ॲमेझॉनची मीटींग - पॉवरपॉईंट प्रेझेंटेशनपेक्षा अनोखी पण प्रभावशाली पद्धत

मी बिंगच्या स्क्रीनवर पॉवरपॉईंट प्रेझेंटेशनबद्दल माहिती विचारल्यावर मला खालील उत्तर मिळाले,

मीटिंगमध्ये पॉवरपॉइंट किंवा नोट्स वापरण्यासाठी 

•  वेळेपूर्वी तुमच्या सादरीकरणाची योजना करा आणि तुमच्या नोट्ससह त्याची तालीम करा. · 
• तुमच्या स्लाइड्स साध्या आणि स्पष्ट ठेवा आणि तुमच्या संदेशाला समर्थन देण्यासाठी व्हिज्युअल वापरा. ·
• स्क्रिप्टमधून वाचण्याऐवजी तुमच्या नोट्समध्ये बुलेट पॉइंट्स, कीवर्ड किंवा संकेत वापरा. 
•  श्रोत्यांशी डोळसपणे संपर्क साधा आणि आत्मविश्वासाने आणि उत्साहाने बोला. 
•  प्रश्न, मतदान किंवा कथांसह प्रेक्षकांना गुंतवून ठेवा आणि अभिप्राय आणि चर्चा आमंत्रित करा.
  

 

ॲमेझॉन या जगप्रसिद्ध कंपनीचे  संस्थापक जेफ बेझोस यानी आपल्या कार्यकारी मंडळाच्या मीटींगमध्ये पॉवरपॉईंट प्रेझेंटेशनऐवजी एक वेगळी पद्धत सुरू केली. त्यांच्यामते पॉवरपॉईंट हे एक विक्रीचे साधन आहे. आपला मुद्दा इतरांना पटवून देण्यासाठी त्याचा उपयोग होऊ शकतो परंतू  पाहणा-यांना स्वतः विचार करण्यास उद्युक्तत करण्याऐवजी त्यांना फक्त श्रोते व्हावे लागते. त्यामुळे विचारविनिमय किंवा नवनिर्मितीसाठी ते मारक ठरते.

 

यासाठी पॉवरपॉईंट प्रेझेंटेशनऐवजी अमेझॉनमध्ये मीटींगच्या सुरुवातीस एक सहा पानी आराखडा सर्व उपस्थितांना वाचायला देतात. पहिला अर्धा तास सर्वजण  तो आराखडा वाचून आपल्या शंका, सूचना व कल्पना समासामध्ये लिहून ठेवतात. 

सर्वांचे वाचून झाले की मीटींगला सुरुवात होते. आता प्रत्येकाला एकूण काय मुद्दे आहेत याची  सविस्तर माहिती झाल्याने  आपल्या विभागाशी संदर्भित प्रश्न विचारणे, माहिती देणे व परस्पर संवाद साधणे केव्हा करायचे हे लक्षात येते.

नेहमीच्या पॉवरपॉईंट प्रेझेंटेशनमध्ये पुढील स्लाईडची माहिती नसल्याने अनावश्यक शंका उपस्थित होउन विषयांतर होते.

आता कोणी म्हणेल की मीटींग विषयाची सविस्तर माहिती मीटींगपूर्वीच का पाठविली तर मीटींगचा वेळ वाचेल. पण जेफ बेझोस यांच्यामते बहुतेकवेळा मीटींगला येणारे ते वाचत नाहीत शिवाय आयत्या वेळेला वाचण्यास वेळ दिल्याने त्याचे गांभीर्य वाढते व सर्वांचा सहभाग अधिक चांगला हेऊन नवीन कल्पनांना वाव मिळतो.

मला ही पद्धत खरेच अधिक चांगली वाटली. शाळा कॉलेजात शिकविण्यासाठी देखील ही पद्धत अधिक प्रभावी ठरेल.

सध्या व्हिडीओचा जमाना असल्याने नवीन विषय शिकण्यासाठी यूट्यूबवरील व्हिडिओ पाहण्याकडे बहुतेकांचा कल असतो.

मला व्हिडिओपेक्षा पुस्तक वापरणे अधिक चांगले वाटते. कारण पुस्तक वाचताना आपण मालक असतो व वाचताना आपल्या कल्पनाशक्तीने आपण दृश्य डोळ्यासमोर आणू शकतो पुढे मागे पाने उलटून पुस्तकातील   हवा तो मजकूर वा संदर्भ वाचू शकतो. ती सोय व्हिडिओत नसते. व्हिडिओ करणा-याच्या इच्छेनुसार व त्याने आखलेल्या क्रमानेच आपल्याला  शिकावे लागते.

आता व्हिडिओतही पुढेमागे करणे, स्पीड बदलणे, सबटायटल वाचणे या सोय़ी असतात.

