Hidden Management treasure in Navarang Puzzle

The Navarang Puzzle

This time Dr. Mandi came into the class with a multicolored cube, which at first I thought is a Rubik's Cube. That day I was first introduced to the Navarang puzzle.

The Navarang Puzzle

Unlike a standard Rubik's Cube, the Navrang Puzzle can be dismanteled and reassembled. Then Dr. Mandi started throwing dismantled pieces of this cube to students sitting around him. There were 27 Pieces in total.

Rubik's Cube

Now he gave us a challenge to find an algorithm or method to reassemble the Puzzle. According to him the challenge was...

Challenge

You should fix all the 27 blocks in to a systematic ‘Cube’  of 3 x 3 x 3 = 27  blocks where in:

All the nine colours must be represented

in each of the six sides of the final 3 X 3 X 3 Cube.

Said in other words:

No two same colours can appear

on the same side of the 3 X 3 X 3 Cube you are trying to make.

This challenge is called ‘ Navrang – Nine Colors’ puzzle .

(source: http://nnhyderabad.blogspot.in/2013/07/navrang-puzzle-what-to-learn-from-it.html )

But then Prof. Mandi solved the Puzzle in about 2 minutes using an well-defined method. Sir had used a 3-step algorithm to solve the puzzle.

The Navarng cube is a great example to define unity of command. Why Is It Important???

The principle of unity of command is applied throughout the world today in organizations ranging from the military, government bureaucracies and companies, from a small business all the way up to multinational corporations. Learning about unity of command will help us to understand how a great, many of private and public organizations operate and may make you a better employee or manager. Unity of Command is one of the Henri Fayol's 14 principles of Management. The 14 principles are..

1. Division of Work
2. Discipline
3. Authority and responsibility
4. Subordination of Individual Interest to General Interest
5. Remuneration
6. Centralisation
7. Order
8. Equity
9. Initiative
10. Esprit De Corps (Team Spirit)
11. Stability of Tenure
12. Unity of Direction
13. Scalar Chain
14. Unity of Command

Definition & Principles

Unity of command provides that an employee is responsible to only one supervisor, who in turn is responsible to only one supervisor, and so on up the organizational hierarchy. This is true even if the top of the organization is led by a group of people. For example, imagine you are the CEO of a technology firm in Silicon Valley. While the board of directors of your company governs the policy making and strategic planning, under the concept of unity of command, you do not answer to all members of the board but only the chairman of the board.

Summary

Unity of command is a classic principle of management that is used in many hierarchical organizations, such as the military, government agencies, and corporations. Unity of command holds that an employee should only be answerable to one person. Management authority is vested in the position and as a manager climbs up the hierarchy, she is able to use prior knowledge and information gained in the new management position.