it for "IBM-compatible"
clones fuels a growing industry and paves the way for competitors such as Dell
and Compaq.
--1982: A U.S. antitrust suit filed in 1969 is dismissed,
but arguably pushes IBM to further separate hardware from software, allowing
customers to increasingly mix and match products from different companies, a
trend that takes off during the PC era.
--1984: The Personal Computer/AT, IBM's second-generation
PC, runs on a 6MHz Intel 80286 processor.
The
ancestor of Watson, the Jeopardy-winning machine.--1987: The IBM
Personal System/2 (PS/2) is launched along with the OS/2 operating system, jointly
developed by Microsoft and IBM. OS/2 offers multitasking capabilities and in
six months one million PS/2s are shipped. But while IBM PC chief James
Cannavino wants OS/2 to maintain compatibility with the AT going forward, Bill
Gates wants to move on to machines built around the Intel 80386 chip. Windows
3.0, released in 1990, offers crude multitasking features but makes use of '386
memory management and becomes a hit, leaving OS/2 in the dust.
--1990: IBM releases the System/390 family, comprising midrange
machines and supercomputers, calling it the company's biggest product
development in 25 years. New technology includes high-speed fiber optic
channels, ultra-dense circuits and extended supercomputer capabilities.
--1991: As Microsoft and PC clone makers rake in profits,
client/server architecture takes off and IBM shocks long-time industry insiders
by announcing an annual loss of $2.82 billion, the first of three annual losses
in a row. Under CEO John Akers, IBM considers breaking up into smaller, nimbler
companies.
--1993: Louis Gerstner, former chief executive of RJR
Nabisco, takes the reins as chairman and CEO. At his inaugural press
conference, Gerstner plainly states his intention to keep IBM together as an
integrated company, and his belief that there is a need for a broad-based IT
company that can serve as both supplier and systems integrator to customers.
--1995: IBM acquires Lotus Development Corp. and its Notes
collaboration software, making IBM the world's largest software company.
--1995: IBM introduces the ThinkPad 701cm, which runs on the
Intel 133MHz Pentium processor. The sleek black design is a departure for IBM
and wins accolades.
A Lenovo ThinkPad--1996:
IBM's launch of the DB2 Universal Database, capable of querying alphanumeric
data as well as images, audio and video, marks IBM's firm embrace of the
Internet.
--1997: Deep Blue, an IBM RS/6000 SP supercomputer able to
calculate 200 million chess positions per second, defeats grandmaster Garry
Kasparov.
--2001: The publication of Edwin Black's "IBM and the
Holocaust" coincides with an Alien Tort Claims Act claim, later dismissed,
against IBM for allegedly suppling punched card technology that enabled the
Holocaust. IBM's response points out that along with hundreds of
foreign-owned companies in Germany at that time, its affiliate came under the
control of Nazi authorities prior to World War II.
--2002: Sam Palmisano becomes CEO in March, and in July IBM
signals it is further strengthening its services business with a $3.5 billion
acquisition of the PricewaterhouseCoopers global business and consulting
technology unit.
--2005: Though IBM has sold more than 20 million ThinkPads,
it announces the sale of its PC business to Lenovo in an effort to further
focus on software and services.
--2011: Watson, comprising 90 IBM Power 750 servers, shows
off IBM's artificial intelligence and systems architecture expertise by
defeating two Jeopardy game show champions in a two-game match.
AWARDS AND
RECOGNITION:
Some Highlights:
• India Lab
Helps IBM win Graph 500 Supercomputer Competition
• UllasNambiar
and L VenkataSubramaniam Selected as ACM Senior Members
• Best Demo
Award at ACM MobiSys 2011
• Best
Paper Awards at IWQoS 2011
• Best
Paper Award at SRII Global Conference 2011
• Best
Paper Award at SDM 2011
• Best
Paper award at High Performance Computing Conference (HiPC) 2010
• India lab
researcher nominated as ACM Distinguished Scientist
• National
Award for technology developed at IBM Research – India
• Best
Paper Award at ACM ISEC 2010
• Best
paper Award at CHI 2010
• Best
Paper Awards at IEEE SRDS 2009
• Best
Paper award at IEEE SCC 2009
• Best
Paper Award at IPDPS 2009
2010
• 1. Frost
& Sullivan Contact Center Outsourcing Service Provider of the Year 2010
• 2. Winner
of NASSCOM 2010 Corporate Award for Excellence in Gender Inclusivity
2009
• IBM
ranked #1 by IDC study for BPO vendor perception 2009
• Contact
Center Outsourcing Award for the consecutive 4th year
• IBM VOCA
wins NASSCOM Innovation Awards 2009
• Winner of
NASSCOM awards for Excellence in Gender Inclusivity
• IBM
selected as a finalist in the BPO Employer of the Year Award 2009
• Business
Today names IBM Global Process Services (formerly IBM Daksh) top ranked BPO
company 2009
• IBM
Global Process Services (formerly IBM Daksh) employee MadhuBala Sharma receives
the National Award 2009
2008
• NASSCOM
Corporate Award for Excellence in Gender Inclusivity
• Dataquest
– IDC India BPO E-SAT Survey 2008
• Microsoft
Security Strategist Award 2008 for Information Security
• Frost
& Sullivan Asia Pacific ICT Awards 2008
• Business
Today – Monitor Group’s ‘India’s Most Innovative Companies Study
CORPORATE RECOGNITION
AND BRAND:
In 2012, Fortune ranked IBM the #2 largest U.S. firm in
terms of number of employees, the #4 largest in terms of market capitalization,
the #9 most profitable,[7] and the #19 largest firm in terms of revenue.
