Ms. Siddhi Sanjay Manjrekar – Management Learning’s From Dabbawala
Name: Siddhi Sanjay Manjrekar
Graduation: Bachelors in Commerce
Currently Pursuing: Post Graduate Diploma in Management – Finance
Undertaking:
I declare that this essay is the work of my own creation as part of an essay competition organized by Dabbawala Enterprises Pvt Ltd. I transfer the ownership, title, rights of this essay to Dabbawala Enterprises Pvt Ltd. Dabbawala Enterprises Pvt Ltd may use this content in any way it deems suitable.
Name: Siddhi Manjrekar
Date: 15/08/2024
Management Learning’s from Dabbawala and the Vision Ahead
Learnings :
- Time is Money/ Time Management – Time is crucial. Dabbawalas can’t be late. They have to deliver lunchbox before lunch on given address. Hence, their entire work depends on effective time management. Each task has to be completed within given timeframe. If someone is not able to do so, alternatives are performed immediately.
- Work Management – Simple and standard codes/rules can help with better organization. Minimal usage of technology is not bad. Focus should be given to more user specific and visual data. Complex systems can slower entire work process
- Keep Operational Costs to a Minimum – Use cycles, hand carts, local trains which are low cost, No big office to maintain, no information technology budget and no miscellaneous cost No miscellaneous cost, No advertisement since publicity is done by Word of Mouth.
- Customer Satisfaction – The vision, mission and values of the organisation clearly aim at inculcating and implementing customer orientation they ensure that customers receive their Dabbas on time, these Dabbawalas go one step ahead and believe that “Customer is God”, and this principle is infused in each and every employee of Dabbawala.
- Organisational structure – The organisation structure is very flat and follows only 3 tier system. The President is also one of the Dabbawala only. This flat organisation structure has threefold advantage, viz. cost efficiency, better &fast communication and, quick decision making.
- Dedication – It took more than 100 years for dabbawalas to get the recognition they deserved. In our success-hungry world where people think of perks before performance, we should learn to uphold the dabbawalas high level of service and job performance.
- Build your organisation around people – Much of the dabbawala organisation’s success is due to their human resource system, in the way they hire, develop, manage and reward people each have a sense of ownership since everyone is shareholder even the President and higher-ups also work.
- Give employees a sense of purpose and value – The dedication of the dabbawalas can be partly attributed to the value they place on the work they do. “Our dabbawalas view their work as worship. They are grateful to have work, and to serve others by delivering food is to serve God,” says Manish. As a result, he says, everyone in Mumbai respects the dabbawalas for the work they do.
- Think out of the Box ( CSR Responsibility ) – ‘Share My Dabba’ is a dabbawala initiative that gives leftover lunch food to the underprivileged. Clients with little red share stickers on their lunchboxes participate in this community program. Dabbawalas collect excess food and make sure it reaches the needy.
- Simple, Flexible & Accurate Process – Dabbawala’s use zero technology or software to manage their work. Every code that they use is simple and has basic information like, street/floor address (office and residence both). They use a standard organization method which does not change. The tiffin’s used for delivers are of same structure and have standard codes. Visual data is used to remember key facts like who is the owner of lunch box, etc.
- Success Requires not only Leadership but also focus on designing and fine-tuning systems that empower employees to excel.
- Not just about hiring the best but also about creating a system that allows ordinary workers to achieve the extraordinary.
- Create a sense of ownership – The dabbawala organisation has no employees because every member is a shareholder and even higher-ups do the same work as every other member.
- Organisation fit is more important than Job fit – New dabbawalas go through a strict six-month probationary period and are hired from only the villages around Pune, so they suit the working culture
- Aim for Customer Satisfaction, and not for certification – The Dabbawala are ISO 9001:2000 certified. They are among the elite Organisation with Six Sigma performance. The question as a form of learning is, what did they do to get this mammoth certification? An eyebrow raising answer is ‘Nothing’. Literally they did nothing to get the certificate. They just worked with one notion of ‘Customer Satisfaction’.
- Abandon Bad Customers – When dabbawala knocks the door, the dabba should be ready. If its not for three consecutive days, then the service is stopped as it affects the services to other customers, Bad customers affect the operation and profitability from existing customers.
- Build your services around existing infrastructure – Use reliable, fast, efficient and cheap local train services.
- Encourage self-discipline – The dabbawalas are self-motivated to be disciplined, not because they have a superior telling them what to do, they work right because it’s the right thing to do.
The Dabbawalas Vision Ahead
Some of the Visions of Dabbawalas is to Launch food products, Own factory, Multi National Food Company and many more, below listed are the few ways to help achieve them :
- Data and Research – the research regarding needs and preferences needs to be carried out so that the organisation can cater to the diversity well and grow smoothly
- Education – the employees working in it should be well versed in basic education so that they succeed and are able to operate well example: knowledge of basic English, cell phones usage etc.
- Connectivity – the area in which the business is carried out the connectivity with the local transport and vehicles should be identified so that the decision to transport goods and daily travels becomes cost efficient.
- Communication – Local language barriers and as well as regional should be taken into consideration and employees should be trained accordingly.
- Resource Availability – the resources used for manufacturing should be checked before making products if they are available or not and steps should be taken thereafter.
- Partnerships and Collaborations -Forming partnerships with businesses could lead to bulk orders or corporate contracts, providing a steady revenue stream. Strengthening community ties and engaging with local organizations can help address social and operational challenges and build support networks.
- Understanding regional, local needs – knowing them would make the process easier since it would be beneficial to cater them to what is required.
- Social Media – can be used as a reinforcing source of marketing which would cost low and would be efficient.
