Custom Search Life@IBA Official & Unofficial
Friday, October 20, 2006
What they dont teach at IIMs
What is that they teach in IIM that no other Insti don't???What is so special or different in IIM Guy from that of other Insti Product???Books are same ( Kotler! ) , Infrastucture is same ( EBSCO, CMIE, Google ) , Pedagogy is same ( Case studies ) , Student are same ( No one was born to be in IIM... No arguments on this plz )...... So lets find out...I am in 4th Trim at IBA Bangalore. I hav had chances to hav very good Faculty ( May be this is the focus of my writing ). People from IIM background and from other background hav taught us. Some are real experts and hav hands on experience. But the striking difference is visible.
- Clarity of thought
- Ability to communicate and Convince
- Reasoning
- Common sense
I will explain this by a simple situation that any average MBA has faced or faces in his life, both while being in Insti or Corporate. And that is Presentation.Regular Faculty's ( RF ) are more impressed by quantity of slides whereas Faculty with IIM Background ( IF) are impressed by quality of slides. IF teaches from slides that have maximum bullet points and RF tries to put whole of India instead. While taking presentation from students IF wants maximum 10 where as RF want minimum 10. IF hate animation but RF loves animation. IF want data and source whereas RF dont care data or its source. IF want its implication wheras RF are clueless.Before any presentation IF makes sure Objective i.e why the presentation is being done is understood by all. (Why??? is knowledge) They always hav a sequence to follow and at the start they makes all understand the Logical flow of preentation. But RF dont start with objective rather start with Definition.IF never limit the scope of discussion on any topic to one particular view, they discuss the pros and cons of every view. But RF hav a particular view and want students to understand that only.The presentations of IF forms a Logical steps but RF just pulls one from here and other from here and leaves all searching in despair.Most of IF are not fancy speakers but simple speakers. ( Remember Karan Johar's candyfloss drama to Vishal Bhardwaj's simple story telling ). They hardly use jargons but RF use plenty of Jargons. Everything IF say has a 'Why' attached to it. If u ever speak in front of IF they expect u to tell simple things not jargons and expect u to understand the concepts. If u ever do tell jargons they say it is Good English!!!Every point that IF say has a Reasoning behind it. But RF say it on the fly. And RF beat around the bush rather than cutting to the chase. RF never tell u the reason behind what they say but expect u to buy the argument bcoz they say it. They simply forget what Don carolene did say in The God father, "I will make an offer which he cant deny"...The arguments IF makes doesnt involve any rocket science to understand. Be in any subject they prove the argument by simple commomsense but RF put their argument in so complicated way that it loses its objective midway. Mind you 'Common sense is the most uncommon thing in this world'...Most RF concentrates on anything that is all too visible but IF concentrates on what is not meeting the eye. Any point that IF makes is loaded with data and sources of those data and their implications.In a nutshell it can be told IFs are logical, they hav clarity of thought, common sense but RFs are complicated and clarity is missing in them. All this gives me an impression that the culture in IIM has an indeliable impact on them having that mentality. And its no wonder that they are always sure what they want and are so good in communicating and convincing others. As they say communication is not speaking good english but making a point in simple language and supporting with logic.IF never waste a single minute in class, everything that they do must add value because they understand the value of time but RF are pretty easy with time. They are Ok with how u come to class but u better come prepared. Rf want u to come like executives but no matter even if u come blank to class.Thats my observations of Faculty with IIM background over Regular Faculty, and we can extend the same observations to Guys with IIM background and compare with Non-IIM guys.Friends if u hav any observations on this topic please chip in with ur own view.
Thats it for now,
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Life is never the same after you enter the MBA rigmarole!!!
MBA is not like any other PG Degree, this is precisely the point I want to put forward. Its more than just 2 years of class room studies, assignments, presentations and case studies. It gives you perspective and that too different perspective. You become focused, be it your career, your job, your Girlfriend you simply become more focused.
The pedagogy followed has its benefits and I won’t dwell much in to it. My objective now is to explain how much as a person you change, change for better; being a MBA student, being in a MBA school. The person who enters after XAT or CAT in to a MBA school is not the same after he passes out. He transforms himself completely. His outlook on life and his perspectives on various issues and life as a whole changes. He becomes more focused.