 मी पुस्तक वाचताना पहिल्यांदा लेखक परिचय व त्याने दिलेली पार्श्वभूमी आवर्जून वाचतो. त्यामुळे लेखकाबद्दल व विषयाबद्दल माझ्या मनात एक स्पष्ट प्रतिमा तयार होते. माझ्या स्मृतीतील पूर्वीच्या अनुभवांचे मिश्रण होऊन पुस्तक वाचन एक आनंददायी अनुभव ठरतो.

मला वाटते अमेझॉनच्या मीटींगमध्ये वाचनाची पार्श्वभूमी अशीच उपस्थितांना विषयाशी मनाने जोडण्यास मदत करीत असेल. 

Quality Circles

Quality Circles were developed by Dr, Kaoru Ishikawa in Japan in the 1960’s. In quality circle, voluntary groups of employees are formed, who work on similar tasks or share an area of responsibility. They agree to meet on a regular basis to discuss & solve problems related to work. They operate on the principle that employee participation in decision-making and problem-solving improves the quality of work

It is necessary to formulate the rules and priorities for selection of topic and procedure of conducting discussion. A leader is selected who has understood the philosophy of brain storming and faith in collective wisdom. All members of a circle are given training. All members are treated with equal respect. any idea is welcome and is discussed on its merits only. Senior management should support and participate in quality circle.

The decisions are made by consenus. Problems in productivity, quality improvement, personal development, marketing strategy, time constraints and planning to meet the goals of production can be discussed. The discussion should not be politically oriented or for pressing worker demands, but should concentrate on healthy and proactive discussion with an aim to improve business efficiency.
Effective use of Quality Circle increases Productivity, improves Quality and most important boosts Employee Morale.

Quality Circle concept was replaced by Total Quality Management in 1980's.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow contended that humans have a number of needs that are instinctoid, that is, innate. These needs are classified as "conative needs," "cognitive needs," and "aesthetic needs." "Neurotic needs" are included in Maslow's theory but do not exist within the hierarchy.

Maslow postulated that needs are arranged in a hierarchy in terms of their potency. Although all needs are instinctive, some are more powerful than others. The lower the need is in the pyramid, the more powerful it is. The higher the need is in the pyramid, the weaker and more distinctly human it is. The lower, or basic, needs on the pyramid are similar to those possessed by non-human animals, but only humans possess the higher needs.

Maslow called first four layers of the pyramid as "deficiency needs" or "D-needs:" the individual does not feel anything if they are met, but feels anxious if they are not met..... Needs beyond the D-needs are "growth needs," "being values," or "B-needs." When fulfilled, they do not go away; rather, they motivate further.
The base of the pyramid is formed by the physiological needs, including the biological requirements for food, water, air, and sleep.
Once the physiological needs are met, an individual can concentrate on the second level, the need for safety and security. Included here are the needs for structure, order, security, and predictability.

The third level is the need for love and belonging. Included here are the needs for friends and companions, a supportive family, identification with a group, and an intimate relationship.

The fourth level is the esteem needs. This group of needs requires both recognition from other people that results in feelings of prestige, acceptance, and status, and self-esteem that results in feelings of adequacy, competence, and confidence. Lack of satisfaction of the esteem needs results in discouragement and feelings of inferiority.

Finally, self-actualization sits at the apex of the original pyramid.

Management theories X and Y.

Theory X and Theory Y represent two sets of assumptions about human nature and human behavior that are relevant to the practice of management.

Theory X represents a negative view of human nature. The first of these assumptions is that individuals do not like to work and will avoid it if possible. A further assumption is that human beings do not want responsibility and desire explicit direction. Additionally, individuals are assumed to put their individual concerns above that of the organization for which they work and to resist change, valuing security more than other considerations at work. Finally, human beings are assumed to be easily manipulated and controlled. This theory was considered as classical theory for effective management. Accordingly, the scientific management pioneers such as Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol had focused on principles of management, scientific selection and training, and worker compensation, whereas Hawthorne advocated the human relations approach emphasising on importance of behavioral issues such as job satisfaction, group norms, and supervisory style.

In the 1950s, Douglas McGregor (1906-1964), a psychologist criticized both the classical and human relations schools as inadequate for the realities of the workplace. He introduced "The Human Side of Enterprise" and the 1960 book of the same name, in which he introduced what came to be called the new humanism.
Theory Y denotes a positive view of human nature and assumes individuals are generally industrious, creative, and able to assume responsibility and exercise self-control in their jobs. McGregor put forth Theory Y for more effective management of people in the organization. Theory Y has at its core the assumption that the physical and mental effort involved in work is natural and that individuals actively seek to engage in work. It also assumes that close supervision and the threat of punishment are not the only means or even the best means for inducing employees to exert productive effort. Instead, if given the opportunity, employees will display self-motivation to put forth the effort necessary to achieve the organization's goals. Thus, avoiding responsibility is not an inherent quality of human nature; individuals will actually seek it out under the proper conditions.
The major propositions of Theory Y include the following: Management is responsible for organizing the elements of productive enterprise-money, materials, equipment, and people in the interests of economic ends.

