Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Billy C Sichone
© Copy right 2005
Credits
“The Tiger woods theory of change” At one time, Woods decided to retrain
himself for two years and during that time, his performance dropped but
when he completed the workout, he played as no person has ever played
before! Professor Rebecca Henderson, Eastman Kodak LFM Professor, MIT lecture,
‘Stuck: Why it’s so hard to do new things in old organizations’ December 6 2007. This is
reinventing oneself!
2
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
“The book has been written in an analytical manner. It sets you thinking as
you read” Mr Kelvin Sovi, Human Resources Advisor, Mopani Group of
Companies, 2008.
3
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Foreword
This constitutes the external environment in which all companies and other
organisations in Zambia are located, raising questions about the kind of
leadership that can inspire confidence and engender optimum organisational
– and personal – performance in such uncertain times.
The Strategic Horizon: Being the Need of the Times by Dr. Billy Sichone
could not have come at a more opportune moment. It rises to face up to these
uncertainties, appropriately sub-titled ‘being the need of the times’. Indeed,
given the changes and uncertainties I have pointed out above – most of them
associated with globalisation – it is incumbent upon business entities and
other organisations to exercise ‘strategic’ thinking and planning.
But Dr. Sichone does not end at describing what makes for a strategic
thinker and doer. He goes further. He problematises the notion of strategic
thinking and management, questioning its assumed universal relevance and
applicability. It is here that his contributions assume a scholarly and
academic patina. As such, Strategic Horizon makes a significant contribution
to the growing body of academic and professional knowledge on strategic
management and leadership. It is evident that literature in this field has been
undergoing nothing short of a revolution. As I have suggested, even the very
notion of ‘strategy’ is in flux, often questioned by the more constructivist
approaches to management and leadership, such as ‘African leadership’ or
ubuntu.
4
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Dr. Sichone – through this book – helps us to meander the key concepts and
principles that underlie strategic issues. His case studies, applicable to the
Zambian context as they are, make this book truly relevant. Indeed, his case
studies of personalities involved in strategic reasoning and performance
altogether enliven this book, making it a pleasurable read.
5
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Preface
For a number of years, Zambia has firmly lain in the poverty clutches as
though doomed to permanently dwell there. In a sense this perception is true
but in another, it is a serious case of poor planning and implementation on
the part of all concerned. In short, Zambia has had very poor strategy. Sadly,
this poor strategic vision does not only remain at the personal but tragically
at the domestic that ultimately manifests at the National level.
It has been this author’s settled and firm conviction over many years that
once the strategic processes are appreciated and internalised by a critical
mass of Zambians both at individual and national level, then the nation will
have begun to emancipate her self from all the apparent chronic ills that have
hitherto buffeted her. This holds true for the entire African continent and the
third world/developing countries globally. The rationale is that once we
realize our potential and pragmatically act on it, then we shall be able to see
what we have in our hands and prudently exploit it to surmount all odds. The
Zambian context is a playground of a primarily defective and crippled
mindset. It is therefore the battle of the mind which, once rectified will be
the great engine driving our strategies to the Promised Land flowing and
teeming with milk and honey. A mental regeneration is the desperate need of
the times. There is need to begin inculcating this correct entrepreneurial,
patriotic mindset to the next generation right from infancy, yea, at nursery
level, as it were.
With the advent of the sweeping liberalised market economy to Zambia and
beyond, in the full globalization sunlight, strategy is a must for every
individual and entity. In addition, it has become apparent that as a nation, we
have sufficient professionals who have “down loaded” knowledge from the
developed world and should now show case by pragmatically implementing
their prowess on the local scene. Sadly, many end at being excellent
analysts but scandalously poor implementers. A cursory look at our
6
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
This book attempts to trace the root causes and lay down principles to
remedy the many great ideas’ still born births. This is done in a number of
ways by first giving a general over view, definition of terms while referring
to real life situations on the Zambian scene. As scenario after scenario is
painted, the book constantly applies the lessons to the individual’s life or
better still, the nation. Pictures and diagrams have been included to further
enhance the presentation quality and clarity. I am fully conscious that my
back ground orientation has taken its toll on my perception but hope the laid
down principles maintain the desired objectivity.
To that end then, I recommend this book to your perusal and see what
becomes of you after wards!
20.12.2006
Mongu
Zambia
∪
Refer to The Post article, ‘Noble obligation’ dated August 5th 2007, pp X which displays how paltry their
credentials are, no wonder they fail to articulate issues in Parliament! Sadly, sometimes, the very educated
prove to be the worst culprits!
7
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Acknowledgement
Had individuals and firms not sacrificed to finance this project, everything
would have remained a pipe dream. Special thanks to all who generously
contributed. They know themselves and deserve to know that theirs was a
noble task. In many ways than one, this book is a product of at least three
Provinces, the Southern (Sinazongwe), the Western (Mongu) and the
Northern (Mpika). It was whilst labouring in these venerable locations that
this book idea was hatched, developed and completed. Hats off to natives of
these mentioned Provinces. I sincerely thank everyone for their matchless
support.
Most of all, I salute my ever supportive wife and daughter, Jane and
Zevyanji through out the labours.
8
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Nasalifya
9
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Contents
ACRONYMS ...................................................................................................................................... 12
PROLOGUE ....................................................................................................................................... 14
INTRODUCTION TO THE STRATEGIC WORLD ....................................................................................... 16
STRATEGY OVER VIEW ...................................................................................................................... 23
STRATEGY, ITS NATURE AND DEFINITION........................................................................................... 33
MICROSCOPIC VIEW OF STRATEGY TACTICS ....................................................................................... 55
THE WINNING ORGANISATION .......................................................................................................... 77
CORPORATE OBESITY ........................................................................................................................ 96
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................... 104
THE UNIVERSAL CORPORATE PANACEA ........................................................................................... 108
REASONS FOR TQM FAILURE ........................................................................................................... 119
STRATEGY, ITS NECESSITY ............................................................................................................... 128
BILL GATES & MICROSOFT .............................................................................................................. 130
THE MANAGER AS A STRATEGIST..................................................................................................... 144
DEVELOPING STRATEGIC INSTINCTS ................................................................................................. 174
DEVELOPING STRATEGIC INSTINCTS PART II: IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES ...................................... 220
IN BUSINESS, CARE MUST BE TAKEN NOT TO REACT BY SRC AS VARIOUS DIFFERENT CUSTOMS; TASTES
AND CULTURES EXIST IN THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS. ................................................................. 233
PEOPLE MANAGEMENT................................................................................................................... 290
REASONS WHY EMPLOYEES LEAVE .................................................................................................. 374
DIRECTORS/CEO ............................................................................................................................. 377
STRATEGIC BENEFITS....................................................................................................................... 392
STRATEGIC EFFECTS ........................................................................................................................ 406
STRATEGY CHALLENGES .................................................................................................................. 420
STRATEGY IN FUTURE ..................................................................................................................... 427
APPENDICES ................................................................................................................................... 435
GLOBALIZATION AND STANDARDS .................................................................................................. 462
INDEX............................................................................................................................................. 466
BRIEF GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................................. 471
GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................ 474
10
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
11
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Acronyms
12
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
13
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Prologue
Hello!
The outside environment is clean. In fact, Ottawa is the cleanest city I have
come across so far. I was dumbfounded when I saw a machine picking up
litter on the lawns! Talk about automation in the cafeteria and University
bookstore or shops. Just use the University Card. It is like your Standard
Chartered Bank Money link card. Well, I can "swipe" it for all sorts of
things. I do not need cash. Swipe it for breakfast, lunch, laundry, T-shirts,
books and a coke in the tunnels!
Lecture Rooms. Computers and "telegraphic" screens all over. Art galleries
with powerful sound systems. Rooms with voicemail Phones. Continuous
warm water for a shower and water closets which remove issues within 2
seconds and refills within 10-15 seconds! I remember back home that
∅
“Pound” is a slang word for “serious study” of pulp, books etc, often used in Zambian academic circles
especially at UNZA
14
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
sometimes normal flushing does not work. Two or three additional buckets
from the tub does the trick!
Road safety. Respect for pedestrians; this is real here. A car stopping for
you to pass. No Kaponya≠ to harass you when getting in a bus or train. No
need for Kaponyas or conductors. Automated purchase of tickets. No one to
check. No cheats. Want to be smart? Big brother camera may catch up with
you!
Imagine bringing 100 typical muntus here. It would be Chaos! When I was
coming to the Lusaka Airport, I was irritated by this guy in front of us who
kept throwing banana peels out from his vehicle.
We have a lot to learn from these guys as much as they have a lot to learn
from our religion. Performance Audit is good. Experiencing it in September
may not be that pleasant. Namuso is certainly our focus now. At least in the
next five years. Your performance will set the pace for other Canadian
programs as well as other ADP∧s country wide. All the best!
Chikondi
_____________________________________________________________
____
Author: Chikondi Phiri 2002, Canada
≠
Kaponya is a call boy who patronizes bus stations, traffic lights selling different kinds of wares thus the
phrase ‘Kuponya’
∧
“ADP” stands for Area Development Program. These are World Vision’s large scale development
programs dotted around the country. An average program, runs for between 10 to 15 years.
15
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter one
16
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
In short, no one can avoid the use of or reference to the word “Strategy”, for
we frequently use this word. Some examples include how we plan our days,
weeks, months and years. How do we arrive at those schedules? Isn’t it
because we intend to achieve something in a particular time frame? most
probably. What about those successful neighbours and companies next door,
how have they made it and continue to? The less exposed mind is prone to
think that either superstition or corruption is at play. A close analysis of the
said entities may reveal far much more than meets the eye. In some
instances, none of the above adverse opinions hold water. The secret lies in
the Strategies engaged at any given time.
For instance, some companies like the Meridien BIAOξ have flamboyantly
graced the banking horizon by suddenly offering unequalled super quality
products or services, expanded at phenomenal rates and suddenly fizzled out
into oblivion after making a splendid show. During the expansion period, the
said “super entities” have far outstripped the traditional, conventional and
somewhat conservative banks for a season. On the other hand, the traditional
banks have either felt threatened, reacted or simply remained unwaveringly
stuck to the seasoned ancient paths waiting for the storm to pass. Thus, they
have maintained a stable base despite the odds. In some cases however, the
rigid and bureaucratic organisations have been terribly under cut and fallen
by the way side. In all the scenarios painted above, what exactly has been
the silver bullet in the times of success? Consider the advert below, does it
ring a bell?
ξ
Refer to the Post Newspaper of 3rd and 4th November 2004 for more insight into the Bank, Andrew
Sardanis gives all the background details behind the collapse of the said Bank.
17
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
A famous and familiar advert of the now defunct Bank in the April 1993
Profit Magazine # 1/11
In another case, confirmed paupers in one day have turned tycoons the next.
In this dramatic scenario, some remain puzzled spectators at what has
happened while others read the times, imitate and quickly progress by leaps
and bounds into the corporate hall of fame. They have, as it were, curved
their own unique path to success having meticulously watched the
neighbour’s example. This theory can equally be applied to the area of
studies as well. While those who previously made rapid academic progress
without much ado are resting on their laurels, others have spent sleepless
nights in the libraries despite repeatedly failing exams conduct self analysis
scans and chisel out new successful routes while perfecting the past. Before
the lax Kalulu (hare) wakes up, the tortoise will have long crossed the
finishing line and progressed to something else.
18
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
χ
Source: Estimation by author as at 2002/2003
∠
Refer to Dr Simeo Siame’s insightful article, “Development & Leadership” The Post, August 5, 2007, pp
VI
⋅
Mr Hakainde Hichilema, 2006
⊗
New African Magazine, March 2005 issue, letters section.
19
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
It is hoped that your journey into the strategy tunnel will be worthwhile as
we explore various routes together. Always remember, that this text is only
but a guide and does not possess a magical solution to all the woes that
affect you as an individual or organisation. Etching an appropriate best
fitting strategy takes time, much more the managing and curving of a unique
niche.
To that end then, we welcome you to the vast and stimulating world of
Strategy.
======================================================
Bibliography
Wisconsin New York, New York San Francisco, California St. Louis,
Missouri
2, 2004
195
20
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Hielema Sydney, “Every tribe, language, people, and nation”, Pro Rege
Langdon Ken & Bruce Andy, Strategic thinking, Dorling Kindersley, 2000
Siame Exhilda, “America is not the beauty and splendour seen in the
1998 issue pp 17
21
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
& Publishing
22
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter two
23
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
immediately begin to work in order to eke a unique path for themselves. Put
differently, “strategy” in post-modern day parlance has assumed a more
general usage though the principle remains the same. Note that, a strategy is
both reactive and proactive in scope and design. Another point worth noting
is that strategy, like other processes, is a journey not a destination. It is
achieved by small but well calculated progressive steps.
But what constitutes a strategy? How can one be formulated and sustained
so that the entity is constantly above board? Admittedly, it is difficult to give
the answer in capsule form but a number of considerations will be handy at
this stage. The first thing that must be clear in the strategic person’s mind is
to establish what the prevailing situation is as well as the desired haven. In
doing this, the entity performs some kind of scan and research into what is
obtaining and then respond by applying the best reactive strategy to the
current while in the same breath formulating the long term strategy that
curves out a unique niche, practically inimitable by rivals. This calls for
brutal honesty. The short-term reaction is meant to mitigate immediate
impact from the outside while the long-term plan is meant to turbo the entity
to higher orbs. For instance, if a person wants to excel in the upcoming
examinations, they first assess their current performance status measured
against the accepted standard then proceed to rectify the immediate root
causes for the dismal performance while aiming at the final exam as a long-
term goal. The immediate reaction serves as a basis of self-evaluation via
tests and attempting relevant past examination questions. As for the long-
term strategy, the student summons more materials, links up with other
students, studies more, attempts past question papers, and perhaps even
engages in extra lessons in certain courses or subjects they may be weak in.
