Gung Ho is a master piece in the series of management text by Ken Blanchard. The highlight of the book is that it doesn’t just preach a few management theories but also shows how to implement them successfully. Peggy Sinclair the newly appointed general manager of an ailing manufacturing plant has been set up for failure by the big boss old man Morris. She has no clue of how she will revive the dying plant with the jobs of hundreds of employees in line (including hers).However her hopes are kindled when she meets Andy Longclaw the division manager of the finishing department. Apparently the finishing department is the only department in the whole plant which is registering profit consistently. Peggy meets Andy to find out what is behind the success of the finishing department, the meeting blossoms into a long lasting friendship. Andy agrees to share his secret of success.
Andy’s first lesson is “The Spirit of the Squirrel” – Worthwhile Work
& middot; Every employee needs to understand that his or her work is important. This gives rise to a sense of self esteem thus motivating the workforce.
· The employees have a well understood and a shared goal for their department. Each member of the team should be clear about his or her individual goals, the team’s goals and the organization’s goals.
· All decisions and actions taken to reach the goal are guided by clearly defined values. The entire organization should be very clear about the values that the organization is standing by.
The second lesson is “Way of the Beaver” – In control of achieving the goal
· Every employee is clear of his or her responsibilities. It is the responsibility of the team manager to ensure that each team member knows his position in the team and what is expected of him or her.
· Thoughts, feelings, needs and dreams of every employee is listened to and acted upon. The team manager needs to treat every individual as a person and also ensure everyone has access to information.
· Every employee work should match with his ability and yet be challenging. Work allocated to an employee should not undershoot his capability since it would seriously affect the employee’s self esteem. At the same time, the work allocated should be challenging and should provide learning opportunities for the employee.
The third and the last lesson is “The Gift of the Goose” – Cheering On
· At every opportunity, employees should be generously showered with T(Timely)R(Responsiv e)U(Unconditional)E(Enthusiastic)congratulations.
Cheering people on a job well done brings in enthusiasm not only to the individual concerned but to all those working with him.
The rest of the book is about how Peggy implements each of these lessons amidst her pessimistic colleagues and revives the sick plant (In fact turns it into the best plant of the company).
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