A decent proposal

[Guest guest]

At 07:56 AM 9/5/00 -0400, WWW: Balaji Prasad (Singapore) wrote:

>The following questions must be answered when the team is chosen for this most

>important problem solving.

 

According to whom? You are very good at coming up with questions and tasks

for everyone. In general, I agree with you that it's important to define

problems and understand issues before jumping in with solutions. However,

some of your steps seem to add work and bureaucracy of questionable value

to the process and they appear more likely to slow things down or stop the

process all together. I must admit that each time I read one of your long

list of what "must" first be done, I feel like I'm reading some pop

psychology management book.

 

Maybe you could enlighten us as to the source for all of these

"musts". Thank you.

 

Ys,

Madhusudani dasi

[Guest guest]

>>At 07:56 AM 9/5/00 -0400, WWW: Balaji Prasad (Singapore) wrote:

>>The following questions must be answered when the team is chosen for this

most

>>important problem solving.

 

Madusudani Mataji wrote:

 

>According to whom?

 

Thank you very much for asking questions. That is how problems are solved.

Ask questions and find answers.

 

In ISKCON's case it is according to Srila Prabhupada when he was there.

Today it is according to GBC. (Governing Body Commission). Tommorrow

unfortunately/fortunately (Krishna only knows), if the current GBC steps

down voluntarily or by force, and a new GBC takes over, these questions must

*then also* be answered by the new GBC, who ever it may be. These questions

must be asked and answered by top management, in any organisation, what ever

may be the organisational structure. Whether democratic, autocratic,

dictatorship, or any thing.

 

What I am trying to tell is , the current GBC has asked and answered these

questions, and formed a task force, on the same subject matter. The

resolutions on this look quite serious and impressive atleast on paper, and

the approach looks very professional. So those who are interested must work

with this task force, assist and help them.

 

The answer for your question is same, whether yesterday, today or tomorrow

or even after 100 years, when none of us may not be there, or inside ISKCON

or outside ISKCON. It is the top management who makes organisational

restructuring decisions.

 

Let's say, the current GBC steps down in 24 hours time and a new team takes

over. They also have to form/appoint a team or individuals to work on

problems and find solutions. This is the same not only in ISKCON but in any

organisation.

 

You said some time back, that when you showed ISKCON's organisation

structure to some management professionals, their eyes popped out. You ask

the same professionals that we are inviting the whole of ISKCON (Do not know

how many thousands of devotees) for restructuring our GBC and management

model, and let me know what is their input.

 

>Maybe you could enlighten us as to the source for all of these

>"musts". Thank you.

 

Life's experience and every day to day activities, is the source of all my

musts. If I give another long list I do not know what you will think. I

will give a few examples. Ofcourse even if you take any problem solving

basic management book the beginning lessons shoud be containing these

topics.

 

Case 1: My second son Caitanya's health was very bad since the time he was

born. He was not at all putting on any weight. We tried every thing but

there was no improvement. We went to the best doctors and hospitals later.

Everywhere they asked the same questions, for diagnising the problem. What

is the problem? Since when he has been loosing weight? Who are you? (Name

address, telephone number), simple questions. The team members were we

parents and the doctors. Neither we got offended when they asked these

questions, nor they got upset when we asked them the questions, like "What

are the possible reasons for a child loosing weight or not putting on

weight", etc,.. I hope you understand what questions further would be asked

in the discussion, by the team members of parents and doctors. It was

finally diagnosed he was on the verge of leukemia. (A little more drop in

his RBC/WBC) count the chances were he may end up in leukemia. Ofcourse

this problem has been resolved by mercy of Guru and Krishna, and he is very

hale and healthy. He can lead a complete Narasimha Arathi from the age of 2

and a half years, and now he is 4 and a half years. It was a big problem,

and a great trauma for us parents.

 

Case 2: Our opposite flat lady jumped from the 12th floor, and suicided, the

police came with an FIR (First Information Report) form. It contained these

simple questions. Who is the dead person? Who is the first complainant? Who

is the last complainant? When was the complaint recieved? (date/ time)?

Where did the incident happended (area location etc).

 

Case 3: My first son Anurag dropped in his gradings in school. When my wife

reported this time the performance has been very poor. How poor is poor?

We need a measurable. Very poor means what. The teachers and we parents sat

down to discuss this simple problem. We did not blame them, nor did we

blame them for the child's deterioration in performance. Simple questions

were asked by the team members, in this case, the parents, the teachers and

the child. Finally it was discovered that he had vision problem, that his

vision had deteriorated and he needed specatacles. Now he is wearing

spectacles and he is back on track.

 

Case 4: When my computer had problem, I called the service engineer, he

asked these simple questions.

 

Case 5: Same when the water was not coming in the tap and called the PUB

(Public Utilities Board).

 

Case 6: In any exit interview the employer asks the same questions to find

out the manpower turnover.

 

No body is expecting all our devotees should be big hotshot management

consultants to resolve these problems. I don't have to use a management

book to ask these questions.

 

Common sense tells me, in any of the above cases, however big or small the

problem may be, we cannot have a big team. For example in case 3 I do not

have to call the whole school, all teachers, all students, and all parents

for that specific problem or even for each and every other problem. To

collect data may be survey can be conducted, but not for brainstorming, and

problem resolving sessions. The team has to be small and focussed.

 

All I was saying was yes we know there is fever, but the doctor asks, what

is the temperature, since when you are having, etc,. Simple questions, to

diagonise any big or small problem. Yes we need measurables. Simply

talking of problem symptomatically like *high fever* does not help. We need

measurables, like in this case temperature, measured every hour and a chart

etc,.

 

All I am asking is some measurebles for each question, of What, Where, When,

Who, How etc,.

 

Yes problems are there everywhere in the material world. Padam padam

vipadam. *Only* Mukunda Lord Krishna *can* fit the big ocean of problems

into an impression of a calf's foot print. Let us pray to Him, so that we

will all cross over this ocean of miseries.

 

Note: I hate to write long messages. I pray that this will be my last

lengthy one. Please forgive me for my lengthy presentaion.

 

Your humble servant,

Bhadra Govinda Das.