In that way, they are aiming for the ‘big one’ at the end of the semester or
year as the case may be. Often times, brilliant students fail to excel as
expected because they tend to focus on the present only rather than the
distant future as well. For instance, they do not see the need for extra lessons
or attempting past exam papers. Ideally, the papers are for examination
preparation purposes. Perhaps that explains why very few geniuses reach
professorship level as they easily get bored along the way or rest on their
laurels, no longer disciplined to settle for back wrecking strenuous study.
The weaker students on the other hand tend to be apprehensive and embark
on serious preparations long before the exam dates so that they are
adequately prepared. Another pitfall for brilliant students is that they are not
very focused because they do not know what exactly their core competence
is. Since they are multitalented, they do not focus on ‘one thing’ at a time.
24
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
In addition to a deep felt need to change, the entity must then carry out an
environmental scan where it evaluates the environment in which the
organization operates to identify both the present and future strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats that confront the entity. In that way,
the organization establishes exactly what is happening round about, the
trends and the possible strategic futures the organization finds itself in. This
SWOT analysis takes time, concerted effort, cohesive, active and observant
team work. A good database is key. The captured data is stored for present
and future analysis. This environmental scan is divided into three parts,
namely:
25
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
are taken care of, their performance, motivation levels and whether
they voluntarily continue exerting themselves at all times. Most
organizations, whether large or small, unfortunately fail at this point.
The smaller entities suffer from interference, chronic cash flow
problems, weak employee management policies, and unclear
procedures among many. The Larger organizations on the other hand,
suffer from bureaucracy, impersonal approach, are generally top
heavy and too slow in responding to the individual staff needs.
Usually, hierarchies hinder rather than foster a sense of belonging or
impede warm teamwork culture evolution. In other words, the Human
Resources (HR) unit among many things, should have a professional
function of hiring the best known quantities, motivate and ensure
people are nurtured from mere blunt wood pieces into swords,
demonstrate confidence in people by encouraging them, manage talent
and offer a buffer zone for safety. Unfortunately what obtains often in
these functionary offices is that the HR is merely an entry and exit
point for people. Despite the importance of the HR function, the
department is not given due recognition, especially in technological
organisations. This is the case World over. In other words, the HR
department is a point where one gets into the organization, diffuse
within the entity akin to one entering large countries like the United
States, where they instantly vanish into the crowded concrete jungles!
In many cases, people look up to the HR for only pay rises or other
necessary staff benefits. Apart from that, they would rather keep as far
away as possible from that function. Once they enter the organization,
they disappear into the crowd only to be fished out when their job is
on the line. That is what obtains in many companies today rather than
spending more time looking out to hire the best talent while satisfying
the present employees. The other function is that HR should tactfully
develop various employee strengths and then put them in the right
positions akin to what an ideal coach does in a football team. Former
Chelsea coach, Mourinho was a legendary guy. He knew his team
well and enthused the club towards repeated success. As far as he was
concerned, his team was the best in the world and that paid off. Put
differently, there should be a cordial atmosphere where HR and staff
relate in the best interest of the organization. But that’s not all in terms
of the internal environment analysis, the other area to be meticulously
watched should be the marketing side. Are the right people in place?
Are the internal customers (employees) satisfied to the point of
voluntarily marketing the organization? What about the organization
26
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
27
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
wonders whether it was blind loyalty turned sour at job loss. That
notwithstanding, operational analysis extends to the staff position reviews to
come up with the best structures able to efficiently deliver in the given
environment. For instance, one of the areas to be evaluated will be the
efficiency with which the organization transacts with suppliers, how much
swifter the organization is in relation to its competitors in the same market as
well as how well the customer is catered for and continually satisfied.
Operations, in many a company is the core business of the organization and
dares not be slothful or naïve with the rapid environmental changes taking
place. Put differently, in evaluating the operations, we seek to answer the
questions “Are we delivering the goods on time?” Further, “are we doing it
efficiently and effectively to the satisfaction of our customers?” For it is one
thing to be busy working away and it is quite another to work and hit the
target at the right quality and time. An ideal corporate structure is key.
28
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
at all costs still. Thus, the firm must of necessity undertake a regular self
review so as to strategically position itself in the right place.
That general over view of the Environmental analysis suffices for our
purpose, we now proceed to consider the third aspect of strategic building
blocks as laid out in the ensuing paragraph.
Having realised the necessity of strategic change and carried out a scan, the
corporation establishes direction. The firm must know where it has been,
where it is and where it is going lest it tumbles over a precipice. It is crucial
to know the direction and set benchmarks that will indicate where the
organization is headed at any given point. In other words, the organization
closely follows the wind vane and responds accordingly at full throttle. In
arriving at an organizational direction, three ingredients are commonly used
to establish the way namely: Vision, Mission and Objectives. We attempt to
unpack each of these ingredients as we clear the path, though briefly.
a. Vision- this is desired outcome viewed from the present podium. In
other words, the organization states it goals, its direction in more
general terms. The question asked is “What do we want to create?” If
the desired haven is stated clearly, the organization begins to fashion
all its members towards that goal so that the objective is achieved
without much ado. For instance, if the organization desires to produce
quality goods and services, it will ensure all the delivery systems
guarantee quality results. Usually, the organizational dream is arrived
at after much brain storming by all concerned and then the strategic
management team refines the vision statement as well as make sure all
the essential gadgets are put in place to ensure the vision is kept alive.
One of the characteristics of a good vision is that it is realistic,
forward looking and not time bound but on going. Remember, this is a
perpetual dream.
b. Mission- The mission is derived from the vision and is a more refined
and elaborate statement of purpose. At the Mission statement level,
the main question asked is “What is the purpose for the organizations’
existence?” In other words, the organization seeks to justify its
existence and at the same time declares its real identity to the world.
At this stage, the organization states its location, core values and the
market in which it seeks to effectively operate.
c. Objectives- the organization, having stated the vision and mission
statement then formulates its objectives. Objectives are specific
targets to which the organization directs its efforts. Lack of having
29
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
objectives weakens not a few organizations because they shoot far and
wide off range without the faintest clue that they are wasting their
bullets! Objectives have a sobering effect in that they help the
organization to stay focused and on course.
30
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
informal setting where all the titles are laid aside and every idea, no
matter how crazy, is put on the table. A question could be posed and
deliberated upon while points are recorded. From these notes, the
strategic team will get a feel of what and where people are. After the
session, the said contest could be instituted with an attractive prize
promised for the best vision or mission statement. After the contest is
over the strategic team shortlists the best ten for instance and brings them
to the brain storming session once again without further debate. At this
stage, the names of authors are with held so that objectivity can reign.
After the best is selected, the SMT takes the best composition and refines
it and then reward the winner. In this way, a Vision and Mission
statement can be synthesized. This is but one of the many ways to setting
a direction, bearing in mind the outside dynamic environment.
We trust this basic over view gives a bird’s eye view of the entire
strategy landscape. We have much ground to cover together but it is
worth it none the less. In the next chapter, we define terms so that we
have a common understanding right across the book. Much wisdom is
encased in the subsequent chapters but only appropriated by reading
through the text.
======================================================
Bibliography
Banking world October 1992
Bower, Bartlett, Uyerterhoeven, and Walter, Business Policy: Managing
Strategic Processes, 8th Edition, Richard D. Irwin
Certo C. Samuel & Peter Paul J., The strategic Management process, Austen
Press/Irwin, 3rd edition, 1995
31
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Mishler Lon & Cole Robert, Consumer & Business Credit management,
McGraw-Hill, Boston, Massachusetts, New York, 1998
32
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter three
x
Definition supplied by author.
33
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
y
Another person has defined strategy as “…plans towards an intended end”z.
“Strategy bridges the gap between policy and tactics” says Fred Nickols. It is
drawn from a Greek word “Strategia” denoting “general ship”. In other
words, these are proposed avenues towards a desired destination. In strategy
talk, the question asked is: “Where do we want to be in X years time?” and
“If we are to arrive at our target by the Xth year, how are we to get there?
What steps shall we begin taking now in order to get there?” In a nutshell,
strategy primarily concerns itself with what is ahead, looking at where you
are going, and how best to get there. It is equally true that short term
strategies may be used to correct a situation but in its general usage, strategy
is forward looking.
We can once again safely reassert that strategies are derived from the word
“Strategy” or “Strategos” refers to the “Art of the General” as highlighted by
that strategy guru, Dr Bill Cohen in his legendary book, “The Art of the
Strategist”←. According to John L Thompson, strategy is “the means by
which organisations meet, or seek to meet objectives. There can be a
strategy for each product or service, and an overall strategy for the
organisation.” ÷ Perhaps a brief historical perspective of Strategy is fitting at
this stage. As earlier intimated, the word “Strategy” was originally
exclusively used in military circles as they planned combat on how best to
outwit their enemies. Among many things, this involved the meticulous
study and analysis of the enemy manoeuvres, their strengths and capabilities.
Having mastered and known the enemy fairly well, the military then crafted
plans countering the enemy sleights gaining superiority in the short and long
run. Over time, the word took on a more general tone as it was adopted in
the business world in relation to the highly competitive business
environment. Today however, the word has a universal application in all
spheres of human endeavour. Andy Bruce and Ken Langdon in their book
“Strategic thinking” have excellently captured the historical aspect when
they stated that “Strategy was once defined as the art of planning and
directing large military movements and operations of war” ♠
A diagram best summarises strategy:
y
Andy Bruce & Ken Langdon, “Strategic Thinking” pp 6
z
Anonymous
←
pp10
÷
John L Thompson Preface PP X “Strategic Management, awareness and change”
♠
Andy Bruce and Ken Langdon “Strategic thinking” pp6 Dorling Kindersley 2000, London, New York,
Sydney, Delhi, Paris, Munich & Johannesburg
34
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Strategies
In practical terms, strategy takes various shades and shapes but the principle
is to get ahead of competitors or remedy an immediate crisis. For instance,
1992 signalled the rapid change over of the Zambian economic structure
from a strong command economy to a liberalised modern environment as the
economic flood gates suddenly flung open, nay the dam wall collapsed and
water gushed out with a mighty force, what a disaster down stream! It
caused serious untold destruction down stream!
The side holding back the water The other side of the wall
The Kariba Dam wall holding back millions of gallons of water daily for the
past 50+ years
The unblocked economic valve and sudden economic change over was
unexpectedly too over-whelming and caught myriads unawares. Those that
anticipated the dynamic changes that would ensue as a result of opening up
the economy prepared well long in advance. The drastic economic mutation
whirlwind flattened many uncompetitive parastatals that were obese, torpid,
flaccid, inflexible, bureaucratic, top heavy and rigidly slothful. The
relatively more fluid entities free from the archaic management tendencies
35
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
made super profits for a season. Their honeymoon was however short lived
because the hefty multinational investors soon arrived on the scene with
their often superior quality products and services which were often better
and cheaper than the locally manufactured brands. To remain buoyant then
required a different strategy. At that stage, we saw “the separation of the
men from the boys” as an old adage goes. Some of the rapid liberalisation
ramifications included the rapid closure of many defunct parastatal and
private firms, the rise or fall of many banks, massive job losses due to
privatisation, high inflationary trends as well as high unemployment levels.
Although these were adverse situations, the smart strategic eye saw and
seized opportunity after opportunity come and pass by. That explains why
some people today are astonishingly filthy rich while the vast majority of
Zambians needlessly still wallow in abject poverty from that era. Strategy
made the difference. Perhaps our children will be better prepared in future as
the worst is now hopefully behind us.
A strategic entity is one that sees the star of Bethlehem and swiftly pulls
together towards that end. Indeed, it galvanizes, and efficiently gravitates
towards the star. In other words, the leaders at strategic level do not float
around in isolated unique orbits but sensitise every one on board to take a
look at the brazen serpent where life is (Numbers 21:9; John 3:14). The star
of Bethlehem (Matthew 2:2) moves as they diligently pursue it until it stops
at the desired haven, although strategy is a means to an end, not the end in
itself. As some have aptly quipped, strategy is a journey not a destination.
That unique star is a guiding principle that captures every ones’ attention,
radiates hope and causes people to reach out for it. Once the people see the
shared star of life, they do not idly sit around and wonder but rather,
promptly pick up their bags and swiftly move, for day light fast approaches
when the star will not be visible to the naked eye. Only a wholly strategic
entity ensures that the internal customers (teams) collectively see the star,
identify with it, buy in and at once pursue it with all due diligence, vigilance,
resilience, resolve, pathos, passion, fortitude and determination. For the
people to reach such a conviction, they must first seriously and consciously
buy into the star idea, believe it will lead them to the gold mine and come
away having procured and stashed away the long sought after gemstone. The
strategist does not take any step unless his/her strategic instincts clearly
indicate that the pillar and cloud have moved (Numbers 9:22).
36
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Principles of Management
∂
Thompson PP X
37
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Below are some practical management principles that apply for all
organizations from a renowned World Vision Management guru:
2. Get all the facts before making decisions: do not make assumptions based
on rumour. Rumours are usually wrong.
6. Pay attention to the news media or it will drive your agenda in ways that
may not be helpful.
7. While good process is important, what ultimately counts is getting the job
done. Process should generally be subordinated to policy and task
completion, not drive it.
9. Public policy most often fails at the implementation stage. The devil is
usually in the details.
38
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
11. Use the chain of command. I will too, for decision and action. For
information only, I may not. I will randomly call people for information
outside the chain.
12. I have an open door policy. I will not shoot the messenger of bad news.
13. If you hire the right people, other organizational problems will
disappear. If you don't hire carefully, your problems will multiply
regardless of the organizational structure.
14. Keep simple your programs, structure, and processes for doing business.
Excessive complexity leads to confusion, paralysis, and muddle.
15. Focus on a few clearly defined and achievable objectives and drive the
organization to achieve them. Do not change them constantly or select an
excessive number or your subordinates will get confused and the
organization will wander.