Globally, the company was ranked the #31 largest firm in terms of revenue by
Forbes for 2011. Other rankings for 2011/2012 include the following:
• #1
company for leaders (Fortune)
• #1 green
company worldwide (Newsweek)
• #2 best
global brand (Interbrand)
• #2 most
respected company (Barron's)
• #5 most
admired company (Fortune)
• #18 most
innovative company (Fast Company)
For 2010, IBM's brand was valued at $64.7 billion.
For 2012, Vault ranked IBM Global Technology Services #1 in
tech consulting for cyber security, operations and implementation, and public
sector; and #2 in outsourcing.
ORGANIZATIONAL
STRUCTURE:
IBM Global Business Services is organized into six service
lines:
• Strategy
& Transformation
• SAP
Applications
• Oracle
Applications
• Business
Analytics and Optimization
• Application
Innovation Services
• Application
Management Services
• Introduction
to IBM Strategy and Transformation
• To
succeed in today's environment, businesses need to lead through increased
complexity and volatility, drive operational excellence and enable
collaboration across enterprise functions, develop higher quality leadership
and talent, and manage amidst constant change.
• IBM
Strategy and Transformation (S&T) integrates IBM's management consulting
capabilities to enable client success through executable strategies, and
deliver value through technology-enabled transformation. Achieve end-to-end
transformation, from strategy to implementation, and gain efficiency in
cross-functional collaboration.
SWOT Analysis OF IBM:
Strengths
The Advanced business action management and innovative
culture of IBM is one of its strengths.The successful strategic outsourcing,
mergers and acquisitions of IBM are its strengths.High economical consummation
centre and flexible marketing management of the company is the reason for its
success.The creative service that International Business Machines provides is
its strength. It is handling almost 95% of business tasks of top 1000 companies
all over the world.The company have some of the world’s fastest important frame
and many subverted technologies like: speech recognition software, chromatic
gene, supercomputers etc. Through such extraordinary and innovative
technologies IBM is able to wage some of the prizewinning back hand
facilities.The most recent merge of IBM is with the Lenovo; Lenovo is providing
the outer element profession and IBM providing all of its latest chip
technology can result in greater success of the company.
Weaknesses
At International Business Machines there are high costs
involved in the value chain and also the company is dealing with some acquisition
issues.Since, IBM spends quite a lot on its research and development where as
the implementation of new processes is a little difficult. This is also because
there are very few suppliers in the value chain o IBM and it can act as a
loophole.IBM has a good position in the market but needs to change its
strategies with the change in market. This also causes the cost to the company
to be greater as compared to other software and hardware dealers.
Opportunities
The rising demand for wireless and internet services
provides the company new opportunities to explore.There are many possible
acquisitions and merger opportunities that the company can seize and increase
its market share greatly.By making its distribution channels stronger and
increasing its retail outlets and suppliers can result in more profits for the
company.
Threats
There are many competitors like HP, Dell, Accenture and
Microsoft etc that have captured large segments of the market.The market has
perfect competition state and switching cost is low for the customers.At IBM,
there is a constant high threat of new substitutes as well as service
switching.The technology market is very flexible, entry is easy and even small
companies like Compaq can reduce the market share of IBM greatly.
IBM's FUTURE STRATEGY:
Grid Computing Everywhere:
IBM recently installed a grid system at Charles Schwab. The
system reduced the processing time on a wealth-management application from more
than 4 minutes to 15 seconds.
A
sense of deja vu is sweeping through IBM's executive offices. Hardware, a
category of computer technology that has been commoditized over the past
several years because of falling prices, once again has become sexy -- so sexy,
in fact, that it has become the linchpin in IBM's quest to maintain its position
as one of the industry's most important vendors.
