Craftsmanship and Modern management

A craftsman is a person who is talented in one skill. It could a blacksmith or a tailor who shows his skill right from transforming a raw material into a finished product. It is similar to one person building a tower and there is no parallel in his work. The craftsman has the liberty to use his creativity to maximum extent as he doesn't have a boss. 

The following videos illustrate craftsmanship and modern management in carpentry.

But in modern times craftsmanship seems to lose its charm. Everywhere we see the presence of modern management. Here, the person who makes a machine is not going to be the person who operates it to deliver the final product. Therefore modern management lies on the crux of deskilling where each worker is assigned a different task. This kind of disintegration decreases the skill of the workers and increases the inter-dependability. As workers each do the smallest of the work, they hone their dexterity over a period of time.One important feature of modern management is that it gives job to people from bottom of the pyramid. It does come with one disadvantage where there is a chance of over exploitation of labour. However, this can be tackled by taking appropriate measures.

THEORY X AND THEORY Y

Theory X and Theory Y are theories of motivation developed by Douglas McGregor in 1960s. They are like two sides of a coin that tell about the understanding the managers have towards their employees.

Theory X

Theory X managers believe that the workers are lazy and that they wait for the opportunity to slack off. They perform well below their true potential. Without strict rules and coercion they cannot be managed. One important feature of theory X management is that whenever a problem arises employees are blamed first without analyzing the issue.

Theory Y

Theory Y managers in contrast believe that most of the employees are striving hard to improve the productivity. Here the manager gives freedom and trusts the employees, which acts as a motivation to the them. Whenever a problem arises the managers and employees come together as a team and sort out the issue.

My perception

It is always a better idea to approach management from theory Y perspective. Managers need to give credits to the employees and believe that they are working hard genuinely. If a problem arises the manager should examine various factors and take actions with positive attitude.If the problem still continues and the manager notices that the employees avoid work deliberately then it is the right time to adopt theory X approach. It does not mean that the manager should abuse the employee but he should take necessary actions to make the employee work. So, to be precise a manager should not cling to one style all the time but should analyze the situation and adapt to required style of management. 

My first day at NITIE

 

I had been curious to know how classes at a business school would differ from that of an engineering college. Well, the first day of my life at NITIE proved me that this journey is going to be a whole new experience. It was Dr. Prasad’s class and in the very beginning itself he made us feel relaxed by randomly throwing rubber balls towards us and asking us to pass them on to others. He stressed on how we should be independent with respect to our financial needs and the importance of entrepreneurship.

 

Dr. Prasad’s teaching combines learning and fun .It came as a pleasant surprise when he made us sing 'Another brick in the wall'. He urged students not to be just another brick in the wall and that our thoughts cannot be controlled by others. For a person like me who has so far just read blogs, I realized how writing blogs could help millions out there who don’t get the opportunity to learn. Altogether, it was a very good start at NITIE.