Monday, March 31, 2008
MAFA : The various "avatars" of a generation of paper pushers
One of the oft quoted acronym to describe Indian bureaucracy's inaction is MAFA : The quote itself is attributed to Narayanmurthy, Vagul and a host of others, however, the symptoms of the issue are very apparent. Depending on who is quoted - the acronym stands for - Mistaking Articulation for Action or Mistaking Articulation for Accomplishment
The problem IMHO is not restricted to the bureaucracy - it is more widespread and is almost cultural. We LOVE to talk. The more articulate an individual, the more credit we give to the person - almost as if we are equating articulation with wisdom ?
In Inatech, we have some individuals who "talk the talk" very well. If one were to listen to the individuals at a superficial level, it would be very impressive. They always know what is missing, what should have been done etc. They are always saying the "right things". Actioning them is an altogether different matter !
While I've explained time and again that we need higher ownership to the issue and not just the right mouthing of words, it does not seem to sink in ?
Maybe it is to do with our schooling ?
Maybe it is to do with the fact that we are shown the "wrong" set of individuals within the community as we should emulate ?
Maybe we need to change all designation that has the word "manager" or "director" with "owner" or whatever it takes to get them to action bits.
What other words would be appropriate ?
Actor if it is going to imply Action ???? :-)
The problem IMHO is not restricted to the bureaucracy - it is more widespread and is almost cultural. We LOVE to talk. The more articulate an individual, the more credit we give to the person - almost as if we are equating articulation with wisdom ?
In Inatech, we have some individuals who "talk the talk" very well. If one were to listen to the individuals at a superficial level, it would be very impressive. They always know what is missing, what should have been done etc. They are always saying the "right things". Actioning them is an altogether different matter !
While I've explained time and again that we need higher ownership to the issue and not just the right mouthing of words, it does not seem to sink in ?
Maybe it is to do with our schooling ?
Maybe it is to do with the fact that we are shown the "wrong" set of individuals within the community as we should emulate ?
Maybe we need to change all designation that has the word "manager" or "director" with "owner" or whatever it takes to get them to action bits.
What other words would be appropriate ?
Actor if it is going to imply Action ???? :-)
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Restart, Renew and ReUse on Global hour day ?
After a long hiatus, I've found the time or more importantly the inclination to blog again.
What better way to start than to pen a few thoughts on Earth Hour Day ?
As I write this while sitting in a hotel room in the US, it is "TIME" in India. Time for people to switch off for an hour as a gesture to energy conservation. Pity is, it seems to be a very "high brow" campaign.
Not sure how many see this ?
Maybe we should do this on a working day when the schools are in and all the kids are told about this and then they can convince their parents, peers and the public ?
The important factor is to impress upon people and bring in peer pressure. Let me illustrate the point with an example.
In Inatech, I've seen on numerous occasions that systems (PCs) are left on, lights are left on etc while winding up for the day. All opportunities to drill down the message seems to have had very little long-lasting effect. Things simmer down for a while and then cropup again (epidemic mode ?).
As an experiment, we now have BIG laminated notices that are left on each desk when we find the PC left on. This notice remains up during the day just to let the neighbours know that somone has forgotten (again !) to turn off equipment.
It seems to work !
What can we do at a global level for this kind of peer pressure ?
What better way to start than to pen a few thoughts on Earth Hour Day ?
As I write this while sitting in a hotel room in the US, it is "TIME" in India. Time for people to switch off for an hour as a gesture to energy conservation. Pity is, it seems to be a very "high brow" campaign.
Not sure how many see this ?
Maybe we should do this on a working day when the schools are in and all the kids are told about this and then they can convince their parents, peers and the public ?
The important factor is to impress upon people and bring in peer pressure. Let me illustrate the point with an example.
In Inatech, I've seen on numerous occasions that systems (PCs) are left on, lights are left on etc while winding up for the day. All opportunities to drill down the message seems to have had very little long-lasting effect. Things simmer down for a while and then cropup again (epidemic mode ?).
As an experiment, we now have BIG laminated notices that are left on each desk when we find the PC left on. This notice remains up during the day just to let the neighbours know that somone has forgotten (again !) to turn off equipment.
It seems to work !
What can we do at a global level for this kind of peer pressure ?
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