The Three Monks
- Work planning
- Efficient work methods
- Innovation
- Importance of productivity for managerial excellence
A famous saying by Henry Ford goes as
Overview of the story :
Below is the short animation clip of the Three Monks :
The above film is based on an ancient Chinese proverb "One monk will shoulder two buckets of water, two monks will share the load, but add a third and no one will want to fetch water."
The story is about the three monks who travel all the way up to the Buddhist monastery located on a hilltop. It shows that how the three monks struggle when carrying water to the monastery and the obstacles they all face. The story tells us that how working in team can be more efficient than working individually.
Plot
The three monks visit the monastery situated on a hilltop. The first monk has a daily task of bringing the bucket full of water up to the monastery until the second monk arrives. As the second monk comes, he initially takes up the task of bringing water by himself. After some time he realizes that the task involves a lot of effort and cannot be done alone so he asks the other monk to join him. Both the monk take up the task together and do it together. The situation however changes when the third monk enters the monastery.
Now everyone wishes for some other monk to finish the task but that does not happen and all of them remain thirsty. One night the fire breaks out in the monastery and the three monks are left with no water to extinguish it. Soon the three monks wake up to their senses and decide to unite and put out the fire.
This incident leaves them with a learning experience and from then onwards, they start doing the work in a team. This leads to the harmonious life in the temple.
Observations and Learning :
One formula derived from the above excercise is
Excellence = Efficiency * Effectiveness
we hereby come to know that in order to achieve excellence in any work, it is very important to carry it effectively and efficiently. More the above two factors more will be the success achieved in that work.
With respect to the above scenario we see that
SITUATION IMPACT
1) Only 1 monk carrying 2 --> Monk is physically exhausted and cannot afford to
buckets with the help of carry out the task again on the same day.
a stick.
2) Bucket being carried by 2 --> Work pressure becomes less compared to the 1st
monks with the help of a situation and they get time for prayers
stick
3) All 3 monks involved in the --> Pressure of work is minimized, they enjoy doing
task the work, get more time for prayers. Excellence is
achieved as a result of increased efficiency
The above task helps us to understand that within any organisation the employees need to work together in order to attain the maximum output.
" Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress.
Working together is success "
Below is the short animation clip of the Three Monks :
The above film is based on an ancient Chinese proverb "One monk will shoulder two buckets of water, two monks will share the load, but add a third and no one will want to fetch water."
The story is about the three monks who travel all the way up to the Buddhist monastery located on a hilltop. It shows that how the three monks struggle when carrying water to the monastery and the obstacles they all face. The story tells us that how working in team can be more efficient than working individually.
Plot
The three monks visit the monastery situated on a hilltop. The first monk has a daily task of bringing the bucket full of water up to the monastery until the second monk arrives. As the second monk comes, he initially takes up the task of bringing water by himself. After some time he realizes that the task involves a lot of effort and cannot be done alone so he asks the other monk to join him. Both the monk take up the task together and do it together. The situation however changes when the third monk enters the monastery.
Now everyone wishes for some other monk to finish the task but that does not happen and all of them remain thirsty. One night the fire breaks out in the monastery and the three monks are left with no water to extinguish it. Soon the three monks wake up to their senses and decide to unite and put out the fire.
This incident leaves them with a learning experience and from then onwards, they start doing the work in a team. This leads to the harmonious life in the temple.
Observations and Learning :
One formula derived from the above excercise is
Excellence = Efficiency * Effectiveness
we hereby come to know that in order to achieve excellence in any work, it is very important to carry it effectively and efficiently. More the above two factors more will be the success achieved in that work.
With respect to the above scenario we see that
SITUATION IMPACT
1) Only 1 monk carrying 2 --> Monk is physically exhausted and cannot afford to
buckets with the help of carry out the task again on the same day.
a stick.
2) Bucket being carried by 2 --> Work pressure becomes less compared to the 1st
monks with the help of a situation and they get time for prayers
stick
3) All 3 monks involved in the --> Pressure of work is minimized, they enjoy doing
task the work, get more time for prayers. Excellence is
achieved as a result of increased efficiency
The above task helps us to understand that within any organisation the employees need to work together in order to attain the maximum output.
