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

Wednesday 20 March 2019

THIS MIGHT INTEREST YOU


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


=======================================================================

20   March  2019



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