Scene I
The year was 2003. Typewriters are not to be seen anywhere. They became extinct like our wildlife. But there was one. In one of the “elite” department of Government of India office. Secret messages are typed so that no one can trace back a message. After office hours the ribbon of the type writer is ripped off and kept in the “safe”. Oh, what a security!
Why this ritual? Yes it’s written in the ‘black book’. In the name of safety & security anything, yes anything, can be done and continue to be done without assessing the present reality. It creates problems for everyone. But never mind; we would continue to run systems and organizations by the rule book. We refuse to think any further. Period.
Scene II
Production is not keeping up with orders. Late delivery is creating angry customers. Quality is suffering. The owner thinks that people are plain lazy and need to work harder in a more systematic way, which means work like robots and stick to instructions. In an effort to set things right a detailed manual is created. More forms are filled up. More supervision is put in place. Supervisors are trained to be unrelenting with any type of slackness. Detailed reporting and meetings become frequent. People start blaming each other. Shop floor becomes a venue for shouting matches. Some more machines are added. TQM and TPM are put in place. But things do not improve. Situation deteriorates further. The owner frets: “People must work like machines then only productivity would increase.”
We refuse to think in any differently. We refuse to think in terms of design and systems. We think that systems must behave the way we think it should. We don’t let go of that old comfortable feeling. The industrial mindset continues.
Scene III
One security joker had ordered that no coins will be allowed inside the J.N. Stadium, New Delhi on the eve of the recently concluded Common Wealth Games. People wondered what connection has coins got with security. Perhaps “security experts” thought some terrorist can plant a bomb using coins as splinters. Or they thought these can be used as deadly missiles against the VIPs. The Delhi police strictly followed the instruction and asked people to deposit the coins in the box before they entered the stadium. Guess how much was collected? One Lakh rupees in the very first day. This amount would go to the government coffers as none were given a “deposit slip”. Surely the Security Expert who gave out this instruction must have received an honorarium or at least a cash reward for “services rendered outside his/her normal sphere of work”. After all he has done a service which has made not only his department but the Finance Ministry proud.
More the rules merrier it is. We have stopped thinking in terms of principles. Slow up the darn processes and everything would be under control. Command and control everything especially in the name of protecting bosses and public figures. Turn your face towards the boss and your ass towards the customers. It is an appealing idea to control people through grand ‘screw ups’. Let them taste fear. Customers? Who are they?
Scene IV
Year – 2009: A Professor from IIM lectures on the importance of innovation, design and creating patents to ensure business sustainability of an organization. Senior Managers are excited about the whole concept. They boost up their designers with ‘pep talks’ and asks them to contribute to the innovation drive. They ask them to create new products. Would they be given separate time to do that? Not at all! They are to contribute to the ‘innovation drive’ over and above their normal routine jobs of designing products against specific customer orders.
Nothing much happens in six months. Management reviews the situation through ‘critical audit’ and discovers that they have really landed up with lousy fools and shirkers. They decide to call off the ‘innovation drive’. So much for innovative thinking! We still refuse to think well. We refuse to design think. We refuse to see systems as a whole. We refuse to hold onto any vision.
Scene V
The year was 1997. It was 08.30 in the evening. The Jodhpur bound “Mandore Express” was about to leave from Platform No 14 at Delhi Railway Station. I picked up my rucksack and told my colleague to hurry up so that we don’t miss the train. We were stopped at the main entrance. Police personnel were checking the bags and frisking the passengers. We obeyed their orders. I opened my belongings. Things were checked thoroughly but no one wanted to see our ticket. We rushed towards the coach. After locating our seats we settled down. My friend was very meticulous. He chained his bags under the seat. We looked over and found a group of young businessmen enjoying a drink “secretly”. At the other side of the berth a young woman with her teenage daughter were eyeing those young people suspiciously. Perhaps their presence was not comfortable to the young ladies.
We opened our packed dinner. Old newspapers were spread out on the seat. The “roties” and “sabji” were out. Out of nowhere two well built persons, hair cropped, with an unsophisticated look came and sat besides us. We felt irritated but carried on with our present job. “Where are you going? “ The usual uncomfortable question which one has to face if you travel in India. I choose to ignore the question. “We are from the police, now tell us where you are from and where are you heading to and what work you have there”. All questions asked in a single flow. I thought its better to deal with these morons in a cool and calculated manner instead of loosing one’s temper. I answered all of their queries justifying each and every reply. I thought --- Do I look like a dreaded criminal or is it a case of mistaken identity. One of the morons asked me, “Do you possess any identity card?” To test him I showed him the newly issued PAN (Permanent Account Number) issued by the Income Tax Authorities. He took the card gave a hard look. His face said it all. Sir, you are from the Income Tax department? Sorry to bother you sir, please have a safe journey. They quickly left the place. My friend and I had a hearty laugh.
Education and building great environments backed up by equally great institutions are critical to success. We find it convenient to forget about such basic principles. People are simply supposed to follow rule books if they want to stick to a job. Isn’t it? So merrily make more stupid rules to run organizations. Forget basic principles.
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