Now the point is, why his perspectives changes? MBA School comprises students from diverse backgrounds and diverse contours of the country. They bring in with them different perspective and different experience. So classroom discussion becomes so stimulating and a learning experience in itself. You get to know so many sides of the same coin. Moreover, management as a subject has no fixed solution and no one theory is sufficient. Based on context and time the problem demands different solutions. So there is no great idea that can solve all problems. So the subject demands you to think and think differently.
Secondly, if you analyze any Non-MBA guy, you will notice that compared to a MBA they are bit clueless about their career, their future course of action. An average MBA is surer of what he wants to do, where he wants to go and so on. Business today is so dynamic. One who pre-empts and takes the initiative is rewarded. So business students have no option but to get their act together and be more focused. Consider a Bus driver, who is blind, don’t where he is driving to, what would be his fate???
My stay here has taught me so many lessons. I happened to meet a person named Aki (Fictious name because he doesn’t want to be named), who joined IBA 1 year after me. My first impression of him was ‘a spoiled brat’!!! He gave me ample scope to have that image of him. He carried a 10+K Mobile; his walk had a swagger, cockiness in his voice, a strange air of arrogance. Although later on I realized all this was not intentional because he was raised with a silver spoon in his mouth. Whatever he wanted was fulfilled without a question being asked. His wishes were granted and he never heard no in his life. Life for him was eating, eating king size, dressing well, dressing king size, moving around with his gang in car. Studying to get a job was never his priority. He had ample wealth to sleep and eat for next 2 generation. Their auto-business was booming. The only sensible thing he could think was once in a while to visit the office and hang around their for brief time. Till now he never felt the pressure to perform in his studies. Because he knew studies for him was another degree which he could earn by paying some bucks. But he was no dumb. He had that business acumen in his blood, and commonsense. He although never put any significant effort, was able to pull off all exams with average scores!
All these years he was with his family and studying in his locality. He had never stepped out of his family neither his home town for long. But his father had other plans. He wanted his son to study further and do what he never was able to do in his life. He wanted his son to be focused and pick up values. He wanted his son to charge of his own life and in the bargain be ready to take charge of his business.
So after a family friend suggested him the option of MBA, he pushed his son to appear for XAT. Without many efforts Aki got a average score and made it to IBA. He still feels the Prof who interviewed him for PI has made a huge mistake. But I guess his decision has made and will go on making a significant change in Aki’s life.
Aki still felt MBA life would be full of time pass, to his surprise all his dreams were shattered after he landed up in IBA. First thing he found very difficult to adjust was Schedule. Timetable is so tough. Everyday get up early in the morning to get ready. You get late you don’t get warm water. That makes the task easier because you don’t take bath for that day with cold water in chilled B’lore climate! Classes start on dot time. You get late by 1 minute, you are screwed. So one thing he learnt was value of time. At home he had all the time in the world. No one was there to raise a finger. Here you adjust with time or else face trouble. He learnt to accommodate everything with time he got.
CGPA system made him slog everyday. Because his effort was not going to make any difference if somebody else is going to put in more efforts than him. Relative scoring system pushes you to give in all your 100%. Although, he understood this lessons slightly differently. Within days of his stay in IBA, he developed a crush on his batch mate. Her dimple was making him mad and he desperately wanted to make the move. But the problem was she was never showing any move from her side. The problem was compounded by the fact that he didn’t have his gang of friends with him, he didn’t have car to offer lifts, he didn’t have money buy girls’ gifts, and he didn’t have that situation. The only way he could do is his own ability and be his own self. But he never knew what he could achieve, because he never needed to ponder over such things. He realized the important lesson of life, without money he is nothing, without power he is nothing, and without his father’s name and fame he is nothing. So he wanted to know what he is. Where he is good at. He wanted to prove himself somewhere and what better than in CGPA.
Continuous interactions with his friends taught him some more lessons. He learnt that not everybody is so fortunate like him. There is something to life than just money and power. Striving everyday to excel, he saw first-hand within his friends and that inspired him. He realized that he too has some latent potential. Now his priorities changed. He took charge of his life. He understood the value of home-cooked food when he missed his breakfast because he had an assignment to finish the previous night. He realized the importance of time and learnt to manage it. He got a new purpose and his reason for being admitted into a MBA school, and that is nothing realizing own potential.
