Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Thursday 21 March 2019

RE: Ref : YOUR ARTICLE IN ECO TIMES


Minding  the  Tree  ?


For past 3 days, newspapers are full of reports / articles / debates and interviews re the planned takeover of Mindtree by L&T

In one report, founders / promoters have expressed fears about the possible mismatch between the cultures of Mindtree and L&T

I have no clue about the culture of Mindtree,  but having worked in L&T for over 30 years ( 1959-1990 ), I have a fair idea of L&T culture

Question :
How can one delve deep into the “ Minds “  of the employees ( Trees ? ) of L&T, in order to unravel the nature of that culture ?

Answer :
Search for hidden clues in what they might have written about L&T .

One such source ( although somewhat superficial ) could be :

But those keen for a deeper understanding would want to go through :

These are 51 essays ( ? ) written by ex-L&T employees , - each narrating an “ incidence “ that happened around them , while working for L&T

Through use of certain words / phrases , each of these “ real life incidence “ tells a story about L&T Culture

In the following tabulation, I have summarized a few of those narratives , listing the words used by those ex-employee writers and the corresponding “ L&T Culture

I urge Mindtree founders / promoters and employees , to take out a few minutes to read all the 51 articles , to allay their fears of any perceived “ mismatch “ of the two cultures

================================================================================
Narrative Title
Contributing Employee
Words found
L&T Culture described

 Ramesh D Grover



H R Shenoy

please ,

giving birth to an organization and nourishing it ,

smile, freshness,

gem of human beings,
solving problems, helping,


Helping colleagues,

Collaboration ,

 Friendliness 

Office Stationary & Reimbursement



KN

controls and restrictions,

art of bypassing control

Love for details,

Cost Consciousness,

Tendency  to  control small expenses 

Meeting Larsen and Toubro, in person




M Subramanian

he fired me for washing my hands well before the shift time,

“You also look out for this person before leaving the bus.”

a car was arranged to drop me at Kurla Station,

all the machines in working condition,

if I am somebody it is due my employment with L&T /  proud of



Easy accessibility to Top Management ,

Loyalty,

Pride of Association,

Concern for personal problems of Employees  

Recognition of an employee's contribution to Company's growth 

Shop-floor Discipline 

Forward



A Y Divekar

suggesting corrections,

not wanting to apply a brake his career development, 

That earned him deserved respect,


Suggest - express freely to bosses    

Concern for development of subordinates 

Acknowledging contribution of a colleague or a subordinate 

Then & Now


Arvind  Rao

uniform clad ,

following road rules,
write all important communications using duplicate or triplicate books and carbon paper,

no job was ever complete till the paperwork was done

own up to mistakes,

burning midnight oil,

always answered on first ring,

time for others

knew our colleagues littlest pains,

shared the jubilations of everyone’s achievements,

met socially and formally and generally got a lot more done in less time,

one big happy family with healthy rivalry,

ethics and values dearly upheld,

people who could do the work of four – 



Hard working  

 High ethics and values  

Family  feeling  

Performance  pressure  
Sharing triumphs and tribulations

High level of Efficiency

Prompt response   

Long working hours    

Admission of  mistakes    

Emphasis on last mile - no loose ends  

 Respect  for  rules  

 

A Soft Landing in L&T




K Narsaiah

We were offered lunch in the canteen,

He told me to hop in,

That happened to be my best innings


Concern  for  candidates  

The English Teacher



Nattu

Aravindakshan 

Jairam

he never liked big gathering and wasting time.
  
but there was one spelling mitake,

perfection,
purity and rigour,

gracious,

complimented me and acknowledged my evolving skills.


Perfection
  
Love for details  

Grace  

Acknowledging Merits in others  

Complimenting on achievements  

Never Ending Learning


 A M Rao
not a dot out off place would be tolerated,

crisply worded,

grammatically correct English,

tucking away every paper subject-wise, date-wise,

we used to practice cataloguing and filing in neat chronological, alphabetical and physical order ! 

remembering spelling, grammar and basic courtesies,


Courteous Communication  

 Love  for  details    

Systematic 

System Orientation    

Methodical    

Emphasis  on  correctness    

Intolerance for sloppyness 

Collect, Store and Recall



Kodam Narsaiah

efficient and successful ,

neatly dressed

To be always presentable and smart-looking  
 Premium on Efficiency

 Penchant  to  succeed 

L&T Works , OK

 


R K Seth

visionary leadership,

where only L&T-ites' children were allowed to get admission.

company-wide launch TQM,

giving me opportunity,
TQM initiatives

Vision  for  future  

" Forever  learning "  attitude  
 Willingness to  experiment  

Emphasis on  continuous  training  
 Providing opportunities to Employees
 
Concern for  children of Employees

Leadership Qualities

 


Rishikesh Joshi

HHL set it as tradition,

going through shop floors,

The tradition still continues,

Great leaders set great traditions which become part of culture... 


Leadership qualities  

Setting  traditions  

Mixing with employees     

For an “ In Depth “ understanding of L&T Culture, readers may want to look up :

[ A ]     L&T Culture


[ B ]    Nostalgic Chairman


[ C ]    THE  NIGHTMARE  YEAR


[ D ]    L&T  Switchgear  &  Other  Stories

            Free .pdf  ( or send an email to  hrshenoy1941@gmail.com  )
              http://www.dodol.pw/azvcdaaaqbaj
            Printed & Kindle edition

=======================================================================
20   March  2019


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