WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM WEST

I had six month training in Germany from the period May to October 2013. I can simply say it has been fabulous.  The approach and confidence what I had was different before and after Germany station.  In the period of 6 months, I had a really good learning time from both professional and personal point of view and it has brought in a quite a lot of transformational change in the way I perceive things now. My Major Learnings are given as below.

Projects and Tasks

Projects and tasks are given in such a way that the activity is independent. The dependence on other people is less.  Timeline of projects and tasks are defined taking in to consideration all risks and the capacity of the employee.  

Trainings

Germans  have a well defined training program for any trainee who joins the department.  Trainings are given based on the profile defined for the trainee. Along with this an overview is given on all the processes and functional area of the department.  What I really enjoyed the most was the Mandatory Shop floor rotation every trainee has to undergo.  It gave me a very good understanding of the product and was of great help in my day to day work. Also during my discussions with manufacturing and sales team, I could relate about the component or pumps being spoken about. 

Effective Meetings

The Meetings are conducted in a highly professional manner. The meetings start and end at time. There is a very well clear defined objective of the meeting and the same is obtained at the end of the meeting. Also Whenever I required support from people, if it would take more than 5-10 mins of their time, then a meeting time is called for as they would have planned for some other activity at the same time. Every person has his/her calendar time blocked so that he/she can plan for their tasks.  I really liked this approach.

We could have lunch with other people in the canteen during lunch hours. This is not taken in negative way as personal space is given to us, which can be taken as otherwise in India.

Knowledge Sharing

The impartation of knowledge transfer from one to another is really well directed.  Sharing of knowledge allows the imparter to move from one department to another.  People are reluctant to share knowledge in India. Sharing of knowledge leads to insecurity among people. 

Discipline

Working with Germans, brings in lot of discipline within one self.  Germans speak straight and do not beat around the bush. Talks are limited but meaningful.  The office life and private life is separated and is different.

Communication and transparency

I am amazed with the level of communication and transparency in Germany.  Whether it is top down or bottom up approach, we always knew the relevance of message being conveyed.  Even during our weekly department meetings, group leader tells us about his important upcoming activities and meetings so that department can work towards it. Also at the same time our activities are discussed for the week and support is provided or given wherever required. If there is an important assignment from the management, the deadlines are discussed and message is passed on to the team. There is openness among people on various topics which leads to a healthy communication.

Leave Policy

If anyone wants to take leave in the department, he/ she informs in advance about it to group leader.  Group leader is happy as the information is given in advance.

Proxy setup

Germans have a well defined proxy system, where any employee can take leave for various reasons without the work of the plant being affected.  Another fascinating point is that an employee is not disturbed if he/ she is on leave as it is considered as their personal time.

SAYING NO

When we have more work than the normal capacity hours, we can approach our supervisor and communicate the same. He then goes through the task what we have and redistributes the work based on his understanding. This is well appreciated if we inform the same in advance and not at the end moment.  In India, saying no means that either people don’t work or are inefficient. Saying no could lead to various problems in India.

E-Mail and Follow-ups

Another interesting learning curve is that a reply will be obtained from the person even if we have not met him/her.  I have never had any problems with regards to follow up of emails or other information. The information was received timely.

People from the plant or even the HR provide information within 8 working hours. If the requirement takes time, then e-mail is sent specifying by when such information would be provided. In India, you have to personally go and see the person to get the information. Even after 10 reminders information may still not be available.  Follow-ups lead to unnecessary wastage of time and money. 

Conclusion

Personally I have learnt a lot for my own day to day activities, from washing and ironing cloths, cooking food to travelling the world. It has broadened my horizon and thinking. I believe, 6 months of German Experience has enriched me to see India and life from a different perspective.  It has been an amazing journey. I would like to thank everyone who made this possible.