Sometimes he feels overwhelmed by pressure of assignments and lectures. But he realizes that’s life, full of struggles and tests. If you can pass this test you can face any test anywhere. He don’t find anytime to ‘pass time’, but he knows how to find some time out of the schedule to engage in that ‘time pass’. So the trick of time-management is now understood by him. He knows on any day there are so many things to do and each work is as important as other. But ability to prioritize and do one at a time is the trick. He knows he has to give 100% and he gives. May be some work remain incomplete but the feeling of giving 100% is what gives a kick. So all this realization isn’t what he could have learnt elsewhere. He learnt all this from his friends, from his seniors and from the system itself!
Now he has different approach to life at least a different perspective. He is now more focused at least in his life as a student and there after.
Isn’t it Surreal? A topic worth noting. Life as a MBA and how it effects some changes. Aki’s world has been changed for ever and for good. There are so many instances of more such Aki’s. May be I am one of them and so are you…
The pedagogy followed has its benefits and I won’t dwell much in to it. My objective now is to explain how much as a person you change, change for better; being a MBA student, being in a MBA school. The person who enters after XAT or CAT in to a MBA school is not the same after he passes out. He transforms himself completely. His outlook on life and his perspectives on various issues and life as a whole changes. He becomes more focused.
Now the point is, why his perspectives changes? MBA School comprises students from diverse backgrounds and diverse contours of the country. They bring in with them different perspective and different experience. So classroom discussion becomes so stimulating and a learning experience in itself. You get to know so many sides of the same coin. Moreover, management as a subject has no fixed solution and no one theory is sufficient. Based on context and time the problem demands different solutions. So there is no great idea that can solve all problems. So the subject demands you to think and think differently.
Secondly, if you analyze any Non-MBA guy, you will notice that compared to a MBA they are bit clueless about their career, their future course of action. An average MBA is surer of what he wants to do, where he wants to go and so on. Business today is so dynamic. One who pre-empts and takes the initiative is rewarded. So business students have no option but to get their act together and be more focused. Consider a Bus driver, who is blind, don’t where he is driving to, what would be his fate???
My stay here has taught me so many lessons. I happened to meet a person named Aki (Fictious name because he doesn’t want to be named), who joined IBA 1 year after me. My first impression of him was ‘a spoiled brat’!!! He gave me ample scope to have that image of him. He carried a 10+K Mobile; his walk had a swagger, cockiness in his voice, a strange air of arrogance. Although later on I realized all this was not intentional because he was raised with a silver spoon in his mouth. Whatever he wanted was fulfilled without a question being asked. His wishes were granted and he never heard no in his life. Life for him was eating, eating king size, dressing well, dressing king size, moving around with his gang in car. Studying to get a job was never his priority. He had ample wealth to sleep and eat for next 2 generation. Their auto-business was booming. The only sensible thing he could think was once in a while to visit the office and hang around their for brief time. Till now he never felt the pressure to perform in his studies. Because he knew studies for him was another degree which he could earn by paying some bucks. But he was no dumb. He had that business acumen in his blood, and commonsense. He although never put any significant effort, was able to pull off all exams with average scores!
All these years he was with his family and studying in his locality. He had never stepped out of his family neither his home town for long. But his father had other plans. He wanted his son to study further and do what he never was able to do in his life. He wanted his son to be focused and pick up values. He wanted his son to charge of his own life and in the bargain be ready to take charge of his business.
So after a family friend suggested him the option of MBA, he pushed his son to appear for XAT. Without many efforts Aki got a average score and made it to IBA. He still feels the Prof who interviewed him for PI has made a huge mistake. But I guess his decision has made and will go on making a significant change in Aki’s life.
Aki still felt MBA life would be full of time pass, to his surprise all his dreams were shattered after he landed up in IBA. First thing he found very difficult to adjust was Schedule. Timetable is so tough. Everyday get up early in the morning to get ready. You get late you don’t get warm water. That makes the task easier because you don’t take bath for that day with cold water in chilled B’lore climate! Classes start on dot time. You get late by 1 minute, you are screwed. So one thing he learnt was value of time. At home he had all the time in the world. No one was there to raise a finger. Here you adjust with time or else face trouble. He learnt to accommodate everything with time he got.
