To;
Deputy General Managers <a name="OCRUncertain001">(DGMs)</a>
Dear Friends,

Following is just one of 200+ letters that I wrote to 7500 employees of Larsen &amp; 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
http://www.indiarecruiter.net/wfrmTimeTravel.aspx

 

Regards,
Hemen Parekh
http://www.indiarecruiter.net

 

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"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
December 23, 1979
M-2