N.A.V.R.A.N.G Cube: A game in which everybody wins

N.A.V.R.A.N.G  Cube is a six- faced cube made up of 27 smaller cubes - there are 9 different colour cubes and for each colour set there are 3 identical cubes.
Prof. Prasad made us arrange the faces of the cubes in such a manner that there are different colours on each face of the cube. The The cube is solved by having each of the faces of 9 different colour ie. there is no repetition of same colour cube at any face.

This reminds us of the multidimensional nature of organizational structure in which the team are cross functional.
A cross-functional team is simply a team made up of individuals from different functions or departments within an organization.

Teams like this are useful when you need to bring people with different expertise together to solve a problem, or when you want to explore a potential solution. For example, you might put together a team made up of people from finance, engineering, production, and procurement to come up with a solution to reduce the lead-time for a new product. Multidimensional organization structure has various advantages :

1.     Information is available to all managers on the different dimensions (an absence of information asymmetry).
2.     Contrary to the unit organization opportunities and resources are organized under separate responsibilities to avoid risk.
3.     managers depend on each other for required resources, and
4.     managers are collectively accountable for the overall performance.

So, the organization which implements the N.A.V.R.A.N.G Cube idea has numerous advantages. So, everybody wins in such kind of organizational structure

A cross-functional team is simply a team made up of individuals from different functions or departments within an organization.
Teams like this are useful when you need to bring people with different expertise together to solve a problem, or when you want to explore a potential solution. For example, you might put together a team made up of people from finance, engineering, production, and procurement to come up with a solution to reduce the lead-time for a new product.
- See more at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/cross-functional-team.htm#sthash.k7IkrG7T.dpuf

A cross-functional team is simply a team made up of individuals from different functions or departments within an organization.
Teams like this are useful when you need to bring people with different expertise together to solve a problem, or when you want to explore a potential solution. For example, you might put together a team made up of people from finance, engineering, production, and procurement to come up with a solution to reduce the lead-time for a new product.
- See more at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/cross-functional-team.htm#sthash.k7IkrG7T.dpuf

A cross-functional team is simply a team made up of individuals from different functions or departments within an organization.
Teams like this are useful when you need to bring people with different expertise together to solve a problem, or when you want to explore a potential solution. For example, you might put together a team made up of people from finance, engineering, production, and procurement to come up with a solution to reduce the lead-time for a new product.
- See more at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/cross-functional-team.htm#sthash.k7IkrG7T.dpufhas

A cross-functional team is simply a team made up of individuals from different functions or departments within an organization.
Teams like this are useful when you need to bring people with different expertise together to solve a problem, or when you want to explore a potential solution. For example, you might put together a team made up of people from finance, engineering, production, and procurement to come up with a solution to reduce the lead-time for a new product.
- See more at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/cross-functional-team.htm#sthash.k7IkrG7T.dpuf

Pyramid of Power in Organization

A pyramid organizational structure is a hierarchy with the executive level at the top and descending levels from middle management to the lower levels of the organization. The idea behind the structure is that each upper level is able to function because of support from the lower portions of the pyramid.

The primary concept of the pyramid organizational structure is that the lower levels of the organization follow the commands of top level employees. In essence, the executives control all key elements of the company. This includes strategy, operations, and overall vision.
There are typically three major levels in pyramid organizational structure: executives, managers, and staff. Managers usually oversee specific departments or products and report directly to the executives. Staff supports managers by performing tasks that fulfill the directives coming from the executive level. Some organizations may have an assistant manager level between managers and staff.

Functional structure is one of the most traditional models of organizational structure. It divides responsibility by job title. A typical chart outlining this system would have the president or CEO of the company on top and all other positions listed below.

Workers in a pyramid organizational model have a well-defined structure for career advancement. The common path is to move from staff level to manager and executive.
But newer models of organizational structure reject the notion put forth by the pyramid system that the leader of an organization should have complete control over important decision making. They give more responsibility to employees by allowing greater control on a departmental level. This is primarily in response to criticism that executives on the top level of an organization do not have the same understanding of specific departmental issues as the employees who work daily in these areas.