CGPA system made him slog everyday. Because his effort was not going to make any difference if somebody else is going to put in more efforts than him. Relative scoring system pushes you to give in all your 100%. Although, he understood this lessons slightly differently. Within days of his stay in IBA, he developed a crush on his batch mate. Her dimple was making him mad and he desperately wanted to make the move. But the problem was she was never showing any move from her side. The problem was compounded by the fact that he didn’t have his gang of friends with him, he didn’t have car to offer lifts, he didn’t have money buy girls’ gifts, and he didn’t have that situation. The only way he could do is his own ability and be his own self. But he never knew what he could achieve, because he never needed to ponder over such things. He realized the important lesson of life, without money he is nothing, without power he is nothing, and without his father’s name and fame he is nothing. So he wanted to know what he is. Where he is good at. He wanted to prove himself somewhere and what better than in CGPA.
Continuous interactions with his friends taught him some more lessons. He learnt that not everybody is so fortunate like him. There is something to life than just money and power. Striving everyday to excel, he saw first-hand within his friends and that inspired him. He realized that he too has some latent potential. Now his priorities changed. He took charge of his life. He understood the value of home-cooked food when he missed his breakfast because he had an assignment to finish the previous night. He realized the importance of time and learnt to manage it. He got a new purpose and his reason for being admitted into a MBA school, and that is nothing realizing own potential.
Sometimes he feels overwhelmed by pressure of assignments and lectures. But he realizes that’s life, full of struggles and tests. If you can pass this test you can face any test anywhere. He don’t find anytime to ‘pass time’, but he knows how to find some time out of the schedule to engage in that ‘time pass’. So the trick of time-management is now understood by him. He knows on any day there are so many things to do and each work is as important as other. But ability to prioritize and do one at a time is the trick. He knows he has to give 100% and he gives. May be some work remain incomplete but the feeling of giving 100% is what gives a kick. So all this realization isn’t what he could have learnt elsewhere. He learnt all this from his friends, from his seniors and from the system itself!
Now he has different approach to life at least a different perspective. He is now more focused at least in his life as a student and there after.
Isn’t it Surreal? A topic worth noting. Life as a MBA and how it effects some changes. Aki’s world has been changed for ever and for good. There are so many instances of more such Aki’s. May be I am one of them and so are you…
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
18-10-2006, 10:40 PM , Package Vs Profile
Two more Companies Visited for Campus:
Lifestyle, part of landmark group of Dubai for Asst. Concept Manager equivalent to Floor Manager for a package of 2.24 CTC!!!
Package and Profile debate raged on...and many of us had to opt out. But because we had to sit as directed by CRDT, bcoz we are interested in Retail! In the bargain the company took a impression that guys are dumb bcoz those who sat for it were not giving 100%!!! Why is it so necessar to push people when they are not interested..Just to get done this campus process as fast as possible no matter what package and what profile???
ANyways out of 46 guys only 6 passed the GD and 3 finally made after PI. Congrats!!!
Next in line was ICICI Prudential. It came late by 2.30 hrs!!! Late arrivals for placements by Companies are becoming order of the day now.. Are we so taken for granted that any co can come late and we still accept them with both hands!!What corporate standards...
Profile was sales and hardcore sales. Although not required to go to field and do , which you would be doing through your team, but Insurance sales profile. One was field job, package of 4.9 CTC perks included, other was on bancassurance with package of around 3.6 CTC.
Many couldnt resist the lure of package and took the plunge!!!Wish them to stick on to the job and want to meet them after the first month!!!!
16 were interested and after GD and Aptitude 14 were selected. Rest 2 went through an PI and were selected too!!!
Now Holidays awaiting for next 4 days. I really dont know how to make best utilisation of it..Lets c........
Lifestyle, part of landmark group of Dubai for Asst. Concept Manager equivalent to Floor Manager for a package of 2.24 CTC!!!
Package and Profile debate raged on...and many of us had to opt out. But because we had to sit as directed by CRDT, bcoz we are interested in Retail! In the bargain the company took a impression that guys are dumb bcoz those who sat for it were not giving 100%!!! Why is it so necessar to push people when they are not interested..Just to get done this campus process as fast as possible no matter what package and what profile???
ANyways out of 46 guys only 6 passed the GD and 3 finally made after PI. Congrats!!!
