1.Godrej: A Hundred Years: 1887-1997 by B. K. Karanjia
The house of the Godrej is one of India’s most remarkable industrial corporations. These books give the account how four generation of the close knit family made the name of the Godrej a household name in the country. The 1st Volume deals with first and second generations and the 2nd volume deals with the third and fourth generations of the Godrej family.
The Author of these two volumes is B K Karanjia who is a journalist as well. He was chairman of the film finance corporation (1969-76) and also of the National Film Development Corporation (1988-91). His acquaintance with Godrej went back a long way. His father and Pirojsha Godrej were friends. And he also worked as a publicity executive in the company and since then he had been maintaining a good relationship with the family. He clearly has explained all the contributions of the determined and talented family members of the Godrej. By reviewing the pages one can easily understand that a strong determination to achieve something never fails.
The Godrej had its beginnings in India’s freedom struggle. Its founder Ardeshir Godrej was a staunch nationalist and strongly believed that unless and until the country became self reliant by upgrading the economic condition the country could not won freedom. Tapping India’s traditional skills he set out to manufacture diversified goods beginning with security equipments, soaps, biscuits, canning etc. he first took the attempt in manufacturing lock, after that he engaged with manufacturing safety equipments. The quality of the products surpassed that of imported products. Godrej was pioneer in developing their own technologies. In the second and third generation of the Godrej exemplified the new spirit in modern industrial outlook by manufacturing furniture of steel which become indispensible parts at homes, offices, libraries etc. Superb quality of their product such as refrigerators, typewriters, workstations followed by washing machine, air conditioner has made them an exclusive global marketing company. The second Volume shifts the emphasis to marketing in a changed and highly competitive global environment and to met unforeseen challenges.
Strategies behind the success
The family members were not had weighty management degrees what they earned were from the hard way of experience and examples. Some strategies behind the success of Godrej are highlighted as follows,
i) Quality of the services, Cooperation at all level and company’s policy to translate company’s activities into positive work culture
ii) To meet the challenges or to take the risk is only the basic parameter to touch company’s goal.
iii) Philosophy of Godrej is nothing is impossible. The failures were only counted as a part of their game of business.
iv) Godrej has adopted Total Quality Management (TQM) as a living principle, not only in technology, product and process improvement programmes but more fundamentally nurturing of the quality mind and the growth of each individual worker as an intrinsic part of the whole. Company realized that they need to develop sound management system of teaching and appraisal and a system of reward and recognition which respects individual contribution for the company along with the society.
v) Godrej decentralizes their works into different branches such as audit, finance, consumer products department, research centre, diagnostic center, chemical divisions etc.
2. TITLE: Creative Thinking And
Brain Storming
Creative
thinking is the relating of things or ideas which were previously unrelated. It
distinguishes between analytical thinking and creative thinking, and identifies
the most important of the barriers preventing managers from being creative.
Brainstorming is
a means of getting a large number of ideas from a group of people in a short
time and is only one of the weapons in the creative armoury available to
managers. Its objectives is to highlight the ‘tricks of the trade’ in the
running of brainstorming session, so that the reader will feel confident enough
to try the technique in his own organisation.
The well-run
brainstorming session will produce hundreds of ideas and identifies a number of
mechanisms which can be used and also suggest a way of introducing in
organizations whose members have not taken part in brainstorming sessions
before. Failure to introduce will destroy hope of solving the particular
problem and also kill the concepts for many years in the organisation.
I believe that
in any organization and at any level in that organisation, there exists a deep
untapped well of useful ideas. Creative thinking seeks to tap this well for the
greater benefit of the organisation and the people in general. Its does require
considerable effort, not only to introduce creativity techniques in the face of
scepticism and disbelief, but also in the fellow-up of a brainstorming session
in evaluation and implementation.(by Noseto Sophie)
