DESKILLING OF WORKERS BY ORGANIZATION…HARD TO BELIEVE BUT IT’S TRUTH!!!

It seems as if there is some fault in the Title but actually there isn’t any. This was the main focal point of our next class conducted by Dr. Mandi.

For you this is hard to digest but for us it was harder but Dr. Mandi explained it effectively with the help of a simple activity, TOWER BUILDING ACTIVITY.

This activity has 2 phases:

1)    Phase 1

Students were first asked how tall the tower can they make with the given cubes (no. of cubes they can arrange one over the other). Rule was simple that whosoever can bid (money) the highest for performing the task will be called up on the stage to perform and he has to build the tower of the height he stated.

2)    Phase 2

Unlike in Phase 1, here there will be total 3 persons who will contribute the process of tower building. The person building the tower will be blindfolded and has to use his odd hand (only one hand)to  build the tower but he will be given instructions from another person acting as his manager and the third person will act as their CEO to set goals for them. Manager and CEO can’t touch the tower but can only give instructions to the first person.  Rule was again the same that whosoever can bid (money) the highest for performing the task will be called up on the stage to perform and he has to build the tower of the height he stated.

Observations and Result

1 person	3 persons
Target was set low i.e. 14 blocks	Target was set higher (23 blocks)
No management	Had a manager and a CEO
Managed to build tower of 22 blocks	Managed to build tower of 25 blocks

Both the phases of this activity had relevance with the reality. Phase 1 was the reflection of the older management system, or say Craftsmanship (only one person is responsible for carrying out the entire task by himself ) and Phase 2 reflected Modern Management.

Nature of different parameters in Craftsmanship and Modern Management

Parameters	Craftsmanship	Modern Management
No. of people involved	one	Greater than one
Work	ambiguous	Crystal clear
Division of work	Single person is fully loaded	Divided in many people
Skills	Skilled	Deskilled
Satisfaction	High	Low
Decision making process	All decisions are taken by a single person	Top level management takes decisions
Productivity	Low	High
Example	Cobbler	Reebok, Nike

Learnings

1)    Through this activity, a hard to believe theory of deskilling the worker can be well understood. In Modern Management, only top level managers are permitted to take decisions and workers are restricted from decision making process, they are asked to focus entirely pn the orders given by the managers and that’s why the top level management tries to make the work of workers so much simpler that they(workers) don’t have to take any decisions. Organization tries to deskill the workers but due to human nature, worker tries to get skilled even in that scenario and this deskilling-skilling process goes on. 

2)    Whatever the hurdles may be, one should not lower their targets. One should not think of reducing the targets by seeing the obstacles but should try to focus on the ways of how to eliminate that obstacle.

1)   It is always beneficial to work in teams rather than doing individually to accomplish any task. Co-operation results in more scientific approach, more profitability, and more productivity. After-all it is wisely said “Unity is Strength”.