Next in line was ICICI Prudential. It came late by 2.30 hrs!!! Late arrivals for placements by Companies are becoming order of the day now.. Are we so taken for granted that any co can come late and we still accept them with both hands!!What corporate standards...
Profile was sales and hardcore sales. Although not required to go to field and do , which you would be doing through your team, but Insurance sales profile. One was field job, package of 4.9 CTC perks included, other was on bancassurance with package of around 3.6 CTC.
Many couldnt resist the lure of package and took the plunge!!!Wish them to stick on to the job and want to meet them after the first month!!!!
16 were interested and after GD and Aptitude 14 were selected. Rest 2 went through an PI and were selected too!!!
Now Holidays awaiting for next 4 days. I really dont know how to make best utilisation of it..Lets c........
Monday, October 16, 2006
Technopak : The Inside Story
This post is spin-off of my earlier post on Corporate Double standards. At the outset i must acknowledge that there are good people in this organization, there are some good things to cheer in this organisation. The way i interpret might not be the way someone else interpret.
During the third week of Sep, Insti got some need from Technopak regarding a project. They wanted to take some Interns to work on that project. They were looking for "Retail" in candidates. As i am most likely to join retail, i gave my name so are other 8 of us. We were called for an Interview at their office on 23 sep. We all were excited to be part of a Live Retail project, considering the fact that Technopak is a Retail Consultancy. We started off from our campus at 8 AM, forgoing two important classes due for that day. Distnace is about 27 kms., but commuting is tedious and time consuming on Blore roads. We reached there by 9.50 AM. And we waited for the concerned authority to come.
Satish: the irrepressible man in Technopak. Man who smiles always, takes care of you in office no matter how bad he is going through. He offered us tea and told us to wait as being a saturday, employee may choose to come or not. So in Technopak "Time " is not an issue. Employee can walk in anytime they like, go anytime they want! Flexibility! As long as one does his duty.
At 12.30 came the lady who was supposed to take our Interview. Reason for coming late was She was sleeping as it was saturday! This i overheard talking to her colleague. Boss can come late?? Isn't it? I guess one should go and see Corporate practices in West and then comment.During Interview Analytical ability was stress upon as a key skill required in the project. Data analysis in Excel etc. Also it was decided that we can come to office atmost 2 days a week to show the progress of the work and can work from campus.
Around 3PM we went for lunch as they told they would get back to us soon. That was end of day 1 at Technopak.
My seond visit was after 3 days. We 3 of us were selected for the project. And we were called for a Briefing. As usual we reached at 9.30 AM. and waited for the lady to come. She came to office at 11 AM and asked us to wait for some time and she logged in to Orkut!!! yes first thing employee when walks into Technopak does is do Orkutting. Orkut acts as a Corporate WAN! Orkut is open all the time. And i guess its a cheap alternative to costly company Intranet!!
Add to it is the Google Talk, Kudos to technology!! Instant messenger in Web page, guys in Technopak stay connected!!
The real briefing was given after lunch around 4 by "Rahul" for about 5 minutes flat!!! We had thought the briefing to be a lecture!! He works in technopak as Associate Consultant. He has done his engg and plans t give CAT 2006 this year! actually speaking there was no briefing, because he himself didnt know the project! He gave us some data to collect and put it in Excel. More of Data Mining!
We did the work by next day and emailed him, which he had asked to do so. He didnt reply back, next day he asked to come to office. We went again missing another 2 of our lectures. This time he gave us more work and submit by 2 days. The work is like we need to collect data from UN sites which give them free, put it in Excel sheets in order , then generate tables, some analysis. Mining from the net was very tedious and boring job!
Anyways, we completed the work and submitted him. Every other day he used to call us to office and give us similar work. we kept doing it hoping that some analytical work will follow once we finish this work. we didnt materilaize.
On 5th suddenly, he mailed us saying that the work is done completed and charged us of slacking. We went to office next day. By this time we had gone to office almost 6 times. We were supposed to go to office twice a week. We were supposed to get work at once for 3/4 days and complete it, submit it then get some more work. But he never gave us work at once, rather he insisted us to ome to office daily, and gave work in bits and pieces.