Further, the Human Resources department (HR) has the duty to create a
conducive environment where people freely float around safely within the
organisation as they do their work, build capacity and progress in their
39
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
careers. Sadly, many HR departments are only used as entry and exit points
in many organisations. Once people get in, they vanish into the crowd unless
they are on their way out, processing their leave forms, payroll queries, loan
negotiating or sponsorship lobbying. Many organisations suffer high staff
turn over partly because the employees do not see a future for themselves.
They do not receive any kind of motivation or accolades from the significant
others and as such look for the earliest exit out of the entity. The sooner the
human resources issue is sorted out, the lower the staff turnover rate. In a
sense, the HR makes or wrecks the organisation. One seasoned retired HR
practitioner recounts how he often was at daggers drawn with the CEO as
regards staff motivation and retention and yet when faced with a strike, the
said HR manager was always put in the “frontline” to bite the bullets on
behalf of management. The “Fall of Quest” case on the website below is
instructive and makes interesting reading. It simply highlights the potency of
the HR function:
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/case/casequest.html
But other issues exist in Management as well. These include the aspect of
managing financial and other resources such as corporate image, brand
names and ensuring quality standards are adhered to. One of the key
elements that help an organisation operate well is proper internal controls.
Where inadequate or weak controls exist, there you see a proliferation of
problems where operatives are repeatedly dealing with the same recurrent
problems. Further, weak internal controls also suggest potential trouble to
auditors. The author once worked as an Accountant and recalls just how
strong and good internal controls made a world of a difference as they
regulated the use of resources as intended thereby minimising abuse.
40
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Strategy types℘
These emergent strategies are employed when the organisation faces new
and unforeseen environmental changes. Mutations are inevitable as the
entity ignores them at its own peril. The said strategy modifications are
developed while the intentional strategy implementation is already in
motion. This presupposes that there is already a strategy in place being
pursued but due to the rapid environmental dynamism, it becomes necessary
to amend or in some extreme cases mutate the whole strategy so that the
organisation keeps on the success trail. After a meticulous surveillance of
℘
Sttrategy can be studied and viewed in atleast threee ways as Professor Arnold Hax has ably shown; He
synthesisezs them as 1. The Competitive strategy view that focuses on the industry (Porter), 2. The
Resource based view which focuses on the corporation and the Dealta mdel that focuses on the extended
enterprise.
41
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
the environment, the organization concludes that the once potent strategy is
obsolete and diligently makes the necessary changes. Emergent strategies
are in one sense reactionary but in another proactive pointing to the same
strategic future while maintaining the same overall goal.
It means therefore that the organisation must not be one track minded but
single minded. It further entails that the organisation must not be
destructively rigid but be lean, fluid and ready to frequently rapidly mutate.
On an individual level, the same principles apply except that the person
frequently makes the final decision independently, with a little or no advice
from friends and folks. In the developed world, a person makes hundreds of
decisions in a day whereas the person in the middle of the Kalahari Desert
(South West Africa) hardly makes any major decision for weeks on end
while one makes myriad of decisions due to the fast paced advanced life, the
other can afford to go to sleep with one major decision per month. A classic
example is that exhibited in the movie “The gods must be crazy” that hit the
screens in the nineteen nineties. The said film aptly depicts different life
paces between Africa and the USA, what a stark difference!
That said, the organisation ensures that it only mutates in its processes when
smoothening the way business is done lest it runs the risk of not having a
strong resonating image. In other words, an organisation must be known and
Λ
Refer to the ACCA study text “Professional paper 12, Management and strategy” of July 1996 pp28
42
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Often times, many of us think that the possibility of rising from scratch to
financial prominence belongs to the fairy tales era. Secretly, we harbour
strong reservations about the probability of sudden or even progressive
success. We think that is next to zero. But case after case presents itself here
in Zambia, not only from the famous “land of opportunity” (USA). Most of
us figure that one either inherits wealth or is luckily positioned on
prosperity’s path. Others think theft and clandestine activities only lead the
way in modern Zambia. If any one is rich, we stigmatise them with Satanism
or slander them making people believe that the rich have pulled illegal quick
ones. Be that as it may, wealth is not always associated with luck, trickery or
some clandestine activity.
Consider the case of Mr Constain Chilala, the grand farmer in the Mkushi
block. Today, the man is perhaps the wealthiest Zambian alive and yet going
back into his profile reveals that the man has scored success after success
from scratch. His risk taking antics have repeatedly paid dividends for him
and his. Oral tradition has it that Mr Chilala hails from a polygamous family
where his relatively wealthy father owned cattle and some properties. The
man (Chilala senior) made sure that his progeny learnt survival skills early
in life and went away equipped to face the world and conquer what ever
odds would confront them. Constain enrolled to study a degree in
Agriculture at the University of Zambia but did not complete. Instead, he
determined to start up his own farm from scratch. With the little acquired
knowledge, he launched out. People thought him crazy and cried him down
given that a semi graduate those days had next to automatic employment and
subsequent rapid ascendance up the corporate ladder. Thus he was a hot cake
43
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
but Chilala forsook all that and fixed his gaze on applying himself to the
limit. Having no land of his own, he negotiated with his father and settled on
one of his father’s two farms. Later, the man decided to emigrate northwards
to the Mkushi farming block which was an almost all white farming region.
He bought a small piece of land and commenced cultivating using a
borrowed dilapidated old tractor from his father. As years rolled by, the man
prospered and bought surrounding plots of land, in keeping with the annual
increased acreage cultivated. This trend continued year after year to this date
despite the hard and difficult years he contended with at every turn. He
persevered through them all and this explains his present affluence.
Year 23 etc
Year 13
Year 8
Year 2
Year 1
Today, the man is by far the most powerful and influential business man in
the country though he still feverishly works like a slave to sustainably
generate more wealth. It is said for instance that he determines the market
price of certain farm products, arising from his acquired multiple economies
of scale. This trend has irked many in the business, but then, what is a
market economy for? When one first meets the rather simple looking gentle
man on the street, one scarcely notices him as the famous magnate. For
another thing, Chilala has maintained the iron discipline of steady hard work
and ensures he passes on the mantle to the next generation. Idle time is a
luxury and as such, the man is entirely devoted to his vocation to the
exclusion of all other temptations such as jumping onto the political band
44
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
wagon that is so common in these degenerate days once some one has a little
more cash above average. There is no stopping Mr Chilala from ascending to
higher heights today or tomorrow. Let us take a leaf and seriously consider
farming as a business while we are still young and energetic. Its not magic,
but resolute hard persevering work that ultimately carries the day.
Strategy levels
Strategy often takes place at different levels on the industry. Each path taken
has its own attendant pros and cons. Some strategies encompass the entire
organisational goals while others are departmental. Although it can be
argued that strategy, in its essential nature, is the same, it is however
necessary to further smoothen the strands so that we can streamline and
follow through. Below are the strategy level strands:
• Corporate level. This refers to the umbrella strategy that the entire
corporation adheres to. This strategy gives the direction, pace and
routes to be pursued by the entire corporation where ever it has
spread its tentacles, at national, international or global levels. This
also means that all sub strategies fit into this one main strategy, what
ever their objectives. In other words, when the various operatives are
crafting their sub strategies for their departments, they must be
cognizant of the overall goal and dare not make any plans at variance
with the ones the organisation has established as its beaten path for
that particular period. In a nutshell, the corporate strategy is the over
arching scheme that the entity resolves to pursue in the quest to hit
the bull’s eye, as it were.
• Business level: This refers to the strategies developed to ensure a
particular business line is effectively pursued. This business strategy
includes the product, service or market chosen for business. By
implication, the strategy dictates what business an entity engages in
or not. As earlier intimated, this strategy is derived from the corporate
and must thus fit into the overall strategy like hand in glove.
45
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Strategic approaches
Strategies are many and varied depending on the issue at hand and the
implementation pace. A number of schools of thought present themselves
but two come out prominently at this stage. These are the traditional and the
dynamic strategies. The traditional is one that includes industry structure
analysis, fixed strategies that assume the environment is stable. The dynamic
or strategy innovation as called by others (e.g. Gary Hamel) is the approach
where the environment is perceived as extremely turbulent, uncertain,
unstable, rapidly dynamic needing continuously mutating strategies that fit
in with the changing scenes. This approach to strategic planning is fast
taking over the now dim traditional approach.
In terms of the strategy types, the short and long term strategies immediately
present themselves. The short-term strategies are those that are for the short
period of time and usually are designed to remedy an immediate need in
order to pave way for the longer-term. Put differently, the short term
strategies are somewhat preparatory or correctional to bring things under
control in order to lay ground for the long term. For instance, when fire guts
a building, the short-term remedy is to rescue any people trapped in the
building, administer first aid while extinguishing the fire before it spreads to
other buildings. The long run strategy is to install fire preventive utilities
such as smoke detectors, extinguishers and asbestos walls wherever possible.
In addition, you could sensitise the community about the ravaging effects of
fire and cost implications. From the above description, it is clear that the first
is immediate but the second scenario is preventive and proactive. Similarly,
in all areas of the entity’s life, there must be short-term strategies that deal
with the issues as they arise. In a business, when the entity realises that it is
losing market in its once dominant sector, what will it do? The short-term
strategies include applying rapid remedial actions that plug further market
loss such as price changes, or promotions. What the price strategy does is to
46
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
under cut the rivals who may not have as sound a financial base as the
company in question and thus arrest further losses. This has been evident in
the Cell phone business in Zambia where the Zamtel’s Cell Z launched their
unique products and services such as per second billing. Initially, this caused
quite a stir in the industry and naturally people begun reverting to the ‘old
faithful’. For a season, the other competitors cried foul over unfair
competition. It was not long however, before the others retaliated with the
same imitated product offering and even added more features to the said
product. As though that were not enough, they introduced new features that
for a season outwitted the Cell Z. Note that some of those products were not
long term but were meant to sort out an immediate problem.
On the other hand, long-term strategies focus on where the entity ultimately
wants to be, say ten or fifteen years hence. The company, having carried out
a self-SWOT analysis, establishes its core competence begins to work
toward the desired position. In other words, long-term strategies are as
equally crucial only that they are designed to be arrived at by little strides
that add value to the organisation. For instance, one of the long-term
strategies would be to curve out a unique niche, high quality products or
hiring the right human resource. The organisation ensures its internal
customers are satisfied, conditions improved and processes perfected from
within whilst remaining a learning and lean organisation. This position takes
time as the team building antics evolve over time.
The processes towards the desired end take various shades but the following
are some steps for the long term goal planning:
a. Perform a self evaluation/audit using internal and external,
independent and objective evaluators. The internal evaluation should
be first done followed by the external, the benchmark being the
organisation policies, standards and mission statements (A log frame
will be handy in the case of projects). Among the enquiries to be
answered at that stage is whether the organisation is properly aligned
and in keeping with the overall organisational objectives. This
exercise may be expensive but worth the while.
b. Once the true position is established, the evaluation results are
digested, compared, harmonised and recommendations taken note of.
This can be done in different ways such as staff meetings or via the
internal communication channels that include e-mail, LAN or public
notice boards. During those meetings, people are encouraged to
respond to the findings, corporately brainstorm and together chisel out
47
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Redesign Evaluation
Strategy crafting
[ ]
2 years cycle
Implementation and monitoring Proceed
Proposed strategy cycle
48
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
On the other hand, long-term strategies are plans that foster continued
success and market dominance. The desired position in the long run is the
issue at hand. In other words, the fact that a number of successes have been
scored in the short run is not good enough but whether that particular
49
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
success adds value to the quest for a win position. If it does, then continue
whilst keeping a meticulous eye on the ultimate goal. For example, where
does Zambia want to be in twenty years from now? Does it still want to
remain a beggar country? If not, then the country should ensure that it takes
charge of its destiny and exploits, regenerates or supports every potential
resource that leads towards the desired end. For instance, when the nation
has two successive bumper harvest seasons, does that constitute food
security or self sufficiency? If the exploitation of the abundant natural
resources such as land, minerals and tourism turbojets the country to
success, then that is the way to go. For instance, in relation to power
generation, which is cheaper for Zambia, hydro electric or solar power? Both
demand huge initial capital injections but which of the two in the final
analysis is more cost effective? Zambia is endowed with vast hydro and
solar resources potential, but which one is cheaper? The author’s private
opinion is that solar technology must be further exploited and researched
into than it hitherto has been of course bearing in mind the related
maintenance costs such as the battery replacement and initial capital costs. If
the idea is multi purpose use of the facility, HEP offers power, fresh water,
recreation and employment e.g. fishing which solar may not. Lake Kariba
has done that though largely under utilised, and scandalously so.
Let us draw a lesson from the GMO saga that surrounded Zambia in 2002.
Whilst the neighbouring countries accepted the short-term remedy of
genetically modified foods on their turf, Zambia vehemently refused to
budge as accepting GMO had long term negative effects. For example,
Zambia would have completely lost the European market which at the time
demanded natural products (food, flowers etc). President Mwanawasa made
the right strategic decision±. Care must be taken to ensure that the short term
fosters the long term.
50
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Analysis
This first involves the gathering of background information from the
environment regarding a number of issues so as to ascertain the position of
the organisation at a particular given time. Some of the information collected
includes customer behaviour patterns, rival company strategies, SWOT
analysis and the probable trends into the next year or so. This stage is very
involving because the organisation has to be very diligent, candid, sincere
and willing to address the issues raised in the information gathering period.
Care is taken to gather as much accurate current information so that it can be
used as a basis for future decision making. However, too much information
must be avoided as this contributes to slowing the organisation or
“information overload”. Loathe information overload like a plague! Further,
this period is the time to identify what the competitive advantages and core
competences are so that the organisation zeroes in on one potent goal. Flee
the analysis paralysis syndrome that often bugs many an organisation. A
summary of all the findings is helpful at this findings interpretation stage.
Once this phase is past, the organisation is now ready to take the next step.
