Observations on Jet-tison

Of the very few things that I remember from my undergraduate major days, the term jettison is among my favourites. In Physics (yes! surprised? I majored in Physics!), specifically in rocket motion, jettison refers to the disengagement of the burned up levels (which no longer serve any purpose) of a multi-stage rocket to reduce the mass. Usually, only the final stage (topmost part) of the rocket contains the actual payload (the instruments slated to be sent into space) and the lower stages are appendages to catapult the same to the designated orbit. The ISRO scientists have designed and remotely executed several jettisons to put the CHANDRAYAAN-I to its pre-determined path in its journey from Earth to Moon.

Diverting, Jet Airways has demonstrated their version of Jet-tisoning. First let us recapitulate the events that unfolded over the past couple of weeks:

October 13 2008: Naresh Goyal and Vijay Mallya announces the surprise 'Operational Alliance' between Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines to put a check on the losses
October 14 2008: Jet Airways retrenches approximately 900 staff from their payroll citing the need to right-size (note, no downsizing) an oversized workforce
October 15 2008: Jet Airways shows the door to another 1100 staff. Nationwide protests right from all the worker friendly (most are extremists in their actions as well) political parties to the people of this huge democracy
October 16 2008: Naresh Goyal recalls all the retrenched young people, apparently perturbed by his own conscience - declares he is answerable to none but himself and his late mother
October 18 2008: Kingfisher reduces the salaries of the trainee pilots (by as much as 90% for some trainees) who have been grounded for several months after Kingfisher clipped part of its ambitious plan to go international due to the recent (majorly US, at the moment, but effects will percolate to other countries) economic upheavals

So what do we conclude from this drama of jettisoning and consequent re-engaging of its staff by Jet Airways? I could see several (long and short term ones):

1. Jet Airways' Brand Value as an employer takes a severe beating. Not only the retrenched staff but also the apparently unaffected ones will be mentally shaken and it will not be a surprise if they look out for greener pastures as soon as possible
2. Employers across industries get the message that India may not be a hire-and-fire job market - any such action will face stiff resistance from within the country, eventually forcing them to find a way out for saving grace
3. Retrenchment needs to be the final resort, not the first. How would you pre-calculate the effects of joining an alliance on the business (I understand that the top managers generally have great insights backed by facts which guided them to go for the alliance, yet I dare to ask if that is enough to lay off 2000 people just the day after announcing the alliance)?
4. I believe, from here onwards, while doing business in India, managers have to take the job security of the employees as a natural extension of their Corporate Social Responsibility
5. Mr. Naresh Goyal, on his emotional October 16 press briefing, called the retrenched employees back as the head of the (Jet Airways) family. Should not the crisis of a family be shared by EVERY member? So, why did we not hear at least a salary reduction in the top/middle management of the company? Why were the relatively juniors/trainees made scapegoats? If a 13,000 strong company suddenly becomes oversized by 2,000 (that's a staggering 15.5% !), what was the top management doing all this while? Managers should remember that a Leader is born out of sacrifices, not by protecting one's own selfish goals
6. Even after joining an alliance with his numero uno competitor in the Indian skies, Vijay Mallya scored over his new-found ally by not committing hara-kiri and just reducing the salaries of the grounded trainee pilots
7. Finally, and most significantly, hard days ahead for the mid/top level managers

Huh! Emotional outbreak you might say. Yes, but none can say it's impertinent. Do share your thoughts on this.

Salute to the ISRO Scientists

Few minutes after the CHANDRAYAAN-I (it is Chandra Jaan, meaning "vehicle to the Moon") took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota at exactly 6:22 am IST today morning (22 October 2008), anxious faces at ISRO and throughout the country brimmed with joy.

Although first from India, this launch is not something pioneering - there has been 67 previous Moon Mission launches by various other countries of the world. Yet, there is one amazing aspect of this particular Mission - the most economical ever !! Any NASA Moon Mission would cost in excess of US$ 300 million. Such missions from two other Asian countries China and Japan have left the respective countries poorer by US$ 187 million and US$ 480 million. Compare this to the cost incurred by ISRO for sending CHANDRAYAAN-I to orbit - a paltry US$ 80 million.

How did this become possible? The cost of any Space Mission escalates with the amount of Scientific and Engineering research hours spent on it. It is not really the cost of raw materials that shoots up the expense, but the cost of human brain - brains of the highest intellect.

Here is where ISRO has saved its money. In spite of having the best of breed scientists and engineers, whose faculty is comparable to the best in the world, ISRO does not require to spend a fortune to satisfy them. These people work for their own satisfaction, with dedication and motivation that money can seldom bring forth. They work for their motherland, rebuffing many lucrative offers from various developed nations.

Please do not be mistaken that I am showering eulogies to the Indian Scientists (yes, Indian Scientists in general because there are many R & D organizations of international repute like DRDO, BARC where the pay scales are similar) at an opportune time. Compare the remuneration of the NASA scientists and their counterparts in ISRO - you will realize the difference.

As the entire nation celebrates the success of years of diligence and sacrifice of the stalwarts of ISRO, I salute their unrivaled DEDICATION and MOTIVATION which catapulted India into an elite and exclusive club having know how of the ultimate frontiers of technology.

Verbal retaliation from Mr. Ratan Tata

I have immense respect for the ever-young Mr. Ratan Tata. Of course, he does not require anyone's endorsement - his achievements speak for himself.