He then said you are wrong in ur work. He had actually given us task to collect data on products which were not needed. A list of products had actually come to him from his senior on 25th Sep, but he ignored that mail till he opened that mail on 5 th Oct and found that what blunder he is committing. (I guess his senior should have sent that mail in Orkut!!) And he charged us his mistakes. Now he assigned us the herulean task of completing the actual products again from scratch .All work in vain!! And Time constraints! But we choose to do, because we had committed to work for Technopak.
And we came back and started the work and by god we finished it after working at a stretch for 18 hours that day. 3 of us so 18*3=54 Hours!!!
We submitted the work on time, next day more work followed as he didnt give us complete list. We kept doing it without raising any eyebrow! Because we had taken up that challenge.This continued for next 5 days. Everyday, he kept adding to that list and we kept doing it. Practically it was not possible to miss our classes daily and come to office when we could do he same work at a remote place.
Still he never was satisfied with us. Whenever we went him to seek any help, he would ask us to wait as he used to chat on gtalk or Orkut!! Never did he clarified any point as he was himself not clear.
I now understand, the business model of Technopak as a Consultants!! Get Freely available data from net. Compile it and beautify it then sell the report to clients for crores of rupees! That too all the work to be done by Interns while employees cool their heels in Chatting and Orkutting!!
While he project is so important, the employees are least bothered about the project. They slack off and get things done by Interns! They themselves are unaware as to what needs to be done in the project so they confuse Interns and make them slog unnecessarily.
So at last when no value addition was forthcoming interms of what was promised from the project at the outset we thought of seeking an explanation. We wanted analytics not data-mining from net. We wanted to analyze data not beautify it. We wanted to work from remote location not come to office everyday as we had committed to them. We wanted to know the link between "Retail" and the project, which was not related. And then we were held responsible for slacking and not giving output. So we chose to part ways. And Finally we left the project.
We never deserted the project midway as one might think as we completed our work well in time. But there was a mismatch between what they promise and what they actually gave to work on. More of, Culture of the organization was a misfit. When person doesnt know his reponsibility and work to be done, and blame juniors for it, this is pathetic. Mere sitting in office and copy pasting from net and preparing reports is again pathetic.
Major learning from Technopak was something different. I understood, Consultancy sucks! Secondly, I should know how to handle hostile senior. When a senior makes you work, and take credit if the work is good and puts a blame when work is bad, you should know how to handle him. You should know how to Clarify and when to say No. You should not say yes to every yes of your boss, then he starts taking you for granted. Clarify what needs to be done, how to be done before starting the work, Keep evidence to support it at later satges. ( Exactly this thing happened to me, bcoz at the end he accused us that we never did what he wanted us to do, if only we had a evidence).
And finally, In consultancy you dont really work , you should always show that we are working and rather get it done by your juniors!!!
During the third week of Sep, Insti got some need from Technopak regarding a project. They wanted to take some Interns to work on that project. They were looking for "Retail" in candidates. As i am most likely to join retail, i gave my name so are other 8 of us. We were called for an Interview at their office on 23 sep. We all were excited to be part of a Live Retail project, considering the fact that Technopak is a Retail Consultancy. We started off from our campus at 8 AM, forgoing two important classes due for that day. Distnace is about 27 kms., but commuting is tedious and time consuming on Blore roads. We reached there by 9.50 AM. And we waited for the concerned authority to come.
Satish: the irrepressible man in Technopak. Man who smiles always, takes care of you in office no matter how bad he is going through. He offered us tea and told us to wait as being a saturday, employee may choose to come or not. So in Technopak "Time " is not an issue. Employee can walk in anytime they like, go anytime they want! Flexibility! As long as one does his duty.
At 12.30 came the lady who was supposed to take our Interview. Reason for coming late was She was sleeping as it was saturday! This i overheard talking to her colleague. Boss can come late?? Isn't it? I guess one should go and see Corporate practices in West and then comment.During Interview Analytical ability was stress upon as a key skill required in the project. Data analysis in Excel etc. Also it was decided that we can come to office atmost 2 days a week to show the progress of the work and can work from campus.
Around 3PM we went for lunch as they told they would get back to us soon. That was end of day 1 at Technopak.
My seond visit was after 3 days. We 3 of us were selected for the project. And we were called for a Briefing. As usual we reached at 9.30 AM. and waited for the lady to come. She came to office at 11 AM and asked us to wait for some time and she logged in to Orkut!!! yes first thing employee when walks into Technopak does is do Orkutting. Orkut acts as a Corporate WAN! Orkut is open all the time. And i guess its a cheap alternative to costly company Intranet!!