Plan
Subsequent to the situational analysis in which the organisations’ lot falls,
the logical thing to do is to chart the best way forward. The organisation
considers the best way to achieve the desired goal and takes steps towards
the planning process. The first among many includes chronologically listing
the issues at hand such as the products and services identified in the earlier
analysis in (1) above that are on demand in the future as well as the available
markets. In addition, the organisation considers the capacity building,
51
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
quality, team work, known quantity hiring, budgets, sources of finance, cash
flow, close out period, review frequencies, resource audit such as assets,
liabilities and human capital issues.
⋅
SMART= Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Tenable/time bound
ℑ
Stephen Covey “ Seven Habits of highly effective people”
52
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
appropriate remedial paths are recommended. Good indicators are key for
effective implementation.
======================================================
Bibliography
Wisconsin New York, New York San Francisco, California St. Louis,
Missouri
Drucker F. Peter, Managing your self, Management challenges for the 21st
century, Harper Collins, 1999
53
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
54
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter Four
Usually, when people are handling the great subject of strategy, whether
academic or not, they tend to deal with it from an abstract, disjoint position
far removed from reality. They miss out the processes in between and as
such, rarely give the actual strategy gem in operation. Others handle it in a
very complicated fashion, using many elaborate and complex terms to the
extent that the pure strategic pearl is veiled from the common man’s sight
and grasp. Of the many books that I have read on this subject, two books
rank among the best, one of which is “The Art of the Strategist” by the
venerable Dr William A Cohen (www.stuffofheroes.com). The man has
thoroughly dealt with the subject from his three fold perspective, largely
derived from his experience in the military, academic and business worlds
buttressed by a 7,000 year strategy time frame. He challenges the present
highly acclaimed strategy theories and then distils 10 classic strategy
principles leading to corporate and individual success. This is indeed a fine,
concise, pithy and racy book worth reading at all costs. Some of his ideas are
briefly outlined in the ensuing paragraphs, with some modifications and
additions. I consider Cohen one of the master strategists of our time. The
other strategy classic text is “Business Policy” by Bower, Bartlett et al.
These two books are worth your earnest perusal to get to grips with the heart
of strategy. For now, we delve into our strategic tactics. Note though that the
best strategy enables triumph without much ado.
55
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
2. Take the initiative and keep on the offensive. Aim to get a head start
by striking first and maintain the offensive stance. The move forces
the competitor to immediately go into the reaction mode. While they
are marshalling their artillery, you strike another weak spot and keep
them guessing. Further, having taken the initiative, ensure you
maintain the command and set the pace, as it were. A story is told of
how Japan struck the American Pearl Harbour in December 1941
when the USA least expected. The plan was attack, destroy all the
◊
Bower et al, Business Policy, pp 91
56
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
57
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
4. Economise and mass your resources. If you are to succeed and make
significant headway, know when and where to spend your resources.
For most of us, resources are scarce and as such, we must prudently
use what is in hand. One time, we had many competing activities
demanding our paltry resources all drawn from our meagre salary. We
did not know which exactly was priority for they all demanded
immediate attention. Finally, we settled for the item that would give
us the highest return and eventually effectively sort out all the other
issues sustainably. In that regard, we elected to complete our flat, put
it on rent and now supplies cash to finance other projects. Similarly,
you must apply priority principle and focus the bulk of your resources
to an area that will give you the highest return in the shortest possible
58
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
time. The Pareto 80/20 principle is handy at this point lest everything
crowds our mind appearing urgently critical. There are great returns in
effectively using the Pareto principle. Galvanise your resources and
build on your strongest point. In a nut shell, reserve your best and
most resources putting them in critical areas for deeper impact,
quicker payback. This means you thin out in the non essential places
and reinforce the critical areas. It does not make sense to thin out and
spread all your resources all over the place. Narrow your take in a
strategic fashion into “chewable” bits.
59
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
and implement. In the end he has made the opposition parties appear
irrelevant, loud and empty for nothing. In retrospection, and to some
extent, the opposition are to blame because in the quest to look
superior, they have mindlessly blurted out their world class
development plans in the national press. For a season, they have
appeared fantastic but alas, the photocopier strategist Mr Mwanawasa,
having challenged them to table alternative policies to his, has swiftly
sucked in all the beneficial juices like a sponge and appeared smarter
in the end after implementing. That explains in part how the new
dealers seem to have turned the country’s economy, although
questions still linger as to their genuineness. The point, however, is
that as the entity carries out its mandate, it must harbour some amount
of secrecy about its planned manoeuvres lest the enemy discovers
their ploy and thus effectively counter it. If some gaps remain
unfilled, this unsettles the rival forcing them into apprehensive
defensive mode. This keeps every market player guessing while the
winning organisation sets the trend. Exploit some level of clandestine
manoeuvres. Always keep your killer formula a guarded secret and
keep the rest guessing.
60
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
61
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
can hit the largest numbers, they revert to the outlying hard to reach
areas where security and monitoring is not only scanty but suspect,
hence the delays in announcing results from those particular areas. A
positive strategy is to be preferred though, as opposed to the one just
summoned. In a nutshell, always have plan B among your strategies
which you can easily fall back on during the rainy and cloudy day.
10. Pursue a vector route – Often, many of us prefer and think of the
direct route to success, but it may sometimes be prudent to take an
indirect vector towards the same end. As the saying goes, “there are
many ways to kill a rat”. You could elect to use a mouse trap, poison,
your bare hands or even block it from coming anywhere near you.
What ever the method, the main objective is to minimise
inconvenience on your part. By that token, a case may best be won by
exploiting some unfamiliar, indirect path towards the goal. While
everybody expects you to rush directly for the bull’s eye, you
purposely linger on the peripherals so that when the “coast is clear”,
you hit home hard. In doing this, you get a number of benefits that
include, minimising your costs, letting others do all the donkey work
such as research, survey etc upon which you build your success
strategy at a lower cost.
Vector taken
A = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = => B destination
Potential expected direct path
The other benefit is that while others make mistakes in the process of
taking the lead, you trace their path but in a corrected and refined
fashion. We once undertook a building project (of course we hardly
had enough money at a go) and let others independently overtake us
with their Porsche world-class structures. They built their flashy
mansions, including the wall fences. In the end, though unplanned on
62
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
our part, we just built one quarter of the entire wall as the other three
quarters were independently built by others. As much as possible,
keep every one guessing while you can.
13. Decoy your opponents by keeping them busy and confused – This
may include entering destabilising alliances with one of the major
players in the market while ensuring that there is enough room in the
pact to allow your organization strengthen its position independent of
the partner. Alternatively, your organization can fuel controversies
that ignite an unquenchable antagonistic fire between the rivals. While
they are carried away with the litigation battles and destroying their
images in the same breath, your organization quietly but efficiently
grabs more territory in the background. While diverting their resource
to the battle at the expense of research and development, product
development or even service delivery, you place your bet in the
emerging gap or weak point. The Apostle Paul once used this strategy
when brought between two potential warring parties that had
seemingly united against him (Acts 23:6 – 10). His penetratingly
analytical eye saw far more than they realised and mentioned just one
63
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
64
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
65
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
16. Simplify things. In this game of strategy, one of the keys success
factors is to keep things as simple as possible on your side while
putting up sophisticated face to the outside world. If things are simple,
the work is straightforward and easy to follow through unlike a
situation where every move is a complex mathematics puzzle. People
tend to get bogged down in the details maze instead of placing the eye
on the most important things. This arrangement in part contributes to
the analysis paralysis that swarms many a potential successful entity.
Further, the costs go up, takes more time to craft and maintain. Sell
your ideas in every day language and you will have crowds rallying
behind you. That is what made Mr Michael Sata probably the most
popular Presidential Candidate in the 2006 Zambian Presidential
elections. His message was consistently simple and appealed to the
majority of the common man on the street – less tax, more money in
your pockets, more jobs and prosperity for all. He kept up this call for
nearly five years and stole the hearts of many, including a good cross
section of the elite as well as the saints. The other candidates were
equally good, perhaps even more realistic but they either kept talking
about the dim past or veiled their plans in complicated economic
jargon, too lofty for the average man. The golden key, keep it simple
baba!
17. Move faster/ swifter than your competitor. In this fast paced life,
speed is one of the competitor edge factors, absence of which may
cost you your trophy. As the Technology revolution takes its toll,
there is need to anticipate environmental changes, uncertainty,
positioning and responding to customer needs long before the rival
becomes alive to the present reality. In an earlier segment, it was
suggested that you may need to take the indirect route and thus
deliberately delay contingent upon the context, we now recommend in
the same breath that you remain vigilant, alive and ready to move
swiftly when a clear opportunity avails itself. In keeping with what
someone has said that success is a result of being prepared plus
opportunity (opportunity + preparedness = Success). In other words,
today’s winners are those with the trained eagle’s eye that hovers
around a wide radius and quickly moves in for the kill when all
indicators suggest that the time to act is ripe. At times you may need
66
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
18. Maximise the use of your past success. The greatest weakness that
most Zambians have is a failure to build on their past achievement.
Sadly, they seem to grow immensely satisfied with the token
successes they accumulate in an event or two and thus sit back to rest
on their laurels. That is a terrible mistake because in the short run, all
these gains run out and they turn destitute. Countless soccer stars have
fallen in this category, who after illustrious professional stints abroad
return home empty handed. It is a painful reality. The strategist on the
other hand, sees opportunities, uses them to collect more success
medals and credentials for use in up coming battles. The success
image, good will and powerful brand name are effectively built up to
reap more and more in ensuing years and months. Today’s bright star
entities have successively built on what their predecessors have left
unlike what happens in Zambia where we keep rebuilding foundations
instead of the superstructure. Every successive President spends the
first two to three years tearing down what others have previously done
before they begin their own work which is later torn down by their
successor. Similarly, business empires die with the demise of their
initiator. Countless incomplete structures around the country have
stories relating to the owner having died mid way in the construction.
The end result is stagnation, disputes, looting, plunder or
cannibalising of everything. Succession planning is not in the
Zambian vocabulary perhaps. One hopes this face changes as stiffer
laws are enacted to curb property grabbing. But then, the underlying
problem is attitude and crippled mindset rather than resource
67
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
↔
Refer to Mwanawasa’s Parliament opening speech of 27th October 2006. Further, refer to the Saturday
Post of 28Th October 2006 and read comments from Sata and Hikainde.
68
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
21. Create chronic dependence on you. The developed world has been a
master at this and very few nations have escaped their grip. I mean,
they dictate the world’s political, business, social and legal agenda.
Once the G 8 have agreed, who dares oppose? Besides, they
determine what is legal and illegal. No wonder, many Africans, in
apparent reference to the past atrocities committed by some of the
now powerful nations, find it hard to trust anyone. They always
suspect some conspiracy somewhere. Consider the HIV conspiracy
theory, although unproved could hold some water. What about the
deliberately created computer viruses, crippling debt burdens heaped
on the hapless Africans? Consider further the past and present looting
of Africa by the Developed nations. Baffour gives a graphic book
review of Adam Hochschild’s landmark work that leaves one’s heart
in pieces. The “King Leopold’s Ghost” is a painful story worth
reading by every alert African nationalist. The West needs to
compensate for all their atrocities around Africa. Today, confused
Africa remains in tatters because it is completely dependant on the
affluent societies, and yet when one critically thinks about this, it is an
artificial dependence. The Africans are unsure of themselves, which
emanates from an inferiority complex perhaps. A case in point is the
Zimbabwean case where the western world has created an impression
that all is bad eclipsing the real root cause- land imbalance.
69
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
legal title and rights to what ever you are after. That explains why
Patrice Lumumba was slaughtered. He saw the evil machinations of
the West and was switched off. That is how our vast stretches of land
were grabbed by the early explorers like Henry Morton Stanley. They
made the ignorant chiefs sign what they did not know or fully
understand! Africa still stands at cross roads regarding land matters.
Recently, the IMF and World Bank have been accused of “forcing”
land reforms attempting to change land power ownership from
traditional (chief’s control) to state. In that way, they can easily buy
off as much land and reintroduce colonialism in modern dress.
Clearly, the poor old folk in the village cannot afford to have heir land
demarcated and surveyed to get title deeds. Thus, the mighty,
influential and powerful multinationals will come in and buy off most
of the land reducing the natives into illegal squatters in their own
mother land or be squashed in a terrible corner. All this deception
comes in the name of “development and FDI” when the goal would be
far more than meets the eye!
23. In the business world, invest where people are not looking or
ignoring. This calls for long range thinking akin to the Koreans who
are heavily investing in the weightless economy. Their aim is to be an
oasis of ideas where other nations come and “order” ideas for future
implementation or in a new industry altogether. These could include
space travel, moon colonization, alternative software or simply move
at a different wave length relative to the present technologies and
practices. By the time others attempt to catch up with your inimitable
creations, you move to another level. This turns your competitors into
imitators rather than originators. “The Seer” newspaper nearly
perfectly imitated the Post news paper but was clamped down by state
agents when it attempted to publish a controversial story “Sex scandal
at State house”. Naturally, this generated a lot of curious interest but
thankfully for the Post, the paper died before the story saw the light of
day. If it had published that ground breaking story, the Post would
have probably been supplanted, buried or joined the other regular
papers presently on the terraces.
24. Join them and later turn against them. This has been an effective
strategy for a number of terrorist organisations or American installed
dictators around the world. Usually, the said people and organisations
sought help from the USA but when they got the reigns of power, they
70
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
suddenly turned against the “infidels”! The worst part is that they
learnt all the ropes from the USA, how the Americans think and
operate and then went ahead to turn against the world power. That
explains why Bin Ladin has been elusive thus far because he knows
the Americans too well to be captured, at least for now. On the
Zambian scene, we have repeatedly seen this strategy at work,
especially on the political scene. Remember Nervous Mumba? He was
used and later discarded. The bottom line is to learn the ropes of your
enemy or threat in a calm atmosphere on their turf and then later turn
against them having known their weak and strong points. The
Opposition were used to enact the controversial National
Constitutional Conference (NCC) bill (2007) that was later used
against them.
