Hard work v/s smart work - What are the current techniques practised in the industry?

Hi, dear all; I know this is a very old repeated technique, question and ongoing discussion. But I would really like to know from all the members. What exactly is this hard work and smart work all about? Still, in this current modern era, is this applicable? What are the current techniques practised in the industry? Is it really helpful, and how do I handle it all? please do go through it, suggest and share some of your views and personal experiences with this.
Regards,

Dear Raghavaprasadnarayanan,
Rather than pose the question, I kindly suggest that you go through the previous threads by clicking on the links in the sidebar at the right. Then, give us your views and, I am sure, others will do like wise.
Thanking you in advance for a positive response to my suggestion.

Endorsing Mr.Simhan's view, you must have you done some research on the subject and must have tried some techniques as you have expressed the doubt whether it is still relevant in current modern era. This enables the discussion to be more focussed rather than strayed. Any how, you need to work hard even to work smart.
B.Saikumar

I will give you a small example,

(1) An employee non-graduate can equally work like a graduate without feeling below dignity or any thing and he will not be sitting with his boss and cannot expose himself that he could do the job. Without laptop without any technology and olden days.

and

(2) Another person will be attended the same work, you can say qualified graduate or post graduate in a simple method, by getting it done through his sub-ordinates (contract labour / temporary workmen) and claims that he had completed the job. With new changed technology and with computers and with soft skills in present MNC. He will spare lot of time with his bosses and praise them and get appreciations, rewards etc.

1st one is called "hard work" and the later one is called smart work. Show put-up is the demand now-a-days. Even if we keep the interest of Company, cost control, ethics, the smart workers will not allow hard worker to grow in the present market condition.

This is my personal experience while working in 26 years in private sectors.

Regards====NV Subba Rao===

Dear Raghavaprasadnarayanan,
Many CEO's in America have not reached the top by working Smarter as experience by Subba Rao. Please read and digest the content at The Myth of Working Hard vs. Working Smart | Entrepreneur.com Please let us know your views.

Even going by the example of Mr.Subba Rao, you will be accountable for the quality of performance, meeting time lines,cost reduction by reducing wastage and numerous other compliances as they have all bearing on the brand image, performance and profits of the company. Unless you are some one who has thorough knowledge of the job which you can acquire only through hard work, you can run the risk of being taken for a ride by the contractors and temp.staff. Hence the saying that there are no short cuts to success.We can also say that there are no smart cuts to success.By working smart, you mean integrating technology into processes, then it is altogether a different subject. Therefore you need to be more forthcoming on the subject so as to enable the members to respond in right perspective.
B.Saikumar

Dear Raghav,
Let me explain you through the following two proverbs:
a) "knock the door till it opens"? Hard work is concentrating on the activity of knocking the doors. Smart work is choosing the right door.
b) "strike when the iron is hot". Hard work is waiting for the iron to become hot. Smart work is making iron hot and then striking it.
One more example is about hard working salesperson. He masters art of "how to handle objections of the customers". Smart salesperson prevents the objections!
Ok...
Dinesh Divekar

Dear Dinesh
you hit the nail on it's head to drive the point straight home.Very crisp presentation of the distinction in a nutshell.
B.Saikumar
HR & Labour law Advisor

Dear Raghav,

Let me express myself further to what all the learned members have beautifully said. Michael Moroney's article suggested by Mr.Simhan makes a wonderful reading on the topic and the examples cited by Mr.Dinesh makes it highly illustrative.To me, (of course not in an offending sense) your attempt without a research to post the query in the midst of availability of a sea of articles on the topic is an act of smartness! Pl leave it.Coming to the second part of your query about the relevance of the concepts of " working smart" and " hard working" in the modern era, the answer is in the article of Moroney itself.Hope you remember the mythological anacdote of Lords Ganesh and Muruga over the divine mango fruit.Muruga had a vehicle with a super-sonic speed which Ganesh did not.So he used his lateral thinking and asked the referee himself whether the parents would be the universe to their children, got the affirmative answer and finished the cicumambulation of his parents well before Muruga finished his cicumnavigation of the universe.So, every thing, transcendent of the barriers of time and other difficulties, depends upon one's perseverance, rapidity and accuracy. Here, perseverance refers to hard work and rapidity and accuracy to smartness.

I wonder why we are all very prompt in responding to "SMART" people, who are quite adept at raking our brains, without expressing their own views!! There are many hard working people who find answers and then seek help to improve their understanding. I wonder whether we who respond are "SMART" or "Hard workers"!!!