X vs Y : Indepth Analysis

What is it?

Douglas McGregor's 1960 publication which highlighted the concepts of Theory X and Theory Y managers have forever been used to explain the art of motivation based on human behaviour. It encapsulated a fundamental distinction between the different management styles and is a valid basic principle from which to develop positive management style and techniques to propel organisations towards excellence.

 

Theory X and Theory Y

Organizations consist of employees and managers. The theory delves on the attitude and outlook of managers - the direction and growth of the organization is in the hands of managers and it is solely their way of managing things which leads to proper motivation of the employees and in the process, achieve growth in the organization.It is important to note here that Theory X and Theory Y looks into managerial psychology and their way of planning and running the organization. Thus, it focuses on the class of managers and their behavioral attributes and attitude. 

Theory X Managers

His Theory of Motivation states that there is a certain class of mangers who fall in the bracket of Theory X. In this theory management assumes employees are inherently lazy and will avoid work if they can. Because of this, workers need to be closely supervised and comprehensive systems of control put in place. According to this theory employees will show little ambition without an enticing incentive program and will avoid responsibility whenever they can.

The managers influenced by Theory X believe that everything must end in blaming someone. They think most employees are only out for themselves and their sole interest in the job is to earn money. They tend to blame employees in most situations, without questioning the systems, policy, or lack of training which could be the real cause of failures.

Theory Y Managers

Management influenced by this theory assumes that employees are ambitious, self-motivated, anxious to accept greater responsibility and exercise self-control, self-direction, autonomy and empowerment. Management believes that employees enjoy their work. They also believe that, given a chance, employees have the desire to be creative at their work place and become forward looking. There is a chance for greater productivity by giving employees the freedom to perform to the best of their abilities, without being bogged down by rules.

 

 

 

Three Idiots Crossing the Valley - Teamwork Principle

 
Effective teamwork creates its own set of characteristics that makes it possible to see the cohesion in a group. When an efficient team gets to work, the structure that has been put into place helps the group obtain productive results. In order to create a productive team, you first need to be able to identify the characteristics of effective teamwork.
Why is team work important?

Delegation

A team that works well together understands the strengths and weaknesses of each team member. One of the benefits of strong teamwork in the workplace is that team leaders and members become proficient at dividing up tasks so they are done by the most qualified people.

Efficiency

Work groups and teams develop systems that allow them to complete tasks efficiently and quickly. When a task is handed to a well-trained and efficient team, the team's work pace assures that the task will be completed quickly and accurately.

Ideas

Teams in the workplace often meet to discuss how to solve company issues. When a team works well together, it allows staff members to feel more comfortable in offering suggestions.

Support

There are challenges each day in any workplace, and a strong team environment can act as a support mechanism for staff members. Work group members can help each other improve their performance and work together toward improving their professional development.

This particular exercise of 3 idiots crossing the valley was to be performed in groups of three members each. Task given to  a group is to  switch over from left side of the valley to the right side of the valley by taking  the support  of the  pole as shown in the cartoon. Direct jumping and attempts are considered FATAL and not welcomed at all. The basic motto of the task is to enable the students to understand the teamwork and Organization and Management through experiencing this task. 

All the three members have interchanging roles in the completion of the task .If we look closely at the table of the steps of the exercise we would notice that the here friends have equal distribution of risky, half-risky and no-risky. Therefore all three members’ roles are designed “EQUALLY STRONG”. A big part of this exercise is in the preparation of the exercise. All the movement must be properly synchronous for proper completion of the task. All the three members while crossing the river communicate and coordinate with each other through sound/signal. We also see that the structuring of the Team Roles is very important the completion of the task.

   We have following observations overall from the exercise :

  1) All three members have equal distribution of different   kinds of situation :

       High Risk 01 times

       Half Risks 02 times

       Fully Safe 02 times

    2)   All three members have the same role in terms of effort and risk. Nobody was overloaded or relaxed.

    3)  Communication and feedback is essential while working in a team.

    4)  Every member is indispensable in completing the task.

    5)  There were equal instances when one needed each other.