25. Deliberately give wrong indicators to your foes and so mislead them.
This idea confuses the opponent because they read wrong indicators
and thus implement a wrong strategy for which they pay heavily. We
must always be aware that our lives are always under 24/7
surveillance, especially if we are a threat to someone somewhere.
Thus, as they “spy on you”, give them the wrong indicators if you can,
so that they use a wrong remedy. It may mean deliberately giving
wrong advice or information knowing very well that this is a bitter,
lethal and toxic pill. That said pill maybe harmless to you but deadly
to the other. For example, an Indocid capsule harms rats but heals
humans.
The sun melts wax but hardens cement. Water dissolves some things but
hardens cement concrete. Sodium chloride (common salt) is edible when
a compound but toxic in its constituent elements. Know what to give and
71
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
when. The World’s financial institutions like the World Bank and IMF
have long been accused of deliberately prescribing wrong development
policies to the third world to keep them dependant. In fact, these
countries are used as “guinea pigs” to test unproven theories. Some of
these include land laws such as the land alienation from the chiefs to state
control, privatisation pace, and ideologies among many others. The
mosquito can give us a lesson on this point as well. It is said that the
harmless male mosquito makes a lot of infuriatingly inconveniencing
noise as it buzzes around. Whilst we are busy focusing on the noise
source, the female anopheles mosquito straight gets to business sucking
blood. It is practically silent and does a good job, we only realise after it
has left. The Kaponya√s too, have a good tactic. While one is entertaining
you, drawing your attention to him, his accomplices swiftly search, pick
pocket and rob you of all your valuables. My sister once lost her hand
bag full of money, travel documents and other valuables. Whilst she was
focusing on some fellows shaking the car from behind the car, the others
swiftly picked her hand bag from the passenger seat and vanished. That is
what the developed nations do to the pauper states! Disruptive tendencies
such as technologies and industries/companies would be ideal if you have
the financial muscle.
26. Win them over, disarm and later discard. Point 24 by and large deals
with aspects of this strategy but the idea here is to “detoxicate” a
potential threat by wooing them over to your side, removing their venom
in the process and later dumping them like garbage. By the time they
realise, it will be too late to save their faces. This move practically
neutralises and extinguishes them. Some myopic and egocentric
politicians have fallen victim to this strategy. The Zambian Opposition
party MPs had a taste of this in 2004/05.
Thus, we have laid down some practical tips in relation to strategy antics in
action. Many other strategies remain to be crystallised as they daily
continually hatch in every mind. Adversity has propelled strategy
formulation across the centuries by and large explains why some individuals,
countries, nations and perhaps planets or galaxies are ahead of others. That
explains further why some people suspect that the HIV is a clandestine
product of some strategic countries so that they could wipe out the African
race. That is debatable presently but let us peer beyond every seemingly
√
Local name for a “Call boy” or vender
72
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Once the above tactics are properly and consistently used, bearing in mind
the context, I am not afraid of the result. Secondly, this will cut down the
thousands of hours needlessly wasted on the planning table and instead focus
on immediate action.
Bibliography
Blundell Nigel, The world’s greatest mistakes, Octopus group ltd, 2007
printing
Certo C. Samuel & Peter J. Paul, The strategic Management process, 3rd
Chirwa Joan, EAZ advises govt to have strong investment context, The Post,
June 15, 2007 pp12
73
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Crainer Stuart, THE JACK WELCH WAY: Ten secrets of the world’s
greatest turn around king, Magna Publishing co. Ltd 2003
Ingram C. James, International Economic problems, John Wiley & sons, inc,
new york, London, Sydney, Toronto 2nd edition, 1970
74
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Moonze Larry, “Debt cancellation may not come free-Nonde”, The Post,
September 29, 2005
Newton John, Out of the depth: The autobiography of a man who was
converted from slave trader to noted Minister, writer and author of the
beloved hymn Amazing Grace, Keats Publishing, inc, New Canaan,
Connecticut, 1981
Oyelese Yemi, The men behind Lumumba’s death, New African, October
1999 pp8
75
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Symes R.F, Rocks & Minerals, Dorling Kindersley, London, New York,
Auckland, Delhi, Johannesburg, Minich, paris & Sydney, 1988
Zinyama Fridah, “Govt to finalise Uranium Policy”, The Post, June 15, 2007
pp 13
76
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter Five
“Many Japanese companies were built by men who felt strongly the
importance of freeing Japan from dependence on foreigners…they had a
nationalistic spirit that drove them”∨
Today’s winning or leading organizations are those that are strategic, highly
responsive, aggressive, have a rich community corporate culture, proactive,
adaptive, customer focused (internal and external), learning, lean, flexible,
astute, assiduous, racy, thin layered, insignificant red tape, fluid, agile,
experience phenomenal stupendous growth and expansion but avoid
corporate obesity. These organizations are self evaluative, brutally honest,
hire the best team players, have cohesive self managing teams, utilize Just in
Time (JIT) systems, employ cutting edge state of the art technology, avoid
information over load, have exceptionally excellent well developed data
mining abilities, produce high quality out put, have progressively sustained
super profits, minimal debtors, healthy liquidity ratios, few but manageable
creditors, good capital structure, maximize on their distinctive competencies,
adaptable, ever learning and above all, hire the best strategic-leader-
managers. These organizations have developed refined systems akin to the
complex human body that promptly respond to stimuli and immediately
adjust appropriately. In the event of a critical component malfunction, other
organs swiftly move in, overlap and compensate while a solution is worked
∨
Business Policy pp 363
Stupendous growth=Amazing, rapid expansion
77
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
out. These organisations focus on doing the right thing well rather than
spending all the time spying on or imitating rivals. Thus, the key factor in
the corporate success, as intimated earlier, is the presence of the right, well
orbed, well fitted strategic leader that aptly reads the times and quickly alerts
the other operatives to appropriately mutate. The smart sharp eagle’s eye is
an invaluable asset that leads to zenith success. The selfsame industry leader
is highly versatile, flexible, competent, multitasked and preferably
multilingual akin to the modern gadgets that efficiently and simultaneously
execute multiple tasks. The said leader articulates more than one major
international language such as French, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese or
English. In coming days, Chinese (Mandarin) or one of the Indian languages
will be indispensable because incidentally, these are probably the most
intensely spoken languages in the world although largely localized. In
summary, the strategic leader refines the neat organizational team tapestry
ensuring that the firm continuously leaps to higher ground.
Organizations evolve to the extent that they are allowed to. The allowance,
flexibility and leverage level is generally imbedded within the organizational
system in order to timorously respond to environmental stimuli, usually in a
two-fold manner. First it reacts to what is immediately taking place within
and outside the organization. Secondly, it proactively positions itself as it
anticipates changes or shocks generated within and without the organization.
Progressive organizations ensure that all critical factors are taken into
consideration and positively galvanized to continuously reap the best returns
on their investments and manoeuvres. One way that well-adjusted firms
operate is to meticulously plan, stimulate and refine processes long before
these are needed. The corporation develops these processes as it anticipates
changes around and within the organisation’s environment. One such entity
is the Roman Catholic Church. Having been around for close to 1, 500 years,
the denomination has learnt the ropes through the ages to read the times and
do what is right at the appropriate time. The Roman Church has almost all
conceivable departments that holistically deal with a person, Some of the
key wings include the social, spiritual and physical departments. Its no
wonder the Catholic Church is a single formidable force to reckon with
unlike the other disjoint and fragmented denominations born after the great
16th century protestant reformation.
78
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
As some one has aptly quipped, “defy the Roman Catholic Church at your
own peril!”β No wonder some have asserted that this institution harbours the
antichrist spoken of in the book of Revelations, I John and I Thessalonians.
Although that argument could hold water, the author, using the human eye,
tends to think that the Roman Church is simply strategic in its out look and
operations. It swiftly responds to the need of the hour. A case in point is
when the Charismatic chaos broke out and swept across denominations like
wild fire, the said church developed shock absorbers and accommodated
some of these tendencies and thus plugged the mass exodus of its members
to other denominations. In fact, the institution can actually survive without
its member’s tithes and offerings! “But how?” I hear some of you exclaim,
because Ministry is costly business! Well, the entity in question is believed
to be one of the major shareholders in some of the world’s largest
corporations. It is believed to have heavily invested in real estate (the most
stable investment), property rights and is largely the development engine in
many developing nations. For instance, it harbours some of the best brains
on the planet. While others are busy chanting away their endless over night
choruses, the Jesuits are busy strategizing! They are said to be unequalled
long term strategic thinkers and would give a Church position paper over a
matter long before the issue even takes the centre stage! Other wings within
the Catholic Church specialize on other critical issues such as gender,
advocacy, welfare, economics, liberation theologyφ, and even politics! Now
β
Anonymous
φ
Very strong and popular in South America. Refer to the Zambia Daily Mail of 9th January 2006 pp 7 for a
somewhat fuller treatment of this theology, though the article was written to strategically isolate the
Zambian Roman Catholic Church leadership from the rest of the world. The idea of the article was to
79
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
who can argue against such a profile? In all these areas, the organization has
continuously reinvented and refined itself over the ages. While other
organizations are struggling to manage a meagre $ 2,000 on an annual basis,
the Catholic organization is planning ten years ahead to get the $ 20 billion
to be released for HIV interventions! That is the way any organization ought
to be! It should be an organism!
Therefore, the ideal organization schedules all value adding events long
before they occur and prepare in advance. For a number of years, the author
worked in an organization that was not well orbed and yet prided in being
unpredictable. A typical working day was a nightmare and left the employee
totally worn out. Many times people worked seven days a week without
break (including at the weekend). Leave was a luxury and by that token,
there was no social life left for employees. What was the root cause? Partly,
perhaps the employees themselves had poor time management skills but
largely, as earlier intimated, it was due to the erratic nature of the
organization. Some things were planned in advance and standardized while
others were unforeseen, unpredictable and in some cases, repetitive. When
the senior Managers were confronted over the erratic and haphazard
approach, they often bragged about the organization being highly dynamic
and the only constant being change! Well, over the years, these
uncoordinated activities begun to take their toll on the selfsame senior
Managers’ health. The rest is history. Another organization in the same
business and of similar magnitude and profile that the author worked for had
a completely different outlook! Everything was systematized, well arranged,
well standardized and planned way before hand. No one seemed in a mad
hurry to beat deadlines. The high stress panic quake was conspicuously
absent. To the contrary, that organization scored at every turn and hit targets
without much ado. Furthermore, the working conditions were comparatively
far better and more humane than the earlier organization. What accounted
for the stark difference? I submit that it was strategic thinking in the latter
case!
stigmatise the Zambian Church. Incidentally, many evangelicals are Imbibing this theological perspective
in a bid to be holistically relevant.
80
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
But how can the nation or organisation mutate to a winning position? How
can Zambia, like Japan or South Korea arise from its economic ashes to
success? It is simply by observing some of the following points:
Imbibe and internalise a complete mental paradigm shift. Individual
Zambians, are generally laid back and dependant. This laissez faire and
pleasure driven attitude needs to be exorcised if tangible progress is to be
made. It is a painstaking sweaty journey to success. When I worked in
Mongu, I often used to pass through some semi developed plots on my way
to the office. I learnt many lessons. Two very vividly come to my mind. One
was positive, the other negative. The positive one really impressed me. At
the beginning of a particular week in 2003, I passed by a certain incomplete
house that was at foundation level. Noticing that some work was about to
begin, I carefully observed the progress every time I passed by there. In less
than a week, the mansion was almost half complete. That was phenomenal
progress! I left town for a week and at my return, I curiously used the same
established route the next morning. What a shock I got! The house was
complete, painted and all fittings in place. They were even watering the
lawn! I learnt a life lesson; to be focused, diligent and systematic. The next
picture left me laughing all the way! I observed in 2005 that a certain
recently bought plot had some thatched fence erected including a makeshift
“mashasha” reed house. It had strange combinations of sticks, reeds and iron
roofing sheet supported by some shapeless bricks, and wonder of wonders, a
DSTV dish securely installed! I was really amused because I imagined the
owner leisurely slumbering on a reed mat with a stone for his pillow while
watching satellite TV on an 80-inch screen! What an attitude problem!
Zambians generally want to rest before they get tired. Indeed, they are
mentally crippled, laid back and somewhat lazy. No wonder they achieve so
little in their life times.
Hire the right people who are not only ready to learn but willing to
contribute effectively to the organizational success. These people have the
right attitude, qualification, are competent, result oriented, diligent, net
workers, consistent and excellent team players. It is not enough for one to
only have the right academic papers and experience, we must go further to
demand that persons deliver. If you have the wrong people on your side for a
81
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
long time, you risk taking drastic sweeping changes as happened in one
prominent international organisation. The drastic shift was necessitated to
introduce sweeping changes from traditional to post-modern management.
The case below demonstrates the scenario better:
May 4 2007
(AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, G. Marc Benavidez) **MANDATORY
CREDIT THE WICHITA EAGLE/KANSAS.COM)
Hurricanes and tornadoes are a rare phenomenon in Zambia, let alone the
African continent. However, once they visit a locality, a devastating trail
often remains as an annual reminder. Thankfully, they rarely visit. Tsunami
and Katrina still traumatise myriads as hair raising memories annually hit the
mental coast lines.
82
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
By the end of that year, the apparent “damage” had been done. The debris
looked all mashed up, flattened and irreparable. The new challenge had
begun-the daunting task of galvanising and raising new leaders to rise to the
occasion. Their mettle would be tested by their ability to strategically lead
the teams out of the apparent disaster effects, failure to which would result
in their uprooting the ensuing year when the hurricane Pwanya was likely to
visit again, though this time with a higher magnitude force classified around
5 or 6 on the scale. Evidently, its visit would definitely be highly volcanic as
the scanner moved to the lower operatives.
But was this hurricane really destructive in its intent and effects? How
different is it from other regular catastrophic hurricanes and tornadoes? Two
radical schools of thought confront us at this stage.
