The 1983 re-organization was done with the objective of renewal; it was indeed a very complex exercise handled deftly by A.V.
Ranga Rao and C.R. Swaminathan. We created a team of newly joined young scientists with just one experienced person and
gave them the challenge of building the strap down inertial guidance system, an on board computer and a ram rocket in
propulsion system. This exercise was being attempted for the first time in the country and the technology involved was
comparable with world-class systems. The guidance technology is centered around the gyro and accelerometer package, and
the electronics to process the sensor output. The on-board computer carries the mission computations and flight sequencing. A
ram rocket system breathes air to sustain its high velocity for long durations after it is put through a booster rocket. The young
teams not only designed these systems but also developed them into operational equipment. Later, Prithvi and then Agni used
similar guidance systems, with excellent results. The effort of these young teams made the country self-reliant in the area of
projectile technologies. It was a good demonstration of the ‘renewal factor’. Our intellectual capacity was renewed through
contact with enthusiastic young minds and had achieved these outstanding results.
Now, besides the renewal of manpower, emphasis had to be laid on augmenting the strength of project groups. Often, people
seek to satisfy their social egoistic and self-actualization needs at their workplaces. A good leader must identify two different
sets of environmental features. One, which satisfies a person’s need and the other, which creates dissatisfaction with his work.
We have already observed that people look for those characteristics in their work that relate to the values and goals which they
consider important as giving meaning to their lives. If a job meets the employees’ need for achievement, recognition,
responsibility, growth and advancement, they will work hard to achieve goals.
Once the work is satisfying, a person then looks at the environment and circumstances in the workplace. He observes the
policies of the administration, qualities of his leader, security, status and working conditions. Then, he correlates these factors to
the interpersonal relations he has with his peers and examines his personal life in the light of these factors. It is the agglomerate
of all these aspects that decide the degree and quality of a person’s effort and performance.
The matrix organization evolved in 1983 proved excellent in meeting all these requirements. So, while retaining this structure of
the laboratory, we undertook a task-design exercise. The scientists working in technology directorates were made system
managers to interact exclusively with one project. An external fabrication wing was formed under P.K. Biswas, a developmental
fabrication technologist of long standing, to deal with the public sector undertakings (PSUs) and private sector firms associated
with the development of the missile hardware. This reduced pressure on the in-house fabrication facilities and enabled them to
concentrate on jobs which could not be undertaken outside, which in fact, occupied all three shifts.