People are not by nature passive or resistant to organizational needs. They have become so as a result of experience in organizations.

The motivation, potential for development, capacity for assuming responsibility, and readiness to direct behavior toward organizational goals are all present in people-management does not put them there. It is a responsibility of management to make it possible for people to recognize and develop these human characteristics for themselves.

The essential task of management is to arrange organizational conditions and methods of operation so that people can achieve their own goals by directing their efforts toward organizational objectives.



Theory Y also assumes that the ability to be innovative and creative exists among a large, rather than a small segment of the population. Finally, it assumes that rather than valuing security above all other rewards associated with work, individuals desire rewards that satisfy their self-esteem and self-actualization needs.
McGregor that management can be made more effective by decentralization of decision-making authority, delegation, job enlargement, and participative management.

Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects (driving towards six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest specification limit) in any process -- from manufacturing to transactional and from product to service.

The statistical representation of Six Sigma describes quantitatively how a process is performing. To achieve Six Sigma, a process must not produce more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. A Six Sigma defect is defined as anything outside of customer specifications. A Six Sigma opportunity is then the total quantity of chances for a defect.

The fundamental objective of the Six Sigma methodology is the implementation of a measurement-based strategy that focuses on process improvement and variation reduction through the application of Six Sigma improvement projects. This is accomplished through the use of two Six Sigma sub-methodologies: DMAIC and DMADV.

The Six Sigma DMAIC process (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) is an improvement system for existing processes falling below specification and looking for incremental improvement.

The Six Sigma DMADV process (define, measure, analyze, design, verify) is an improvement system used to develop new processes or products at Six Sigma quality levels. It can also be employed if a current process requires more than just incremental improvement.

The people involved in Six Sigma execution are
a) Master Black Belts, who are well versed in the rules of Six Sigma method.
b) Black Belts are the technically oriented individuals involved in the process of organizational change and development.
c) Green Belts are the employees who lead Six Sigma project teams.

Both Six Sigma processes are executed by Six Sigma Green Belts and Six Sigma Black Belts, and are overseen by Six Sigma Master Black Belts.

General Electric, one of the most successful companies implementing Six Sigma, has estimated benefits on the order of $10 billion during the first five years of implementation. GE first began Six Sigma in 1995 after Motorola and Allied Signal blazed the Six Sigma trail. Since then, thousands of companies around the world have discovered the far reaching benefits of Six Sigma.

PERT/CPM Part 1

Project
A project is a series of activities directed to accomplishment of a desired objective.

Basically, CPM (Critical Path Method) and PERT (Programme Evaluation Review Technique) are project management techniques, which have been created out of the need of Western industrial and military establishments to plan, schedule and control complex projects.CPM was developed by DuPont for chemical plants, whereas PERT was developed by U.S. Navy for Polaris missile un 1950's.

PERT - Project Evaluation & Review Techniques

In PERT activities are shown as a network of precedence relationships using activity-on-arrow network construction. It is used in project management for non-repetitive jobs like research and development , where the time and cost estimates tend to be quite uncertain. This technique uses probabilistic time estimates.

Network of Events and Ativities.

Events or nodes are represented by circle with node number in it. They indicate a point in time where one or more activities start and/or finish. Activity, or a task is represented by an arrow from starting node to ending node. Activity indicates time required to complete that part of work segment.The entire project should have only a single start activity and a single finish activity.

Each event has two important times associated with it :
-    Earliest time , TE , which is a calendar time when a event can occur when all the predecessor events are completed at the earliest possible times
-    Latest time , TL , which is the latest time the event can occur with out delaying the subsequent events and completion of project.
Difference between the latest time and the earliest time of an event is the slack time for that event . Slack =TL-TE
Positive slack : Slack is the amount of time an event can be delayed without delaying the project completion.

Critical Path is the sequence of activities from start event to end event where there is no “slack” i.e.. Zero slack. It is the longest through a network and indicates minimum project completion time.
1. Define the Project and all of it's significant activities or tasks.
2. Develop the relationships among the activities.
3. Decide which activities must precede and which must follow others.
4. Draw the "Network" connecting all the activities.
5. Each Activity should have unique event numbers.
6. Dummy arrows are used where required to avoid giving the same numbering to two activities.
7. Assign time and/or cost estimates to each activity.
8. Compute the longest time path through the network. This is called the critical path.