The first, and probably most widely held by the Pwanya casualties, is that
this storm was uncalled for, subjective, needless, unfair, cowardly,
destructive, vindictive, poorly timed and would soon plunge the organisation
into serious uncontrollable chaotic spiral. They argue that the problem spots
were already known and senior management deliberately used a needlessly
indirect vector to vindictively settle old scores. It was an inhuman cowardly
act veiled in “objective processes” called interviews when actually a
premeditated action, they claim. “Why didn’t they bravely inform the non-
performing Managers at the end of their contracts rather than subjecting
them to an unnecessarily rigorous, demeaning and torturous interview
process?” they complain. They further claim that many will be traumatised
for life as they were not prepared to leave at all especially after many years
of undivided loyalty to the organisation. They had expected a steady life
long employment in return, yea, job security but all they got was a boot in
return. They felt they deserved better as an entitlement.
Furthermore, they argue that Ntota has thrown the baby with the bucket and
would live to regret, for how would they turn around this titanic organisation
with a largely inexperienced cadre of novice managers? Deep sorrowful
groans, akin to those of Egypt (Rama?)shortly following the tenth plague
still echo as families plunge into agony or strategically mutate to something
else. To them, Ntota has lost its unique core value lustre and human face that
it has hitherto prided in. That signals the end of that core value.
Interestingly, a few among the casualties foresaw the carnage from afar and
prudently prepared themselves. They have since picked up the broken pieces
and moved on as though nothing ever happened. Unfortunately, the majority
83
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
are deeply wounded by the mortal blow resulting from the “stab in the
back.” They are licking their fresh wounds, as it were.
The other school of thought holds that the move was inevitable and long
over due. The drastic move had to be taken in the light of the many
environmental changes and recent compelling internal occurrences. For one
thing, the global trends dictate that life long employment is now obsolete.
The age of steady life long employment belongs to the command economy
era. Thus, the organisation was not obliged to keep excess baggage. A
contract consists of two parts: Offer and Acceptance. In this case, the
organisation had elected not to offer the job, after contract expiry period!
Secondly, the interview was as objective as could be, carried out by
probably the most competent internal team backed by an external consultant
to monitor the proceedings and offer professional backstopping. Each
candidate was objectively assessed and those found wanting not selected.
Individuals offered skills and within the interview time frame market their
wares. Sadly, the majority failed to tick although they had plied their trade
for many years. Ideally, it was expected that they would excel but alas, they
plummeted despite having been on the pitch for a relatively long time. A
tough decision had to be made whether to retain dead wood or not. In other
instances, the candidates were actually excellent but were not selected
because they did not fit into the required profile, painful though it was
parting with them. In addition to the aforementioned, Ntota has experienced
unprecedented phenomenal explosive growth over the years and has mutated
into a large, complex, bureaucratic, dynamic organisation needing a
learning, agile, open minded and progressive ethical cadre of team leaders.
As things stood prior to the interview, many incumbent managers had
remained trapped in the ancient traditional bossy kind of management style
when the modern trends called for team player kind of leaders with a passion
to mentor, coach, build and bring about transformation in the communities
where they live. The “born again” team, hewn from the recent interview,
will probably fit into the latter kind of profile. Quality and responsiveness
are key competencies these need to remain buoyant. The other aspect worth
mentioning is the donor demands. The third reason was overall
organisational changes that should have taken place as far back as 1990 but
was delayed until 1997. In the mean time, the organisation had sent repeated
indications and warnings of the pending changes but these were ignored.
Every one treated each day as “business as usual” The rude shock came
when the Pwanya crunch came. Documentary evidence suggests that shortly
before the arrival of the last decade of the century, Ntota international
84
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
But what really triggered the hurricane Pwanya? Theories differ ranging
from environmental changes to hot/cold air clash. In between is the recent
heart breaking unprecedented theft case at one of projects in which Ntota’s
impeccable stewardship record was badly dented. This shocking hair raising
experience has sent the organisation into a long over due reactionary spiral
commencing with the team leaders, where the buck finally stops. The
rippling effects now affect everyone. Thus, top management claim that the
powerful hurricane came in good faith, was meant to be restorative and
preservative. They had an option to let the titanic company sink with every
one on board or allow some sink while the majority got on the lifeboats to
continue the journey to prosperity land, having learnt some valuable lessons.
Drastic unavoidable remedial measures had to and were effected. As we
know, senior Management settled for a painful trade off: Prune the
organisation for improved quality delivery thus preserving organisation
image and maintaining donor confidence.
As the stormy event recedes into the irretrievable past, with its attendant
catastrophic effects, many Pwanya casualties have already began adjusting,
switched to plan B, turned on the long redundant strategic formulation
engine, refocused and reluctantly, though confidently, peered into the future
akin to what the legendary Voyager space crafts did when the epoch making
moment arrived of exiting the solar system for ever, years ago. For the rest
still on board, the rugged debris is a fierce reminder of the ruthless annual
visitor yet to return.
85
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
and the list of potential participants a year in advance! For the average
Zambian, this is puzzling because they do not see the need for urgency,
hustle, bustle, hurry or worry!
Continuously train staff both as a motivator and also to build capacity for
quality delivery on the field. Archaic, boxed and restricted thinking is a
lethal poison to the organization. For example, World Vision Zambia
strongly supports continuous training because it raises the competence levels
though some people still dispute this point because from their experience,
people remain essentially the same with minimal modifications here and
there. Despite all the massive training, we may well ask, does
education/training really change someone, or just modify their behaviour?
86
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
careful not to out do the incumbent lest a volcano eruption be triggered. But
people need to be given leeway to express themselves and thereby find
fulfilment.
Leadership – ensure the right leaders not bosses are at the various levels of
the organizational helm. Leaders lead and constantly point to the mountains.
They see the Bethlehem star and head there at full throttle. Leaders also
challenge the status quo and thrive during the changing scenes of life. They
dream and hurtle along as they influence others to buy into their dream.
Where a true leader exists, people have a sense of direction, destiny, shared
°
ISO=International Standards Organization certification. There are various ISO standards that
organizations can get certification for after a thorough and rigorous testing process. The certification
guarantees that the products thus churned out by the organization are of the highest international standards.
87
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
vision, unity of purpose, one spirit, motivation and resolve. Those that do
not voluntarily buy in opt to pack their bags and let the ship to sail to its
destination. In Zambia, a deep leadership vacuum⌡ has vividly emerged over
the years. Sadly, high social status, wealth, rank or position is wrongly
equated to leadership. What could be further from the truth than this! A
leader influences people regardless of his/her rank, position, status or even
education! Further more, powerful leaders are exemplary, possess high
fidelity level, have high integrity, are consistent, racy, passionate, largely
people centred and live in the real world. To the contrary, bosses sometimes
live in the imaginary world where they hurl out reality in the face of the
clear, bare facts. This myopic view leads them to persecute truth and prefer
unrealistic egocentric plausible options. A case in point is the Zambian
Presidents, past and present, who have frequently been highly contradictory
in their assertions, with absolutely no shame. Perhaps the word “sorry” does
not exist in the Zambian vocabulary! For a long time, the author wondered
why some human rights activists reacted badly when they spotted unfair
treatment. These questions abruptly came to an end as soon as the writer left
the Lusaka bordersℵ and landed where excruciating and abject poverty have
free reign. It is amazing how self-centred people can hate reality sometimes.
The best leaders beget other leaders. Strategic leadership is not only the
CEO’s job but involves every stakeholder, in keeping with what Beatty &
Hughes suggest.
⌡
Refer to Post editorial of Saturday July 19 2008 entitled “Leadership vacuums”
ℵ
Also refer to Mr Simon Kabanda’s moving article in the Post News paper of 12/01/06. He cites similar
sentiments. The author once worked in a rural Zambian setting for a year and saw unbelievable poverty
levels. Some people survived on the scarce wild fruits or even bare ash for food!...and yet the politicians of
the day were loudly chanting egocentric praise slogans of having dismantled poverty. But is Zambia only
Lusaka?
88
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Celtel enter a strategic alliance with a view to beat the dreaded MTN. As
they join forces, they could beat MTN in many respects such as coverage
and the cost benefit to the customer. By the time MTN achieves the
economy of scales, the cell Z/ Celtel alliance would have moved to another
formidable level. The same could occur in consorting and partnership. But
sadly, these rarely happen. They are as rare as in the political scenario where
parties fail to merge to counter a rival party. If people and entities
internalized this potential synergistic point, many tuntemba÷’s would have
turned into chain stores by now similar to the SHOPRITE Checkers level.
The Toyota Motor Corporation like scenario would have been a reality in
Zambia too. Perhaps we need to wait and see what unfolds in the next few
years as we hurtle along to a close of the second decade of the market
economy scenario in Zambia. Another aspect worth consideration in Zambia
is the availability of land. People can purchase large tracts of land in Mpika
at K 15,000 per hectare and later lease it out or simply plant trees to cash in
on carbon quarters as green business takes centre stage.
Use cutting edge state-of- the- art technology to competitively get ahead.
This means the company develops a potent communication and processing
system. Further, it should ensure Wider Area Networks (WAN) and Local
Area Networks (LAN) are installed and functional all the time. The Internet
must not only be a playground but a data-mining field for various spheres.
Actually, the Internet is a potential strategic tool to spy on other rivals or
learn what others are doing and the anticipated trends. Further, a website is a
cheap and powerful marketing tool. In these e-business days, products can
be sold off the Internet as many have done in recent days. The author once
heard of the little known organization, called Rural net Associates, that
opened up a website. In no time received jobs from all over the world! That
is the power of information technology once rightly utilized. Care however
must be taken to ensure that it remains your servant not master! Many have
wasted many a valuable hours browsing irrelevant web sites and missed the
opportunity in the process. Some have even become Internet addicts. In
these days of virtual reality, the huge multinational companies are fast
becoming an endangered species, at least in the next few decades. The
reason is that companies can now advertise on the Internet and only employ
a skeleton staff, working from the comfort of their sitting rooms! Further
partners from different parts of the world can work together amicably
perhaps without even physically meeting but raking in millions! Video
÷
“Tuntemba” refers to makeshift stalls set up by small time entrepreneurs.
89
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Acquire and learn new skills set. This is especially critical in this dynamic
global world. This acquisition could take place in different ways that include
during direct foreign investment tenure as China has done or deliberately
going out to learn new things. Mastering new skill sets is a life long practice
if you are to remain relevant to your generation.
Invest in Research and Development (R& D). Enquiry into the development
of new products in a shorter time, estimate the product life cycle, ascertain
when to re-launch, disinvest or diversify is key. Register patent rights. Keep
the formula as a guarded secret as has been the case at the Coca Cola and
Colgate companies. Go further to buy off other competitors if possible. A
good example is the Coca Cola buying off PEPSI, Tiptop, Tarino and Crush.
The company could either kill the brand or launch it as complimentary. Deal
firmly with piracy, plagiarism where rampant especially in Zambia. Also
advocate for stiffer law implementation. Carry out the cost benefit analysis,
whether to outsource or simply manufacture from within. Rampant
intellectual property violation is the order of the day in Zambia. This can be
curbed in part by investing in Research and Development.
ϒ
Banking World pp3, October 1990
90
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Once this product cycle is taken note of, then the strategic planners need to
know when and what to do at every given stage. Many products die after
some time while other brand names seem immortal. For instance, the
apparently immortal Colgate and Coca cola brands have been around for
many decades with little or no decline. Is it that they do not decline? Not
quite, it is probably because they have found a niche and ensure continuous
marketing or re-launching of the product periodically. These have
kept/patented their formulas as guarded secrets. But the bottom line is the
powerful marketing and the high quality global brand machinery maintained
image by these companies. In addition, these companies periodically change
the packaging or simply buy out all the emerging competing brands. A case
in point are the Zambian drinks Tip Top, Tarino and Crush that were locally
developed years ago but bought off by one of the huge multinational
companies. Another industry whose strategy is to silence others by patenting
is the Pharmaceutical that ensures that no other drugs or therapic methods
are allowed except the codexed drugs. But Dr Rath1 has charged that the
idea behind all this is the survival strategy to keep the world blinded to the
cheaper and easier vitamin remedies to the HIV pandemic and attendant
ailments. Rath strongly believes in the existence of the conspiracy theory
with good reason. In strategic terms however, not only should the
organisation be content with marketing goods and services, but should
always be thinking of ways of shortening the product development cycle
thereby getting ahead of all the rivals. For instance, the Ford Company
decided to be developing a new vehicle every three years down from six
years or so. But even then, the company may be forced to cut the product
development cycle to one year and eventually months and weeks if the
company is to keep ahead of rivals. The same holds for the Microsoft
company. Bill Gates works feverishly so that he is constantly ahead lest
Microsoft suffers the same fate that the IBM and Apple suffered years ago,
though IBM is reportedly on the mend.εAnother potent strategy would be to
1
Check the website: www4.dr-rath-foundation.org
ε
World now program; e-channel 12/12/2005
91
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
diversify the business and delve into areas where others have not been and
have an early lead so that the sources of income increase. This strategy is
good if the organisation spots another potent opportunity or it is getting
ready to close one product and begin another.
Explore foreign business opportunities. Think big and wide. Do not localize
your selves nor limit your potential. Usually, natives always think of the
local market only when a whole wide world waits to be tapped into. This is a
global economy man! Flap your brain wings and fly around this borderless
world!
Encourage periodic informal times. This may include socials, casual dress
days, parties or team excursions. In addition, you may include or divide the
organization into cell groups in a given locality. These cells are the building
blocks of the larger organism where people’s needs are addressed.
2
ZCCM = Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines. This was a conglomerate that was formed at the
nationalization of all the mines in Zambia after 1981.This effectively placed all assets and liabilities in
Government hands.
92
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
±
Though some do not think brain storming sessions are as effective as previously thought to be.
93
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Assiduously read the rapid environmental changes and position self properly
using the 4 Ps (Place, Product, Price and Promotion) and quality issues. Find
out what the issues are and focus being mindful of your rival. If possible and
appropriate, segment and segregate your market. Increase your market share
and strengthen your niche by differentiating your product to the extent where
others imitate while you originate.