The
hardware model at the center of IBM's technology strategy is called grid
computing, a high-end architectural strategy of making multiple computers work
on the same computational problem simultaneously.IBM plans to make all of its
key software products as well as its hardware compatible with grid computing.Problem Fragment:
To date, however, grid-computing technology has appealed only to select clients -- those supporting complex academic, engineering, government or scientific applications. IBM plans to push grid computing into the corporate mainstream by having it serve as the company's computing foundation to make computers simpler to manage, easier to operate and less costly.
IBM is aggressively moving toward the grid-computing model because the multiprocessing architecture typically used in high-end servers often runs into bottlenecks when doing massively complex processing tasks. Grid computing solves that problem by enabling a large number of disparate computing resources to work on different portions of a large, complex problem.
IBM's grid-computing initiative is so comprehensive that its success or failure might determine whether or not the company will remain a major player in the industry.
Long-Term Strategy
The company's long-term vision entails massive rollouts of grid-computing products. Customers purchasing grid-enabled products, in the company's view, would be better able to manage their data repositories.
In fact, if IBM's strategy proceeds as planned, IBM might be able to use grid computing to gain competitive advantage
However, for IBM to succeed, the company must clear several hurdles. The initiative is a hardware play, and hardware revenue has been flat recently. Despite a dwindling number of suppliers, servers remain an intensely competitive market, with manufacturers consistently dropping prices so customers continually receive more processing power at a lower cost.
Also, with the Internet boom a distant memory, there are even questions about the need for more computing power. It is unclear which applications will drive the move to grid computing.
Future Alliances
IBM has targeted five industries: aerospace, automotive, financial services, government and life sciences. For example, IBM recently installed a grid-computing system at Charles Schwab that reduced the processing time on a wealth-management application from more than 4 minutes to 15 seconds.
Final Analysis
The success or failure of IBM's initiative will not necessarily depend on the company itself, but rather on its ability to entice software suppliers to make the necessary investments to make their products compatible with grid capabilities.
Currently, there is a scarcity of programming tools, applications and management systems to help developers make their products compatible with a grid-computing architecture. Retooling existing products to run on new computer hardware is a complex task -- one that vendors undertake only when they see a customer base willing and able to buy such products.
Oracle has talked about adding grid features to its database applications, but few other vendors have grid computing on their product enhancement lists. Because so many components must fall perfectly into place for the grid-computing movement to take off completely, analysts expect the transition to grid computing to take time -- at least two to three years and quite possibly longer.
References:
Saturday 28 July 2012
Theory X and Theory Y- an insight
Today I would like to take my audience to a relatively very
old concept in management, the concept of 1960’s.Too Old but very useful in
understanding human behavior in an organization. The Concept of Theory X and
Theory Y. This concept was proposed by Prof. Douglas McGregor.
Prof. Douglas McGregor was a psychologist, management consultant
and author. He wrote a book entitled Human Side of Enterprise. In his book ,he
described two distinct set of assumptions about people at work. McGregor labelled these set of assumptions as Theory X
and Theory Y. He believed that these assumptions influence the thinking and
attitude of most managers about the people at work.
If my audience are still reluctant to accept the importance
of these theories, we will find out what the Theory X and Theory Y are. Theory
X presents a pessimistic or negative view of human nature whereas Theory Y
reflects an optimistic or positive view of human behaviour. These theories of
1960’s are based upon Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Theory X and Theory Y
relates to Maslow's hierarchy of needs in how human behavior and motivation is
the main priority in the workplace in order to maximize output. In relations to
Theory Y the organization is trying to create the most symbiotic relationship
between the managers and workers which relates to Maslow's hierarchy of needs
of Self Actualization and Esteem. For Self Actualization the manager needs to
promote the optimum workplace through morality, creativity, spontaneity,
problem solving, lack of prejudice, and acceptance of facts. It can relate to
Esteem when the manager is trying to promote self esteem, confidence,
achievement, respect of others, and respect by others.
Theory X is about taking a pessimistic view of employees and
don’t trust them. Theory X managers generally take an authoritarian stance with
their employees and work better in control-oriented organizations. Theory Y
states that employees may be striving for the higher level of Maslow’s
hierarchy and searching for creativity and problem solving. Theory Y managers
provide encouragement and trust for employees fulfilment. The end of the
management course suggested that we as new managers should seek to balance
between the two. Apparently, this is now considered a very old fashioned view
of management and has been incorporated into other theories.
Assumptions:
The assumptions of Theory X are:
1. The average human being inherently dislike work and will avoid work, if possible.
2. Since human beings dislike work, they must be coerced, controlled or threatened with punishment to make efforts to achieve objectives.
