Mumbai Dabba Case Study

DABBAWALLA’S: SIMPLY COMPLEX Presented By : Abhishek Tuteja

Planning 

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Planning involves selecting missions and objectives and the action to achieve them, it requires decision making that is choosing future courses of action from among alternatives.

Organizing:

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It is part of managing that involves establishing an intentional structure of roles for people to fill in an organization structure is to help in creating an environment for human performance.

Staffing:

It involves filling and keeping filled the positioning an organization structure.

Leading:

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It is the influencing of the people so that they will contribute to organization and group goals; it has to do predominately with interpersonal aspect of managing.

Controlling:

It is the measuring and correcting of activities of subordinates to ensure that events that confirm to plans.

Co-ordination:

Being the essence of manager ship for achieving harmony.

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among individual efforts towards the accomplishment of group goal.

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Case study on Dabbawala

Dabbawala’s Planning 

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The method which Dabbawalla's follow is Coding These codes would baffle a cryptographer! But they make perfect sense to the Dabbawala. The codes and colours indicate the place from where a dabba is collected; the station where it must be unloaded and the office it is to be delivered

Coding 

VP – The first thing on the Tiffin is the code for the originating station.

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This is the station from where the Dabbawalla picks up the Tiffin in the morning.

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In this case, VP denotes Vile Parle.

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E – This is the code for the dabbawalla who is picking up the Tiffin from its origin or home.

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In this case, the dabbawalla with the code of ‘E’ will be a part of the group distinguished by the colour code ‘RED’.

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3 – This is the code for the destination area. This may not necessarily be restricted to a station only.

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For instance, the Churchgate is allotted number codes from 1-10. Number 11 is allotted to marine lines, 12 to Charni road and so on. In this example, the number 3 is allotted to the area between flora fountain and cross Maidan area.

Cont… 9 – VS – 12 

9 – This is the code number for the dabbawalla who delivers the Tiffin to the destination office from Churchgate station. This is the dabbawalla who is responsible for delivering it to the respective office and picking it up after the lunch hours. He is a part of another group from the one he worked with at the originating station.

Cont… 

VS - This code denotes the exact location or more likely, the building’s initial in the area that falls under Churchgate station.

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In this case, it is VSNL building

Cont… 

12 – finally, the last code among the three codes that form the right side of the top of the dabba is the floor on the building (VSNL) or the room number in case of buildings with large number of rooms on each floor.

Organising The Nutan trust is the apex body representing the dabbawalla’s. It is trim hierarchy with three tiers:

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THE GOVERNING COUNCIL THE MUKKADAMS OR TEAM LEADERS THE DABBAWALLA’S THEMSELVES

Staffing 

Just like old times, recruitment is essentially done through word of mouth.

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It is basically done from the neighbouring towns and villages of western Maharashtra including Junnar, Ambegaon, Khed, Maval, Mulshi, Akola, Rajgurunagar, etc.

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The recruitment policy is such that even before a new recruit leaves his hometown for Mumbai, his area of operation and remuneration are decided.

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The whole system operates as a loose cooperative, and with customer satisfaction levels so high, there’s little need for a rigid operating structure. The essence lies in its simplicity.

Leading 

The basic operating unit is the team, which comprises between five and eight dabbawalla’s. This headed by a Mukadam.

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Having risen from the ranks of the dabbawalla’s, a Mukadam’s primary daily responsibility involved the sorting of the dabba’s.

Cont… 

As team leader the Mukadam performed several administrative tasks that included maintaining records of client payments, arbitrating disputes between dabbawalla’s and customers, and apprentice training.

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The Mukadam is also in charge of acquiring new clients for the team and managing customer satisfaction.

Controlling 

In cases of theft or loss of a Tiffin-box, if any carrier is found guilty then the client is allowed to deduct the costs from the dabbawalla's charges for the subsequent month.

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If a client receives improper services by any dabbawalla, for which a complaint has been made to the association; that particular Dabbawala will be directed to end his services with that client and another Dabbawala will be allotted to the client.

Cont… 

In this manner, no future disputes between that client and the dabbawalla will arise and with the allocation of another Dabbawala in his place, the client will also receive continuous and efficient service.

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Apart from discouraging undercutting between two dabbawalla’s, the association has to handle all kinds of disputes arising between two dabbawalla’s.

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The association also has the responsibility of handling all the internal disputes.

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The association charges Rs. 100-200/- before looking into the complaint. This is done to ensure that the official’s time is not wasted on any petty disputes.

Coordinating 

ONWARD JOURNEY – 8:30- 10:34 am

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SORTING - 10:15 – 10:34 am

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JOURNEY TIME – 10:34 to 11:20 am

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SORTING AT THE DESTINATION STATION AND DELIVERING – 11:20 to 12:30 am

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COLLECTION PROCESS - 1:15 to 2:00 pm

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RETURN JOURNEY – 2:00 to 2:30 pm

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TRAIN JOURNEY – 2:48 - 3:30 pm

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THE FINAL JOURNEY OF THE DAY – 3:30 to 4:00 pm

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