Lessons for Harvard from the Dabbawalas of Mumbai

Abstract

In Hindi, a "dabbawala" is a guy who carries, owns, or sells boxes. But in Bombay, a "Dabbawala" is a guy whose duty it is to collect freshly prepared, home-cooked food packaged in a Tiffin from the house of the client and bring it to the customer's workplace (Patel & Vedula, 2006). In the case of Dabbawala, the company's 5,000 or so "workers" are really "business partners" of the Charitable Trust NMTBSA. The company's first priority is providing its clients with nutritious meals prepared by experts who appreciate their preferences and adhere to the highest standards of cleanliness. Without spending a dime on technology, having no impact on the environment, and being recognized as one of the most promising organizations with a six sigma certification for a 99.9997% accuracy rate of deliveries, Dabbawala possesses one of the most efficient supply chains in the world.