Focus on the core competencies where you have a clear comparative and
absolute advantage in some cases. Learn to use what is in your hand e.g.
cheap labour force, abundant raw materials (such as cashew nuts, oil, land,
appropriate factors of production), large market…etc. Ensure that the idle
time capacity is minimized while the core competencies maximized. Further
∆
PhD in this context refers to “Pull him/her Down!” as coined by some people. Mr Charles Kachikoti once
wrote an interesting article entitled “The problem is with us” in the Times of Zambia mid 2005. It is an
excellent well researched and reasoned out piece worth reading. See Appendix 2 for fuller text.
94
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Encourage thinking outside the box, yea, think and live outside and beyond
the box. Though already previously alluded to in an earlier part of this book,
a culture must deliberately be cultivated and nurtured where people learn to
think creatively outside the usual confines of our day to day lives.
Imagination, innovation and creativity are the hotbed of progress. Where a
traditional Manager holds the fort, there you will hardly see any new
innovations and stagnation comfortably permanently sets in. The status quo
will rarely be challenged. But the winning team of the 21st century must
profusely churn out and actualise plenty new ideas. In a word, cultivate
fertile minds that will constantly want to conquer new frontiers where no
one has ever been before. In Zambia, the problem is that we spend more
time on the methodology or implication rather than on system perfection,
processes and developing new products. We are content to reach the bare
minimum set standard and no further.
Eke out a unique niche that cannot be easily imitated by present or future
rivals. Dell computers imitated Compaq almost out of business and was
itself in trouble for some time when other competitors imitated its products∩.
In your case, ensure you beat out an invisible path that others cannot find or
copy. In other words, have a guarded secret that is only the private preserve
of the organization. For instance, in the service industry, have a unique
custom designed service that will encourage people to return. Aim to have a
distinctive competence (as proposed by Philip Selznick), a unique capability
that others do not know about or exploit. Be inimitable! Curve a unique
Niche. Strategy entails being able to spot opportunities long before they
arrive, tenaciously and swiftly seizing them when they do. Among the many
strategies that can be employed is when the organisation resolves to etch a
unique path and product that others fail to imitate (Exodus 8:19 this is the
finger of God!). To reach such a stage means the organisation has developed
an unrivalled supremacy in a certain specific area and continues to improve
on it. Usually, many entities have a tendency to succeed for a while (short
term) and then sit on their laurels. While still glorying in their supremacy
sunshine, their rivals imitate and improve on their products or services,
while the reigning champion is unaware still busking in the supremacy
sunshine. Not so with the organisation that must remain a perpetual winner!
∩
Refer to the Post Newspaper of 5th February 2007 pp 14 for an updated survival battle.
95
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Develop effective exit strategies for the company and individuals in the
event of either winding up the business or disinvesting in a certain product
line/market.
So much then for the strategies that push the organisation to the winning
position, we now proceed to look at the organisation wrecking traits. This is
worth the attention of every one looking for success or indeed failure!
Organisations need to be carefully handled or else they can easily flip and
tumble over the precipice. They are like tender plants needing constant and
diligent care by all concerned much like the way helpless babies are handled.
The lethal points highlighted in this section are not 100% killers and neither
is the list exhaustive. It is the duty of every strategic leader to ensure they
navigate carefully among the rocks for the waters here are especially shallow
and have many deadly sharp rocks. Watch out lest you run aground or hit an
ice berg!
Corporate obesity
Obesity is fast becoming a number one health problem in the developed
world where people get hooked on food, especially junk food, which they
cannot regulate leading to some disorder. The problems vary from individual
to individual but the most common is that people become too fat to work,
walk or do anything. In some cases, they become too slow or in worst case
scenarios, become prisoners of their habits. Similarly, organisations can fall
prey of their own good intentions to their own detriment. The picture below
eloquently tells the story:
♦
Definition supplied by the author
96
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Rigidity
The second menacing canker is mindless rigidity. Sometimes, one’s past
success or failure works against them in the future. They loathe all risks or
rigidly maintain the old winning ways when the context has drastically
changed round about and needs fresh ideas to survive the fierce competition.
Such organisations tend to be afraid of their own shadow or are much too
confident thus becoming too stringent in their internal controls or
development processes. What tends to happen is that the operatives feel
stifled, unappreciated and vulnerable. The working environment becomes a
drag, the organisation becomes impersonal, where people dread making
mistakes and thus fizzle out any new innovations. Creativity is effectively
killed. Many Zambian companies learnt the bitter lessons when the economy
was liberalised way back in 1992. Many fell by the wayside while the
strategic and sensitive organisations peeled off the bureaucratic tendencies
leading to strategic growth responses. Those that stood rigidly firm on the
onion like layered bureaucratic arrangement folded their bags not long after
that. To remain buoyant, an entity must chisel out a good learning curve so
97
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
that the organisation smoothly and efficiently adapts, mutates and transforms
itself into sustainably winning body.
98
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
things ground to a halt, what a tragedy! This extends to the nations too. Had
we more strategic leaders that peer into the future who effectively moved
around with a shared vision, perhaps our fortunes would have been far more
different and better. For now, we make do with what we have, if not
radically improve on it.
Over trading
In the quest to gain more ground in the market place, some organisation go
into an over drive that they cannot contain and in the process, this exertion
begins to eat away at the organisation’s fibre. In the initial stages, this is
insignificant and appears manageable but sooner or later, this apparently
small stream widens into an unmanageable river. Such organisations usually
end up in huge unsustainable debts that lead the organisation to death. In
short, over trading has to do with doing or taking on too much than can be
handled in the end leading to loss, dysfunction of systems break down.
∧
ZIMCO= Zambia Industrial Mining Corporation/company
FINDECO= Financial and Industrial Development Corporation
99
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
all competition from the outside world. There was no way it could have
survived when the liberalised economy came around. ZIMCO flourished in
its hey days because it had no competitor.
Dysfunctional teams
Most organisations have groups rather than teams. The former is evidenced
by high dependence on the manager who calls the shots and to some extent
stifles initiatives and creativity. In a group arrangement, people tend to focus
on their respective functional areas whereas in a team setting, every member
is concerned not only of their narrow turf but the overall corporate goal. In
all they do, they are cognizant of the overarching goal congruence and
ensure that all they do fits into the corporate strategy like hand in glove. In
other words, in a developed team, people interact, over lap and ensure the
objective is kept in view whereas, a group member ensures that their part is
well done and may not bother about the neighbour. As such, groups tend to
have more dysfunctional attributes because people do not care to know
whether they are appropriately contributing to the goal. This is where
“Tuchawa≅” thrive leading to antagonisms within the working group. In
well-adjusted teams, most of the team players are issue-focused
professionals who take delight when the goal is being reached. They
celebrate success corporately. Very few individual stars stand out in a team,
though in real terms, some are more outstanding than others.
The human body gives us an accurate picture of what an ideal team should
look like:
The bodyϒ
The human body is a marvel to watch. It is composed of two systems that
work simultaneously and harmoniously but independent of each other. One
is the autonomous system while the other is the semi autonomous system.
The autonomous system works independently of our conscious will through
out the organism life, never going on striking or deliberately malfunctioning.
Some of these autonomous functions include the circulatory system,
metabolism, cardiac activities and even the involuntary reflex actions. These
are incredibly dazzling functions! Think for a moment of the blood
components, how vast and beyond comprehension to the human mind!
Imagine the oxygen absorption and diffusion to the rest of the body! These
≅
“Tuchawa” refers to some maneuvers relational politicians use to get politically right and get what they
want.
ϒ
Refer to I Corinthians 12:12,14-26; Romans 12:4,5
100
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
functions are really amazing and caused the Psalmist to well up in praise
(Psalm 139).
When these two systems are combined (though operate independently), they
produce a complex system more than any state of the art super computer can
offer! The body is able to function, grow, learn, and respond to stimuli
through out life. Among these responses include defending the body from
invading pathogens, patching up, cell replication and the continuous learning
process. It has been heard that the body is able to automatically quarantine
an infected part of the body until the disease has been cleared. An example is
what happens when an infection invades the intestines. It is said that the
intestines will quickly quarantine that infected part while leaving a small
path way for other waste or digested food particles to pass, hence the septic
swelling in the intestinal area. These germs are effectively sealed off and
fought until the battle is won as evidenced by the puss. In the event of an
injury, say loss of a limb or blood vessel rapture, the body again
automatically repositions itself to compensate or mitigate the deficit. For
instance, if one loses an arm, the body will automatically seal off the wound
via the blood platelets, reconnect to the veins, thus completing the
circulatory system. In other organisms reportedly found in the deep oceans,
once a limb is cut, it regenerates and replaces the lost one almost
immediately.
101
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Information dearth
In a number of cases, organisations suffer from critical information dearth
upon which they can make informed strategic decisions. In this information
age, right and timely data as well as facts make a world of a difference other
wise the swifter entities carry the day. This information lack is as a result of
many things such as not being correctly positioned in information’s
pathway, poor networking, weak information capturing mechanism, weak
data analysis and interpretation tools, or a sheer disregard of the dynamic
nature of the global world. At other times, even internal factors can cause an
artificial information bottleneck as people deliberately hoard information or
mislead the decision makers. The sooner the communication network is
refined, the better the quality of decisions made in response to issues as well
as strategic positioning.
102
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
“Where there is no vision, people perish” so goes a saying from the Holy
Bible. Although seemingly a simple saying, it is none the less a pungent and
pregnant statement. One of the connotations this saying sends across is that
when people do not capture the vision, they are bound to keep questioning
and in some cases even oppose it! Further more, if you have an ambiguous
goal or vision, people become indifferent and do not devote themselves
sufficiently to that cause. Most often, they only go as far as you coerce them
and thereafter they take a commercial break without the slightest qualms.
Thus, the strategic leader does well to clearly chart the course and endeavour
have people buy into the vision who themselves will be qualified to carry on
the torch to the next level. Sadly, many organisations run aground with
outspoken leaders who trumpet their marvellous mouth watering strategy
that no one in their organisation understands or supports! This is a bad
indicator of imminent strategy demise. We do well to learn some life lessons
from the HIV organism as given below:
The HIV is an interesting organism from which the strategist can learn. It is
believed to be highly difficult to detect with the average conventional
machines in the first 12 weeks of its presence in the body√. Scientists tell us
that once the virus enters the body, it attaches itself to a white blood cell,
enters the cell nucleus and reprograms the DNA so that the cell begins to
replicate the defective cell at a rapid rate. By the time the body realizes that
an invasion has taken place, the body defence cells have been out numbered.
In effect, the virus destroys the body defence system. When people begin to
take ARV∧s to inhibit further defective cell replication, the viral load
reduces for some time but remains in the body never the less. Some have
asserted the viral load can so reduce to the extent that someone can even test
negative! But does that mean the person is well? Not at all, unless a miracle
has occurred! What actually happens is that the virus retreats to the
“Defence Cell factory” the bone marrow and other organs where no
medicine can reach. When the external environment becomes favourable or
the virus develops resistance to the drug (Usually after a five year cycle) ,
the virus makes its appearance once again to cause untold havoc. This
menace continues to the point a person dies.
√
Antibody test
∧
Anti Retro Viral drugs- These drugs inhibit further progression of virus replication by blocking some
processes in virus progression.
103
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
To date, over 25 years after its discovery (HIV), no tangible cure has
been found to combat this virus. Why should this be after many claims all
over the entire world? Well, according to the present information, the virus
keeps mutating, and here in lies its genius. If a vaccine is developed today,
the virus will have mutated tomorrow, rendering the medicine useless. There
appears to be a high level of sophistry in this virus to the extent that it
outwits the equally complex body. In a sense, that is how strategic
organizations and entities should be, always mutating and positioning
themselves in survival places. Progressively successful companies imitate
the human body system as well as the HIV elusiveness and sophistry. Such
organizations never die.
===============================================
Bibliography
Bellingham, Richard, Virtual teams: the manager’s pocket guide to, Jaico
Publishing house, 2003,
Blyth Mike, Garland Jean, AIDS is real and it’s in our Church, African
Christian Text books, 2003
104
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Wisconsin New York, New York San Francisco, California St. Louis,
Missouri
Dixon Patrick, THE TRUTH ABOUT AIDS: What you must know, what
105
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Mitroff I. Ian, Why some companies emerge stronger and better from a
2001
Tulgan Bruce, Recruiting the workforce of the future: the Manager’s pocket
guide, Jaico Publishing house, 2003.
United Nations, Basic facts about the United Nations, United Nations
Publications, 1995
106
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
107
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter Six
108
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
books do not fail to include the issue of TQM because it lies at the very core
of business success in the 21st Century. TQM has sometimes been called
“The silver bullet” as it is believed that if properly implemented, quality
efforts guarantee phenomenal profits, market share expansion and
unprecedented exponential business growth. Naturally, everyone is looking
for profit!
A plethora of TQM books sit on bookstore shelves across the world but few
stand out. Many authors deal with the pertinent issues that affect the modern
business of the 21st century. All that needs to be said about strategic
management is successfully delivered and clearly spelt out for any reader to
understand. One does not need to be a high profile Manager to grasp most of
the relayed TQM concepts.
Most authors acknowledge that TQM is not a ‘by the way’ thing but that it
lies at the very heart of the organisation. It is practically impossible to ignore
TQM today, bearing in mind that the customer is king and must be
continuously pleased if to remain in business.
