Clarity of Thought

I recently had a short conversation with a start-up entrepreneur stuck on what areas to focus on. He answered my question "What do you like doing the most?" very passionately and I listened to him very attentively. Once I understood his passion, I elaborated the ecosystem of his passion with both his vendors and customers. While doing so it became obvious that just wanting to stick to his passion would intrinsically restrict growth due to forward and backward integration need both his vendors and customers. This is when he got an insight, a powerful one, with total clarity of thought. The next steps then became very easy and we ended this 1h conversation with huge energy pumped in to both of us. This is a very typical coaching conversation. You may want to try this powerful method to get clarity in your thoughts and fulfill your dreams.

Manufacturing Competetiveness

Last week on Friday, 7th November 2013, during the national quality summit organized by the CII, lot of discussions were held about the manufacturing competitiveness in India.

I thought of writing this blog to record my thoughts of the enormous HIDDEN potential we have in our country that can be harnessed to reach great heights.

I would like to start by stating our JUGAD ability as a huge strength to improvise, that we learn from a very early age due to a huge uncertainty in the daily routine. This surely is not the case with the countries dominated by manufacturing industry. Are we using this huge JUGAD potential???

Let me share my views about the competence and qualification. We all know that we need to have exceptional merit or connections, good resources,.... to get qualified. On the other hand, ones landing in Industrial Training Institutes not necessarily are incapable. Thus it is really not uncommon, especially to have the fresh graduates as front line managers with significantly less competence that the workmen. Thus the FRONT LINE MANAGERS normally have a role of leading senior and more intelligent subordinates. Even with a good lot of leadership experience this kind of a team to lead is quite challenging. Just imagining their condition and their effectiveness. It is quite interestingly different in the advanced manufacturing economies, where education in based on merit and generally the less capable ones end up as workers, making the life of Front Line Managers easier. Do our workmen need FRONT LINE MANAGERS???

In all the advanced manufacturing countries the basic livelihood is not endangered, since arbitrary firing is not easy and even if a worker were to be fired, the social security system supports in some way. Whereas in India, unfortunately, many companies, the big ones, pride themselves in flexible manpower - outsourced CONTRACT workmen who can be "Hired and Fired" at will. Some companies come up with similar models but with different terminology of "On Job Trainees", Temporaries, etc. Just imagine what would be going through a worker who is either a temporary or a contract workmen for years - sometimes > 10 Y. Will these CONTRACT workmen be engaged with the company???

Imagine how it would be when we get the workmen fully engaged by first ensuring PEOPLE QUALITY and DIGNITY before product/service quality.
Imagine how it would be if we get our workmen to take on some coordinating roles on rotation to become a SELF MANAGING TEAM without the front line manager.
Imagine a system of remuneration based on CONTINUOUS LEARNING and TEACHING using the Jugad abilities.

The enormous hidden potential can in my opinion only be released provided we relook at some conventional wisdom, like our payment systems, hierarchical structure, accountability for down stream performance, etc. You may want to check out the functional value stream, BITS and Timeout in the following L2L system presentation.

 

Coansulting and Coaching

I was really surprised to realise that the intended benefits from a good ERP system have mainly been obtained in the financial modules like accounting, finance, costing, etc. especially in the traditional automotive manufacturing industries through various versions of the ERP over the last two decades starting with the conventional MRP and transitioning to ERP through the MRP II.

As I wondered why, it struck to me that this was mainly due to an “Expert” suggesting and advising the usage of best practices and business processes from the perspective of the “Expert”. In almost all the cases the “User” who was as intelligent as the “Expert” and found ways of working with the ERP by using brilliant innovative and at time disruptive approaches to serve the customer.

Seeing this from a scientific perspective it is obvious that the “Expert” and the “User” both equally intelligent had and continue to have different brains with each looking at the world in a unique perspective and evolving solutions that were the best from their perspective.

They why can’t we make all “Users” into “Experts”?

Yes! In my belief it is possible once we understand the purpose of consulting and coaching.

Consulting is the process where an “Expert” (Consultant) tells and shows the “User” what to do and how to do from the perspective of the “Expert”. Consulting mainly delivers tangible results.

Coaching is the process where the “Expert” (Coach) makes the “User” identify what to do and how to do from the perspective of the “User”. Coaching mainly transforms people by improving thinking.

I realized that for introducing ERP and many other ITES mostly consulting method is adapted resulting in the entire supply chain delivering numbers through brilliant innovative and at time disruptive approaches.

Maybe an “Expert” who is both a coach and a consultant would be an ideal situation to generate both the results and thinking processes to create passion to excel in every individual of the organization by choosing IT as a support in to their exceptional individual skills. Would it then not result in ever “User” becoming an “Expert?

Of course, this is my unique thinking and my perspective. I really welcome you to reflect and get back to me on your further insights.