3. The average human being prefers to be directed.
4. The average human being wishes to avoid responsibility.
5. The average human being has relatively little ambition.
6. The average human being wants security above all other factors associated with the work.
7. The average human being is inherently self-centered and indifferent to organisational objectives.
8. The average human being by nature, resists change.
9. The average human being is gullible, not very bright. He may be duped by charlatans.
The assumptions of Theory Y are as follows :
1. The average human being does not inherently dislike work. Employees find that work is as natural as play or rest if organisational conditions are appropriate.
2. Employees will exercise self-direction and self-control if they are committed to objectives. External control and the threat of punishment are not the only means to make employees to work towards objectives.
3. Commitment to objectives, is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement.
4. The average human being can be motivated by higherlevel needs i.e. esteem and self-actualisation needs.
5. The average human being learns not only to accept but to seek responsibility. Avoidance of responsibility, lack of ambition and emphasis on security are generally not inherent human characteristics.
6. The average human being seeks responsibility because it allows him to satisfy higher-level needs.
7. The capacity to exercise imagination and creativity in the solution of problems is widely spreaded throughout the population. It is not the sole province of the managers.
8. Under the conditions of modern industrial life, the intellectual potentialities of the average human being are only partially utilised.
Theory X assumes that lower-order needs dominate individuals.
Theory Y assumes that higher-order needs dominate individuals. McGregor
believed that Theory Y assumptions were more valid than Theory X. Therefore, he
proposed such ideas as participation in decision-making, responsible and
challenging
jobs and good group relations for maximising employee job motivation.
jobs and good group relations for maximising employee job motivation.
In these days, Managers are being more inclined to Theory Y
as compared to Theory X just as we are shifted to more right-brain approaches. But
a balanced approach between the two results in success of the organization.Keep Learning and keep applying was the motive of today's interaction!
Sunday 22 July 2012
Three Monks Vedio and Team Dynamics
THREE MONKS Getting Water:
All organizations rest on team work. Teams and Team work is
explained at its best here by means of a three monks film vedio.
In our session of Principles of Organization Management, we
were shown a vedio film to illustrate more on team and team work. The Vedio
started with one monk. He decided to get water to the monastery. With a stick
on his shoulder having 2 buckets, one at front and other at back, he went to
river side to draw water. He returned back with water in both the buckets.
After some time one more monk joined him.
Next Day, both the
monks decided to bring water together. They arranged to hang a common stick on
their shoulders with single bucket in between. They went to the river side to
bring water. Second monk being taller tried to push the bucket more on first
monk’s side. First monk tried doing the same. Here came the problem of unequal
division of work. Even though both monks were good at heart,they fought for a
small work. First monk saved bird in his journey and the second one saved
butterfly. But when they were working together, somehow team dynamics did’nt
work between them. We conclude that universal
human nature is always positive.
Solution to the problem of equal division of work:
Several alternatives
were suggested in our class for the equal division of work.They are:
- · One person carry water one day and the other carry water the next day.i.e. they take turns in doing so.
- · Every day they carry two buckets each as the first monk used to carry earlier.
After much brainstorming, the solution remained the same
i.e. two people carry one bucket daily.As this solution had its advantages.
The work would be equally divided between the two.Effort
will be less,leading to satisfaction
from work. This is a very important concept which helps in retaining
employees in an organization thus reducing
the attrition rate.The Productivity would be higher in this case.
The Vedio continued and the two
monks decided to measure the length of the rod and tie the bucket in between
for equal load sharing.They started to measure by hands. But that division
turned out to be baised because of difference in length of palm of each monk. So,
they agreed upon measuring by scale. In this case both worked together to reach
to a mid point of rod, one measured the rod and other holded the position for
perfection in measurement. We conclude that Measurement of work need to be
scientific and objective. This contributes more towards work satisfaction.
Here comes the third monk in the
picture.On arrival of the third monk,the two monks rested and thought he will
bring water.Biut to their surprise, the third monk drank water brought by the
two monks. Here comes another concept: Teams
follow a certain norms. Norms refer to
assumptions and exceptations about how their members would behave. Here the
third monk joined the team of 2 monks and was expected to help them in the water
carrying activity.
Continuing in the video, fire
broke out and all the three monks irrespective of the tensions between them
worked together to bring water as much as possible and were able to blow off
the fire.
There was need for a system in
which nobody could sleep. Things had to change in due course of time.
Thus a method was devised in which
one pulley system was set up. One monk filled bucket from the river. the second
pulled up the bucket and third one carried the bucket to monastery. Thus this
method was highly efficient as compared to others as:
- · There was a continuous feedback and instantaneous communication
- · Nobody was idle
- · Effort was negligible as compared to the other two
- · The task was highly dependant on three of them
This is the
kind of modern management that we witness in organizations today.We witnessed the changing group dynamics with the change in method of work.This is what our managers do.They devise methods for maximum productivity and improved work satisfaction.
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