10 Management Lessons from the Dabbawalas

In Bombay, a Dabba is a steel tiffin box with a width of approximately 15 cm and a height of 30 cm, that people carry to their offices from home. The ones who are occupied with gathering, sorting, and moving these dabbas between homes and workplaces are known as the dabbawalas. 

Lakhs of Mumbaikars depend upon these men for their daily office meals. Mumbaikar dabbawalas are so reliable that they have never neglected or missed delivering the right Dabba to its rightful owner. Their superior management skills have gathered attention from all across the globe.

Dabbawalas in Mumbai 

Any reasonable person would agree that Dabbawalas are the lifesavers of Mumbai. Every day, several individuals residing in Mumbai travel to their workplaces, starting from one area of the city, then onto the next, while battling the gridlocks, crowded trains, and other transport challenges. 

Meanwhile, respective homemakers start to prepare wholesome meals to be served by lunchtime to their husbands. The motto of Dabbawalas is to deliver the tiffin box at a fixed hour. At the moment, there are at least 5,000 active dabbawalas. They are part of a well-organised corporation that provides several job opportunities.

The Varkari people of Maharashtra constitute a large number of the dabbawalas. It is a community united by common interests and strong bonds. As a result, future generations are influenced to follow in their footsteps.

A list of 10 management lessons from the Dabbawalas

The strength of dabbawalas is that they complete a large number of deliveries in a day. It is a process from which one can learn many management skills. Some of them are listed below.

Employees are an asset of dabbawalas 

A place where employees are treated well is the place that gets the most amount of effort put in from their employees. Dabbawalas are very well known for how well they treat the people they work with.

The degree is just a sheet of paper if you have the capabilities to win hearts

It is not compulsory that if a person has a higher degree, he has a big heart. The dabbawalas may not be very well educated but they know their work more than anyone. They know how to communicate, and how to manage their time and other than that they are fully dedicated to the work they are doing.

Providing employees with a feeling of motivation and value

The dedication of the dabbawalas can be somewhat ascribed to the worth they put into the work they do. “Our dabbawalas view their work as love. They are thankful for their work, and to serve others by delivering food is akin to service to God,” says Manish. Therefore, everybody in Mumbai regards and appreciates the dabbawalas for their work.

A smile can make the food tastier 

Food served with love has a different taste. Even if you are not hungry and someone with a loving smile asks you to eat something, you cannot resist having it. In the same way, the dabbawalas, despite working so hard in the scorching sun, always serve you with a prominent smile to make your meal more delicious.

It is not easy to be a dabbawala 

Well, not everyone can be trusted with the food. The dabbawalas go through a tough training process and then a six-month trial. The dabbawala is not selected until he completely understands the motto of dabbawalas.

Try not to be excessively lean; build in buffers 

Each dabbawala is fit for gathering up to 20 dabbas a day, yet this is extreme. Generally, in a gathering, all dabbawalas come together so that if a dabbawala is busy or unavailable, the others can redress. New dabbawalas are employed distinctly to replace a part or when there is an excessive number of new clients in an area.

Be a support system to other dabbawalas 

There is nothing as competing against each other in the dabbawalas. No one has a designation, everyone is the boss. They are not bound by anything, as a result of which they give the best results for themselves and their co-workers.

Keep a level organization

Harvard Business School’s contextual investigation noticed that the dabbawala association has developed into a hierarchical design to empower quick navigation.

Leave awful customers

They believe that one client should not make thousands suffer. In case a Mumbai homemaker is late with the dabba for more than one week, they are careful about not taking on that client again.

Conclusion 

Many individuals believe that Mumbai dabbawalas are caterers. However, they are not food caterers. They are not caterers; they are delivery people who carry lunch boxes from homes to workplaces before lunch break. The specific recipients of respective Dabbas enjoy healthy and wholesome home-cooked meals delivered by the Dabbawalas. Furthermore, when individuals finish the lunch box contents, the empty lunch boxes are returned in the evening to their rightful owners at the same time daily.