MBA diary: Chaos theory

Last month, MBA students from Canada's McGill University travelled to India to investigate business, culture and national competitiveness. Here one of them, Melanie Walsh, says that six-sigma management theory is thriving among the dabbawalas of Mumbai.

TEN students stand on the would-be shoulder of a road under construction. "One, two, three..." calls one student. There is a pause, then "four, five, six," calls a second and everyone laughs at their own hesitation at crossing the street. Who gets priority? Some say the largest vehicle. However, small motorised rickshaws are bypassing trucks, busses move at different paces, and cars and taxis seem to be going where ever they want. Yet, pedestrians still cross between the cars without causing accidents or stopping the flow of traffic. Flow is perhaps the best word I have to describe India; everything is moving and growing in a seemingly chaotic manner, yet there must be some method to the madness because it is growing incredibly.

Invisible growth is a concept I heard a lot of while I was in India. The Indian economy is growing consistently, yet the outward signs of development-such as new skyscrapers, public transit, roads and other elements of infrastructure-are not apparent. Western-style development is obvious only in small pockets of gated and secured communities. The disparity between these enclosures and generally accessible India is amazing. In Mumbai for example, you look out the 15th story window of your five-star hotel and watch people going about their everyday lives in the adjacent slums.

What is behind this invisible growth? My answer is culture and work ethic. In my brief glimpse of a few Indian cities, I was overwhelmed by the welcoming people. It seemed we received heart-felt greetings of "Namaste" everywhere we visited. I was fortunate to be invited into the home of a family in New Delhi, where I was not allowed to escape without consuming a plethora of tasty homemade dishes and a nice cup of chai tea. Not only are people welcoming, but they are also service oriented and hard working. During my preparations for the trip, the management from hotels and bus companies went above and beyond to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible. Of course, once there nothing goes entirely as planned, but everyone was incredibly flexible.

Read full article: The Economist, March 2, 2011