System of Dabbawalas and Their Pillars

System of Dabbawalas
and their Pillars

Dabbawalas has their own system whose basic pillar are:
 Organization Structure
 Management
 Process
 Culture
The executive committee of dabbawalas comprises of the vice-president, the

secretary general, the treasurer and the directors. A member of the executive
committee is appointed for a term of five years. Typically a person rises from
being a dabbawala to a mukadam and then rises to become a director,
treasurer and secretary. And this Executive Committee members they meet
once every month for which is attended by the Mukadams (Supervisers) and
Dabbawalas. At these meetings, the Dabbawalas discuss their problems and
explore possible solutions. The problems could be with the police, Municipal
Corporation, customers, etc.
Previously all the people within the institution were employees. However after
1980, they all became members rather than employees.
The dabbawalas, the mukadams and the thirteen figures who form the
executive committee, are all members and not employees.
(the railway worker strike in 1975 and the cotton worker general strike in 1982).
Management: A Self-Organized Democracy
 The dabbawalas essentially manage themselves with respect to hiring,

logistics, customer acquisition and retention, and conflict resolution.
This helps them operate efficiently and keep costs low and the quality of
service high.
 Each dabbawala is an entrepreneur who is responsible for negotiating
prices with his own customers.
 Because dabbawalas own their relationships with customers and tend to
work in the same location for years, those relationships are generally
long-term, trusting ones. Plus The dabbawalas within a group don’t have
a monopoly over any particular area; they’re encouraged to seek out
new customers, even in a building that is served by a colleague.
 Next is that the Workers with more than 10 years of experience serve as
supervisors, or muqaddams. Every group has one or more muqaddams,
who supervise the coding, sorting, and loading and unloading of
dabbas and are responsible for resolving disputes.
 So we can say that They are self-employed as the rightful owners in the
Dabbawalas organization. They have an innate sense of ownership
towards their work.
Process: Simplicity, Flexibility, and Rigor

For the dabbawalas, having the right process in place means more than simply
implementing efficient work flows. It also entails just about everything in the
organization, including the way information is managed, the use of built-in buffers,
and a strict adherence to standards.
Simple codes.
To convey information, the dabbawalas rely on a system of very basic symbols. The
lid of a dabba has three key markings on it. (See the exhibit “Cracking the Dabba
Code.”) The first is a large, bold number in the center, which indicates the
neighborhood where the dabba must be delivered. The second is a group of
characters on the edge of the lid: a number for the dabbawala who will make the
delivery, an alphabetical code (two or three letters) for the office building, and a
number indicating the floor. The third—a combination of color and shape, and in
some instances, a motif—indicates the station of origin.
Customers supply small bags for carrying their dabbas, and the variation in the bags’
shapes and colors helps workers remember which dabba belongs to which customer.
Buffer capacity.
Even with an efficient coding system, workers still have a tiny margin of error for
certain tasks.
So, to stay on schedule, each group has two or three extra workers who fill
in wherever they are needed, and all members are cross-trained in different
activities: collecting, sorting, transporting, finance, and customer relations.
Rigorous adherence to processes and standards.
The dabbawalas strictly observe certain rules. For instance, they don’t eat
until they have completed all their deliveries. Workers are fined or fired for
repeated mistakes and negligence. Customers are also expected to abide by
the process. Those who are repeatedly late in having their dabbas ready for
pickup and don’t respond to warnings are dropped.
Culture: A Strong Sense of Belonging
 It is the most crucial factor for their success which brought the whole
organization together.
 Almost all the dabbawalas belong to the Varkari sect of Maharashtra and
follow Saint Tukaram.
 A simple mission: The Hindu God Vithoba, whom they workshop, teaches
that giving food is the greatest deed to do in life. Customer is not the Raja
but Maharaja.
 Their utmost spirituality towards this divine idea is what drives them
ultimately.

System of Dabbawalas and Their Pillars

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

System of Dabbawalas and Their Pillars

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

System of Dabbawalas and Their Pillars

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

System of Dabbawalas

and their Pillars

The executive committee of dabbawalas comprises of the vice-president, the

Management: A Self-Organized Democracy

 The dabbawalas essentially manage themselves with respect to hiring,

Process: Simplicity, Flexibility, and Rigor

Rigorous adherence to processes and standards.

Culture: A Strong Sense of Belonging

You might also like