Add to it is the Google Talk, Kudos to technology!! Instant messenger in Web page, guys in Technopak stay connected!!
The real briefing was given after lunch around 4 by "Rahul" for about 5 minutes flat!!! We had thought the briefing to be a lecture!! He works in technopak as Associate Consultant. He has done his engg and plans t give CAT 2006 this year! actually speaking there was no briefing, because he himself didnt know the project! He gave us some data to collect and put it in Excel. More of Data Mining!
We did the work by next day and emailed him, which he had asked to do so. He didnt reply back, next day he asked to come to office. We went again missing another 2 of our lectures. This time he gave us more work and submit by 2 days. The work is like we need to collect data from UN sites which give them free, put it in Excel sheets in order , then generate tables, some analysis. Mining from the net was very tedious and boring job!
Anyways, we completed the work and submitted him. Every other day he used to call us to office and give us similar work. we kept doing it hoping that some analytical work will follow once we finish this work. we didnt materilaize.
On 5th suddenly, he mailed us saying that the work is done completed and charged us of slacking. We went to office next day. By this time we had gone to office almost 6 times. We were supposed to go to office twice a week. We were supposed to get work at once for 3/4 days and complete it, submit it then get some more work. But he never gave us work at once, rather he insisted us to ome to office daily, and gave work in bits and pieces.
He then said you are wrong in ur work. He had actually given us task to collect data on products which were not needed. A list of products had actually come to him from his senior on 25th Sep, but he ignored that mail till he opened that mail on 5 th Oct and found that what blunder he is committing. (I guess his senior should have sent that mail in Orkut!!) And he charged us his mistakes. Now he assigned us the herulean task of completing the actual products again from scratch .All work in vain!! And Time constraints! But we choose to do, because we had committed to work for Technopak.
And we came back and started the work and by god we finished it after working at a stretch for 18 hours that day. 3 of us so 18*3=54 Hours!!!
We submitted the work on time, next day more work followed as he didnt give us complete list. We kept doing it without raising any eyebrow! Because we had taken up that challenge.This continued for next 5 days. Everyday, he kept adding to that list and we kept doing it. Practically it was not possible to miss our classes daily and come to office when we could do he same work at a remote place.
Still he never was satisfied with us. Whenever we went him to seek any help, he would ask us to wait as he used to chat on gtalk or Orkut!! Never did he clarified any point as he was himself not clear.
I now understand, the business model of Technopak as a Consultants!! Get Freely available data from net. Compile it and beautify it then sell the report to clients for crores of rupees! That too all the work to be done by Interns while employees cool their heels in Chatting and Orkutting!!
While he project is so important, the employees are least bothered about the project. They slack off and get things done by Interns! They themselves are unaware as to what needs to be done in the project so they confuse Interns and make them slog unnecessarily.
So at last when no value addition was forthcoming interms of what was promised from the project at the outset we thought of seeking an explanation. We wanted analytics not data-mining from net. We wanted to analyze data not beautify it. We wanted to work from remote location not come to office everyday as we had committed to them. We wanted to know the link between "Retail" and the project, which was not related. And then we were held responsible for slacking and not giving output. So we chose to part ways. And Finally we left the project.
We never deserted the project midway as one might think as we completed our work well in time. But there was a mismatch between what they promise and what they actually gave to work on. More of, Culture of the organization was a misfit. When person doesnt know his reponsibility and work to be done, and blame juniors for it, this is pathetic. Mere sitting in office and copy pasting from net and preparing reports is again pathetic.
Major learning from Technopak was something different. I understood, Consultancy sucks! Secondly, I should know how to handle hostile senior. When a senior makes you work, and take credit if the work is good and puts a blame when work is bad, you should know how to handle him. You should know how to Clarify and when to say No. You should not say yes to every yes of your boss, then he starts taking you for granted. Clarify what needs to be done, how to be done before starting the work, Keep evidence to support it at later satges. ( Exactly this thing happened to me, bcoz at the end he accused us that we never did what he wanted us to do, if only we had a evidence).
And finally, In consultancy you dont really work , you should always show that we are working and rather get it done by your juniors!!!