But it was a cruel surprise to see this gentleman spew out his pent up feelings, with respect to his decision to pullout from Singur, in several leading newspapers in the state, headlined Open Letter to the Citizens of West Bengal. Mr. Tata talked straight, fearing none (he doesn't have to, anyway - India can do away with a Banerjee, a Singh or a Yadav but certainly not without the Tata - question is when does the Banerjee/Singh/Yadav realise this simple truth!!) leading to a lot of political stir-up and counter statements from both the opposition party and the ruling coalition in the state.

Not that he could not have anticipated the sharp criticisms his political talking (usually evaded by businessmen) would invite. But his retaliation shows his genuine concern for the young generation of the state and that a waste of Rs 1500 crore (Rs 15,000 million, USD 340 million @ INR 45 for 1 USD) hurts even the Tatas. No one in West Bengal (barring the handful of ‘agitators’) was even a bit amused to see the project being taken out from Singur to Sanand in Gujrat. This project has aroused interest the world over, bringing the state under the radar of the international business community, and has infused enthusiasm among the young people of the state (not to mention, among their parents as well). West Bengal has been under industrial starvation/deprivation for quite long - thanks to the policies of the Communist coalition of the state - and now it seems even if they try to change their old habits, the opposition would not let them do so. The Nano project was like a ray of light and fresh air after traveling through a long, dark, suffocating tunnel for more than 30 years. Alas! The opposition has ensured a landslide to block the entry of light and fresh air again - no one knows for how long!!

I agree with whatever Mr. Ratan Tata has said in the release and understand the pertinence of the questions he has asked to the people of the state.

But then, was it really necessary to get into a war of words with a half-insane, selfish outfit (no rewards for guessing the name) concerned only about ousting the Government but having no REAL agenda or economic outlook of their own, always shouting "cholbe na", "cholbe na" without proposing any pragmatic, viable alternative !!

The aftermath of the Singur fiasco

Like everyone, I was keenly following the developments (destructions??) on the Tata Nano project at Singur, West Bengal over a period of past several months.

Buoyed with their success (!!) at Nandigram violence and the Panchayat election following the same, the opposition party (whose strategies replicate those of the ruling coalition's forty year old tactics) at West Bengal were hell bent to devastate any constructive effort. They succeeded to drive away the Tata Nano even before it was launched!!

Sadly, the fortunes of the state so eagerly moving towards an industrial resurrection have been stymied in the process. Possible repercussions that might follow are:

1. West Bengal's image has been blemished - whosoever contemplating to invest in the state would do a rethink. When the Tata's (arguably the most socially responsible company in India) have been thwarted, who would dare to put on the same shoes!! The State Government may point to MoUs worth millions of rupees, but they are just that - MoUs. The companies are not legally bound to set up the projects.
2. I have visited at least 5 states witnessing an industrial boom in India and have seen how the flourishing industries open a floodgate of opportunities to people belonging to every strata of the society. Bengal has lost the chance once again!
3. The rollback of the Tata Motors from the state will have an effect on the existing industries as well. Any expansion plan will be put under the scanner. The Information Technology industry is going to get hit most definitely - no new companies would seriously consider Kolkata as plausible destination. More importantly, tit-a-tit with seasoned software professionals from Bengal revealed a reluctance among them to return to their home city, unless constrained by some compulsion.
4. Unlike the relatively bigger states, West Bengal has a very high percentage of its land under cultivation - unless ALL concerned stakeholders arrive at a consensus on land acquisition to facilitate setting up of industries, trouble can brew again. Most industrialists will not be keen to move to far off places (from Kolkata) having limited connectivity to set up their plants. To tackle this issue requires developing infrastructure and profound foresight from the administrators (read, the goodwill of politicians). Does West Bengal have such administrators? It pains me so much to raise this question - it was once told by Gopal Krishna Gokhale about this very state that "What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow".
5. Lastly, I am sure every person in the state would vouch for a more responsible opposition (applies to every democracy the world over) - an opposition which would fight for a cause at the very onset and would not wait for two years after its commencement (Land acquisition for the Nano project started in July 2006) to launch an overzealous attack.

The biggest farce in the largest democracy of the world is that the wishes of the people are rarely fulfilled; instead whims of a few (irresponsible) leaders rule the roost. The proponents of the constitution of this sovereign socialist secular democratic republic would have fainted to see the present manifestation of their hard work!!

Management Lessons from "Do Aankhen Barah Haath" (1957)

Few days back, I chanced to watch the film Do Aankhen Barah Haath on a Sunday morning, courtesy my good friend Samik. No, I will not divulge the plot of the film; instead I would discuss some 'defining' aspects of the plot.

The film is based on the theme of 'trust'. Many a leader, both spiritual and political, lay utmost stress on 'faith' on the goodliness of people. Swami Vivekananda said that it is a sin to lose faith on people. But then, history is witness to ample incidents of misuse of 'trust'.

How then is "Do Aankhen Barah Haath" different in dealing with the subject? Always remind the people about the trust laid on them. This will arouse their conscience. Make them aware of their responsibilities. This will prevent them to shy away from their responsibilities. Make them realize that failure from their part might jeopardize the person who trusts them so much.

In short, modern managers need to do a lot of talking with the people to make them work for the team and the organization. Usually, all of us work for our own selfish goals.

On the same day, I visited a book shop and came across the book The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey (for the more inquisitive minds - this person is the son of Stephen R. Covey, author of the best-selling book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People"). What a co-incidence!!! Captain Haddock would certainly have shouted "Blistering Barnacles" in his own inimitable gesture. This book bares the hidden component behind every business - TRUST - between businesses, between employers and employees, between a business and the customers - the list goes on...

A quick browse through the book convinced me that modern business leaders do endorse the theme so well-conveyed in the 1957 Bollywood film.