Week 1 at NITIE is over. One of the highlights of the week was the POM session that happened mid week. A lecture unlike any I have attended in my life. It was a Wednesday morning unlike any other and when Dr Mandi walked in I wasn't aware of how awesome the day was going to turn out to be. A discussion on Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall' began. I was all ears now. Why shouldn't I have been? 'Shine on you crazy Diamond', 'Another brick in the wall' [all versions], etc are songs that have carried me through BE and through some of the toughest days of my professional life.
After a video presentation of the legendary song, a discussion ensued on the present education system and pedagogy, and how they tend to stifle creativity and lateral thinking. Post this we were informed about MANDI, an annual event at NITIE, which involves students hitting the streets of Mumbai and trying to sell educational toys made by a collaborating NGO. A video presentation followed. We also became familiar with the concept of "Aaj ki Roti, Aaj hi kamana" which translates to "Earn your daily bread". Using the cost of attendance of our PGDIM course as an example we were made aware of the possibility of recovering the entire amount while still at school. Two hours had flown by, and we were left chanting what is now going to be our mantra for the next 2 years and beyond, "Socho Becho, Becho Seekho, Seekho Socho". It means "Think and Sell, Learn as you Sell, Think over what you learn".
Another key learning from the class came from the toys that Dr Mandi brought to class. Toys made of straw that could reinvent teaching of algebra, and some made from wood, bought from the streets, that would change how we look at Physics.
The post lunch session continued from where the first one had left off. This session was to be more formal than the first one, but no less enriching. There were several key concepts of Organizations and Management illustrated in this class.
Starting an organization requires guts, and the desire to invest. This investment is not limited to being monetary. It is not possible to make money if one shies away from taking risks and form investing time, money, and efforts. This was illustrated using a bidding session. And what were we bidding for? The opportunity to participate in a game. Truth be told, as there was money involved no many of us were too keen. Those who were started loosing interest as the amounts increased. In the end, only 3 of us remained in the auction and got the opportunity to participate.
The Task
To build a tower with wooden cubes, tiny wooden cubes. The tower would have a base of a single cube and a height that the participants had to set. The senior batch had apparently built a tower of 17 blocks. There would be three participants. The person who would place the blocks would be blind folded and use his/her unseasoned hand. A second person would act as the builders eyes by giving verbal cues. The third person would be a silent observer allowed to intervene only for a fixed number of times. These three would represent three levels of the hierarchy that is usually found in the industry. The worker, The Supervisor, and the Top management.
Key Lessons:
After a video presentation of the legendary song, a discussion ensued on the present education system and pedagogy, and how they tend to stifle creativity and lateral thinking. Post this we were informed about MANDI, an annual event at NITIE, which involves students hitting the streets of Mumbai and trying to sell educational toys made by a collaborating NGO. A video presentation followed. We also became familiar with the concept of "Aaj ki Roti, Aaj hi kamana" which translates to "Earn your daily bread". Using the cost of attendance of our PGDIM course as an example we were made aware of the possibility of recovering the entire amount while still at school. Two hours had flown by, and we were left chanting what is now going to be our mantra for the next 2 years and beyond, "Socho Becho, Becho Seekho, Seekho Socho". It means "Think and Sell, Learn as you Sell, Think over what you learn".
Another key learning from the class came from the toys that Dr Mandi brought to class. Toys made of straw that could reinvent teaching of algebra, and some made from wood, bought from the streets, that would change how we look at Physics.
The post lunch session continued from where the first one had left off. This session was to be more formal than the first one, but no less enriching. There were several key concepts of Organizations and Management illustrated in this class.
Starting an organization requires guts, and the desire to invest. This investment is not limited to being monetary. It is not possible to make money if one shies away from taking risks and form investing time, money, and efforts. This was illustrated using a bidding session. And what were we bidding for? The opportunity to participate in a game. Truth be told, as there was money involved no many of us were too keen. Those who were started loosing interest as the amounts increased. In the end, only 3 of us remained in the auction and got the opportunity to participate.
The Task
To build a tower with wooden cubes, tiny wooden cubes. The tower would have a base of a single cube and a height that the participants had to set. The senior batch had apparently built a tower of 17 blocks. There would be three participants. The person who would place the blocks would be blind folded and use his/her unseasoned hand. A second person would act as the builders eyes by giving verbal cues. The third person would be a silent observer allowed to intervene only for a fixed number of times. These three would represent three levels of the hierarchy that is usually found in the industry. The worker, The Supervisor, and the Top management.
Key Lessons:
- Goal Setting. When asked to write down the height of the tower that we would be able to erect, most of us came up with guesses which had little or no basis. Eventually, even our participants chose a target on the basis of what the seniors had achieved. Goal Setting is a crucial aspect of management. The concept of SMART goals was introduced. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound.
- It's all about Teams. In hindsight, the tower could never have been built and made to stand erect had it not been for the team work shown by he participants. A key lesson here was in team dynamics. How teams interact became clear as the tower started reaching substantial heights. The manner in which a supervisor would take care of the the workers needs, and the anxiety of the top management when the workers start showing fatigue and signs of giving up. These are scenarios that organizations face daily and how effectively these dynamics are tackled is what defines how successful the organization becomes.
- Communication is the key. As we watched the trio battle it out to erect the tower, the importance of clear and unhindered communication become clear to us. For Organizations to function optimally having proper channels of communication is of paramount importance.
- Empathy vs Sympathy. As the tower grew, physical and mental fatigue began setting in for the student building it. At these moments, the concern of the supervisor and the management became prominent. Together they did their best to comfort and motivate the worker...Offering him a chair, a drink, intermediate rest, and towards the end, even swapping roles. A key lesson here was that of empathy towards colleagues and subordinates.
Epilogue:
It was after a long time that I experienced something for the first time. An alternative methodology to teaching. It was the difference between being trained and being educated. The task (which lasted well over an hour) provided deep yet simple insights into the functioning of organizations at a micro level. The session provided a glimpse of some of the challenges that are encountered during project execution and the roles that various employees play.
After seen first hand the workings of the IT industry (for a little over 29 months), I was able to draw parallels between the lessons learnt during the class and the situations that I had faced/encountered/observed at my workplace.
Beginning B-School is an exciting phase of my life and sessions like these have led to an increase in my enthusiasm levels as I can now see the potential value additions that are in stored. Thank you Dr Mandi. Looking forward to the next class.
To others who are either fellow students or casual bloggers who happened to land up here by chance, the objective of this blog is to chronicle my journey through the POM (Principles of Organization and Management) course of Module-1 PGDIM at NITIE, Powai. Feel free to share your opinions and criticisms.
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