Dear Editor,
In December 2009 I had written your columns making the observation of how proactive the Trinidad & Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce was. In particular I made reference to Vol. 9 No. 3, 2009 of their Contact magazine in which was highlighted the theme Education: The Making of an Industry. Contributions to the topic included two articles:
a) Diversify the Economy Through Education; and
b) Towards a Strategic Partnership between Academia and the Private Sector
The foregoing reference was made at the time in relation to the published interaction between the newly appointed Chancellor of the University of Guyana and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in which the former was reported to have invited the private sector to contribute more to education, and the university in particular.
If only superficially there appeared to be a substantive differential in approach: that was between the explicit articulation of a strategy by the private sector of Trinidad & Tobago and the reactive under-stated position of the local counterpart representation. After more than eight months there has been no publicised initiative on the part of the latter.
Given this state of limbo, the reported interaction between the Chairman Emeritus of Ansa McAl Group of Companies, Dr Anthony Sabga of T&T, and our Private Sector Commission is a most welcome act of optimism, which must nevertheless be tempered with caution, in the sense that the Caribbean conglomerate represents a breadth of vision and a culture of energy and assertiveness that may not necessarily be compatible with our private sector’s relatively quiescent exhibition of corporate social responsibility.
The latter observation is linked, not irrelevantly, to an incomplete discourse on TV last Sunday, August 29, when an attempt was made to identify, amongst related human resources management issues, what could be capsulised as ‘indiscipline’ in the workforce, and involving customer relations.
However laudable would have been the attempt to identify endemic and inter-related problems, it was foreseeable that no conclusion could have been reached in terms of mapping a remedial action plan.
It was self-evident that since the topic of ‘discipline,’ which informs behaviours to both ‘internal’ and ‘external’ customers, was a problem that transcended the confines of individual entrepreneurs, there should be a more deliberate will to address its substance comprehensively by way of a private sector forum of relevant expertise, out of whose examination would emerge an actionable strategy.
In the process, the forum would have recognised that there were wider educational and social issues to be confronted; evaluated their responsibility and capacity to contribute to their mitigation; identified the relevant stakeholders with whom partnerships could be forged to achieve agreed objectives (if not having already included them in the analytical process); and also arrived at the realisation that the eventual strategy was more developmental than rehabilitative, and that the final outcomes would be of interest to overseas investors, perhaps moreso than locals already inured to our current human resources management and development limitations.
The PSC should therefore prepare itself (however belatedly) to emulate the winning ways of Ansa McAl, and to embrace a more dynamic business culture that is reflective of self-confidence, openness and trust.
And to return to ‘discipline,’ please indulge this final perspective of Jim Collins, author of the best-selling book titled Good to Great, the result of a comprehensive research study of the leading American companies, revealing the differences between the ‘good’ and the ‘great’ ones.
About a culture of discipline he writes: “All companies have a culture, some companies have discipline, but few companies have a culture of discipline. When you have disciplined people, you don’t need hierarchy. When you have disciplined thought, you don’t need bureaucracy. When you have a disciplined action, you don’t need excessive controls. When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great performance.”
Yours faithfully,
E B John
