"If you can’t appreciate what you've got, you’d better get what you can appreciate": Pygamlion

We are back here to continue with the series of discussions on the course of Principles of Organization and Management. We enter into the fourth session discussion today. Please refer to the previous posts for reference on the topics that we have covered.

So what's in the stores for today?

The session started with a discussion on 3D Printing (what does that have to do with principles of Organization and Management?). 3D Printing is a novel technology that is being used these days in the field of 3D modeling and prototyping. Various industries such as automobile, construction, etc. are using 3D models printed straight out of CAD drawings to study their behavior when exposed to their working conditions. Scaled models of automobiles are tested in wind tunnels to fine tune their aerodynamics without actually building the vehicle in its skin. It's a pretty intriguing concept however it does come at quite a premium, costs running in excess of Rs 50 lakhs.

Professor Mandi informed us that seniors from our very own college (alumnus, if you may) were actually working in this field. They had set up an organization to help provide 3D Printers for engineering colleges in India. A noble step indeed. I was wondering if only my engineering college had one of these machine, how much fun it would have been to work. You think of a model, you make it on a computer, and instantly you could have it materialize in front of you.

Steadily the session moved on to discuss the matter of Goal Setting and how it can form or deform an organization. Say, for example, taking the tower building as we covered in the previous posts, what would be someone's goal when he sets to build up that tower. If someone wishes to list them under the sub-headings of:
1. Goal Set
2. Goal Achieved
3. Goal (Historical)
4. Potential
5. Realistic Goal Set

6. Realistic Goal Achieved

Not easy if you analyse the situation. I mean, u haven't even started your work of tower building, but you need to be clear about your goal. More specifically, about every minor detail.

This is where the concept of SMART Goals comes up.
S- Specific, Simple, Structure, Sustainable, Sensible

M- Measurable, Motivating

A- Achievable, Ambitious

R- Rational, Realistic

T- Time bound, Tangible

For an organization to thrive, it should have a clear visualization of its SMART goal. When I say organization, I mean all the individuals who build-up the organization.

Here the abstraction of Pygmalion Effect was also considered.

Pygmalion is an English play by noted playwright George Bernard Shaw, where a Phonetics Professor takes up the onus of making a common flower girl elegant and fit enough to pass in the Queen's Garden Party. The idea is, the Professor had confidence in his abilities and placed great expectations on the girl, so that she could perform better. That's what Pygmalion Effect precisely is. It is the phenomenon in which the greater the expectation placed upon people, the better they perform (Wikipedia, eh!).

Lesson learnt.



Now it was time for a practical demonstration which happened in the next session. A team was called again for that (never ending, huh!) tower building exercise. But this time, it was not mere 'Craftsmanship' as play; It was an organization: structured, coordinated, motivated and high aiming. And the results did show that. From the 16 blocks height in previous attempt by a craftsman and 7 blocks height try from the flustered 'organization' (of sorts), they achieved a commendable 24. Job well done.
But hey, we did learn something, didn't we: not to have a low aim. So the team started again, and broke the previous best record of 27 to reach 28. Great!!!

This is the power of Expectation learned from the Pygmalion Effect and the strength of Organization.

Watch-out this space for more discussions.