Another day, another marketing class... The company being discussed today was Procter and Gamble, one of the worlds best marketing companies. The students were asked to prepare the case before coming to class (At IIM A, the case method of study is THE preferred pedagogical tool. I don't entirely agree with the insti on the use of this method, but then that is my raw material for another blog.:-)). The entire outlook of the case transformed before my very eyes in the classroom. Our prof took us through the processes the company used/would want to use when faced with a particular decision problem. The way we looked at the case was totally inadequate.
But, in retrospect the entire approach seemed driven by common sense. Common sense ... I have never come across a more uncommon characteristic among people. One of the vaunted characteristics of this institute is that it implants some common sense in its alumni before they graduate. I can see how it does that. The professors here, knowingly or unknowingly, help us get a perspective on a common sense approach to a business problem. I could also analyse the P&G case a lot better after the perspective offered by the prof. Common sense is indeed uncommon. But, with some practice, I am sure we will do a good job as managers in the future.
Today I came across a message posted on our electronic notice board ... the title is "KISS" (acronym for "Keep it simple, Stupid!"). It goes like this.
1) When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found
out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (Ink won't flow down
to the writing surface).In order to solve this problem, it took them
one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero
gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface
including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to
over 300 degrees C. And what did Russians do.....................??
The Russians used a Pencil!!!
2) One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was
the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan's
biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a
consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. Immediately the
authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which
transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery
department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly
line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem.
Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with
high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap
boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty.
No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent
whoopee amount to do so.
But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with
the same problem, did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but
instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial
electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan
on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty
boxes out of the line.
Moral of the story: KISS (Keep It Simple,Stupid) i.e. always look for
simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves
the problem :-) So, learn to focus on solutions not on problems
Ample testimony to the usefulness of common sense I suppose... :-))
Bloggin' Off
Sitan
But, in retrospect the entire approach seemed driven by common sense. Common sense ... I have never come across a more uncommon characteristic among people. One of the vaunted characteristics of this institute is that it implants some common sense in its alumni before they graduate. I can see how it does that. The professors here, knowingly or unknowingly, help us get a perspective on a common sense approach to a business problem. I could also analyse the P&G case a lot better after the perspective offered by the prof. Common sense is indeed uncommon. But, with some practice, I am sure we will do a good job as managers in the future.
Today I came across a message posted on our electronic notice board ... the title is "KISS" (acronym for "Keep it simple, Stupid!"). It goes like this.
1) When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found
out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (Ink won't flow down
to the writing surface).In order to solve this problem, it took them
one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero
gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface
including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to
over 300 degrees C. And what did Russians do.....................??
The Russians used a Pencil!!!
2) One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was
the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan's
biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a
consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. Immediately the
authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which
transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery
department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly
line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem.
Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with
high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap
boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty.
No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent
whoopee amount to do so.
But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with
the same problem, did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but
instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial
electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan
on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty
boxes out of the line.
Moral of the story: KISS (Keep It Simple,Stupid) i.e. always look for
simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves
the problem :-) So, learn to focus on solutions not on problems
Ample testimony to the usefulness of common sense I suppose... :-))
Bloggin' Off
Sitan
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