⌠
James Brian Quinn as quoted by Certo & Peter, The strategic Management Process, pp6
109
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
All the above issues are addressed by a good strategy. Although this may be
true in a local scenario, today’s organisation must contend with the fact that
the world has become a ‘Global Village’ because what ever happens at one
point of the globe, affects the rest of the world. The ‘ripples reach every
shore line’. Deeply ingrained in this global village scenario is the need to
produce quality goods that satisfy the international consumer and ultimately
bring about product loyalty. Quality is then intertwined in all that is going to
be bought or sold. Strategic Management in an organisation operates in a
particular framework. It has been mentioned that global, quality and social
issues bombard the organisation from outside but there is need to mention
that the organisation has to function as an organism gathering information
and processing it to get a feedback. The Operations, Finance and Marketing
departments do this. The strategy crafting process among others, covers the
environment analysis, direction establishment and strategy formulation. The
strategy implementation and control are equally crucial. In an ideal situation,
the organisation should function like the human body, constantly agile and
mutating.
To achieve the above mentioned posture, the average entity goes through
various phases that include:
110
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
S: Strengths
W: Weaknesses
O: Opportunities
T: Threats
111
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
issues. (# 2 & 3 focus on the external threats and opportunities which the
entity has to either contend with or grab the lingering opportunities)
Other areas deal with establishing the organisational direction. After the
environmental analysis is completed, and the results determined, the logical
thing is to commence paving the way for the organisation, ‘Which way
forward?’ is probably the question echoing on many a mind at that stage. In
setting direction, three ingredients are commonly used and these are obvious
but for the sake of having a common understanding, it is prudent to clear the
path. The said attributes are:
1. Vision- this is a desired end in a more general sense. In other words, a
vision states goals and direction in broad terms. The question
probably at hand is ‘What are we up to?’ ‘What do we want to make?’
2. Mission-This is the purpose for which the organisation exists. Why is
the organisation here? What are the aims? These are but a few issues
addressed in the mission. Every company should have a statement,
which summarises the existence in capsule form. The mission
addresses those core values of the organisation without which the
company will have no reason to exist. Usually, the quality issue is
always slotted in the statement so that it acts as a powerful marketing
tool.
3. Objectives- this is the Vision in more specific terms. Here, the
specific target group to which the organisation directs its weight and
efforts are clearly brought to the fore. As the period unfolds, the
organisation is constantly asking whether it is meeting its objectives
or not. This is a good checkpoint or benchmark.
The 3 points above are the very heart of establishing Direction. Notice that
even here TQM finds a special place. The delivery systems must be in tip
top shape to sustain high quality…
112
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
the company with respect to the environment. For example, the advent of
customer sovereignty is encountered in the business level, the need to
improve all the time and yet to maintain goal congruence and innovation are
met within the functional and corporate levels. When the formulation has
taken place successfully, implementation is inevitable. The implementation
process is critical because that which has taken long to arrive at is now being
put into motion. Sadly, this stage is usually under valued or even overlooked
in many a process! We assert that more care is equally needed here too. A
number of stages are suggested to be taken into consideration as
implementation takes place:
When the formulation and implementation are well done, the next is to see
that this plan is working according to schedule and in line with the desires of
the strategy architects. The process at hand is dealt with under strategic
control and is slightly different from the traditional control we have in
ancient management practice. This is basically the monitoring, evaluation
and improving of activities. Continuous improvements or KAIZEN is
another buzzword in management circles. (Kaizen is a Japanese word, which
talks about continuous improvement of products and services) When control
is in place, it ensures that the organisation is kept on course all the time and
emergent strategies are imbibed at the right time and at the appropriate
levels. Control helps the strategic manager to achieve the organisational
113
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
goals. As can be seen, quality rears its head even here because continuous
improvement is hewn from TQM!
√
Billy Sichone
114
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Japanese or the Indians! The fellows are far too smart armed with
photographic memories and once they pass through, they will have carried
along all the technology with them! Could it be, as strongly believed in some
circles that these people have good mathematical heads while others do not?
We have no telling.
Another interesting story is told that the first world countries develop
technology valleys such as the Silicon valley where technological ideas are
hatched, harnessed, nurtured and improved upon. One country in Europe is
said to hire the best brains in the world to this facility on short term contracts
which they eventually fizzle out after they have sucked all the cutting edge
technology out of an individual. They ensure a native national supervises the
hottest wiz kid on the block, learn the ropes and eventually discard the poor
fellow! To keep some one on a high pay roll for two or so years is not easy
but what they get in return is ten fold what they “invested”. Let us discard
the mere tourist mentality and get down to serious business.
As earlier alluded to, TQM shines the brightest in this chapter. It sparkles in
almost every sentence. The Total quality issue has been around for some
time now. It first had its proponents in the late 1940s and 50s. Interestingly,
they were all Americans! The three Quality Gurus, as they are popularly
known are E.W. Deming, J. Juran and P. Crosby. All these propagated that
quality was the master key to market expansion, long before the American
Multinational giants realised. The first and foremost of these is Deming who
got his Bachelor’s degree from Wyoming University. He went further and
got his Doctorate from the Yale University. Thereafter, he used statistics in
the US weapon industry. After the Second World War, Deming went to
Japan to help the Japanese rise from the ashes after the Atomic bomb
disaster. He began to lecture leading to a successful quality indoctrination of
the natives. There has never been a turning back. The Japanese were initially
notoriously renowned for poor quality goods but after those power packed
and inspiring lectures, they began to improve quality. Deming went back to
America but was later recalled. This led the highest honour to be bestowed
upon him. All the while, the giant multinational titanic corporations were not
for a moment aware that the Japanese quality was making inroads into the
market. Deming proposed 14 points which, according to him, were to
guarantee success. The quality we see today is but a fully-grown tree of the
seeds sown by Deming. Juran was more or less a contemporary of Deming
except that he came slightly later. He too taught quality in all aspects of the
product. Like Deming, he was honoured as well with the highest medal in
115
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Total quality affects all areas of life today. If the quality is poor, the
company risks losing market share and eventual death! Countless academics
and authors have poured out huge TQM avalanches over the years showing
the importance in our days. Although many have heralded it as the grand
panacea, the TQM movement has not advanced unnoticed or unscathed.
Some think it is just a passing craze like other programs. Others have talked
a lot about it but have not internalised it into the organisation system so that
it virtually becomes invisible to the naked eye, because it is so ingrained
into the corporate work culture. By the same token, myriads have attended
workshops and courses but as soon as they got back to base, they closed
their files and continued as before. In many instances, the top leadership
does not seem to support TQM, while in other cases are too cost conscious,
or demand instant results. What they forget is that TQM takes time to
cultivate and results long term. It is a process. Thus, the Japanese are more
proficient because they have been at it for over four decades and their
cultural values support teamwork which has to be learnt by the
individualistic capitalists.
With time, the proud and static Americans realised the quality importance
and thus set up the Malcolm Baldridge prize in 1987 in a quest to boost
market dominance. It became law. Other standards like the ISO 9000 are
worth looking at. There are five standards in the ISO 9000 series but the
116
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
most frequently used are ISO 9001 to 9003〈. Many organisations demand
ISO certification if they are going to do business with any client. The ISO
9000 basically looks at the process used to produce goods. However, the
ISO 9 000, does not look at many other factors such as interpersonal
relationship, circumstances, attitudes and feelings. ISO focuses on processes.
The future organisation has no option but to revisit the quality standards and
also to apply for certification if they are to be key successful players on the
international market.
Having traversed the exciting quality landscape, one feels as though they
begin to descend from the mountaintop. They are at a ‘quality anticlimax,’
as it were. The other equally important strategic components include the
social responsibility and ethical considerations. The corporate social
responsibility issues (i.e. paying back to community by sponsoring contest,
rehabilitating clinic etc) orbit around whether a company should or not do
any social good, which is not directly linked to its main objectives. By that
token, there has been considerable debate over this in recent years. Some
think the benevolent acts belong to the state while others view it is a
corporate obligation as well as a powerful marketing tool. That said,
increasingly, more and more companies have opted for the benevolent and
marketing option. This double edged sword cuts down on tax and builds
corporate image
〈
These standards have to do with product and process quality standards. Specifically, ISO 9001- 9004
relates to quality management as well as systems. Various other standards exist for different industries. For
instance, the ISO 14000 series focuses on the environment. It is worth knowing your relevant standards
before you embark on the certification process.
∅
Jack Welch would rather focus on cash flow not balance sheet ‘The Jack Welch way”
117
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
decades to come but what is more important is to make TQM work for us
and not remain merely an ideology.
======================================================
Bibliography
Tuke Michael, “Success will go to the best able to manage change”, Banking
World, December 1989
118
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter Seven
Plane crash
“Where the super human fails to tick, TQM easily sails through” BS
119
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
diagnoses the problem and offers tangible solutions as this book does. Many
other authors also state that it is one thing to have a TQM program running
in the organisation but it is quite another to continuously score long after the
certification process has taken place. Hence, it is good to note that TQM is
no guaranteed universal panacea but an aid towards attaining the “silver
bullet” principles.
As we scan the TQM book plethora, it is fitting to reassert that the no book
provides a 100% full proof solution to organisational woes but they merely
contribute to the ultimate complex solution. As Brown et al and other TQM
gurus have rightly stated, the TQM remedial books do not attempt to supply
a magical answer for success, but rather, they provide useful information to
guide efforts so as to avoid a recurrence of similar pitfalls in future. This
author presupposes that the readers of this chapter by now know what TQM
is having somewhat dealt with it in the previous chapter. But just in case
some reader has not done their duty, we re-echo the question: TQM, what is
it? Well, TQM can be loosely described as that approach where the
procedures, processes and out comes of any activity are of the highest
quality with no defect at all◊. This presupposes that quality is integrated
within the system and activities need not be repeated. Doing something once
with all perfection is the goal thereby cutting costs and raising profit.
The TQM failure scan commences with the examination of the probable
reasons why organizations fail to kick start or take off during activation
stage. Start up includes the initial stages when the organization embarks on
TQM initiatives. Myriad stories abound of many companies that begun well
but alas fell by the wayside along the TQM path. Among the major reasons
for failure is basically lack of top management commitment. This is a
situation where management either does not support the initiatives at all
because some key people in the strategic orbs do not see the relevance or do
not believe in the importance of the same. Grand statements are proclaimed
in support of TQM but in practice there is clearly no commitment from the
top. In short, they do not buy into the concept. Progressively, this
indifference trickles down to all departments. Some early signs of such
indifference and lack of buying in includes the over scrutiny of any expense
related to the TQM process or a mere lip service without any firm
commitment to the process by the senior staff as well as the junior
operatives. Another sign is lack of deliberate awareness campaigns resulting
◊
Definition supplied by this author
120
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
But how do executives more vividly and specifically show that they are not
committed? The following signs immediately come to the fore:
1. When actions speak louder than words, they do not “live the talk” but
merely offer lip service to the initiatives without moving an inch to support
or denounce the moves.
2. When behaviour does not demonstrate commitment. For any quality effort
to succeed, it must be seen that the top executives believe, support and are
committed to the cause of that effort. Commitment is an intellectual
characteristic, a personal attribute that cannot be mandated or imposed from
outside. It is something you believe in and demonstrate in your practices.
The absence of this shows itself in the way the executives interact with
customers by not caring or minding the actual needs of the said people. This
manifests itself when the customer is not the moving cause of the continuous
quality strides. Further more, it shows itself with the time spent with
customers, the suppliers not considered as partners and the little time spent
on the shop floor. In addition, the time spent attending quality-related
education and training as well as permeating it to other organisational staff.
3. Lastly, when the executives seem to mind too much the amount of cash
spent so that the initiatives are implemented as “by the way” or scarcely
sustainably supported.
121
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
The second major reason for the dismal TQM performance in recent years is
the poor timing and pacing of the TQM implementation (Rapid strategy
obsolescence). Some companies, though well meaning, set sail upon the high
quality seas with all the momentum and robustness that can be marshalled
without counting the cost. They go to sea in a canoe instead of a Titanic ship
equivalent and thus sink just off the coast. The start up stage has ruined not a
few companies who have finally abandoned the entire project as a sheer
waste of time, unworkable and unrealistic. On the other hand, others have
not read the times as well as the pace of achieving goals against set
benchmarks. Complete change takes time and sometimes may take many
years to realise. As a known fact, change is often resisted and requires time,
tact, patience, perseverance, craft, smartness and a clear mind to effect major
paradigm shifts.
The third reason for TQM failure is when organizations waste education and
training, they do not tenaciously seize the opportunity, as it were. That aside,
although the organisation may engage in staff training, the value, quality,
122
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
The fourth reason is the lack of short term, bottom- line results where
companies are told to expect instant tangible full scale results in a short
term. Although TQM is long term in out look, yet the organisation must sow
quality seeds expectantly. They should watch out for and record any small
victories and successes. It is these small strides that compound to make the
bigger picture over time. In as much as we should not be overly expectant,
there is room for this so that the vision and momentum remain alive. Thus,
the organisation must focus more on process, not results, as the
organisations’ scarce resources are poured into the quality activities without
demonstrating results.
In a nutshell, the first phase illustrates the fact that people struggle to learn
about TQM and its principles. Early efforts generally involve implementing
quality improvement projects by using the tools and techniques of TQM.
•
Anonymous
123
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
term in nature. This should be done prior to undertaking upon the quality
initiatives.
124
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
7. Check the power structure, where does it lie exactly? Are your
employees empowered? Do they feel that they are equally important
stakeholders in these initiatives? Do they “own” the moves? If the power
lies only in the top brass and not shared, by way of teamwork, very little
will be achieved. Once teamwork is in place, the number of hierarchical
levels will be cut tremendously, as people learn to overlap and
complement one another. Some times, the actual power does not lie in the
formal office but in opinion leaders. Half the time however, power is
vested in a few people holding high offices. Also the structure which has
multiple onion like layers causes bureaucracy to encroach and build thus
reducing the organisational agility and flexibility. This detrimental status
militates against total quality attainment quest. Empowerment of
employees is crucial because as their competence is built, so also their
liberty and usefulness. Said differently, there is need to check the power
distance, minimize the layers and promote a community team spirit and
environment.
8. Review the current management crop and beliefs to ensure they are
relevant. Half the time in the past, there was the top-down kind of
approach to management where the top brass were miniature territorial
kings. In other words, the boss reigned supreme and passed all the
corporate laws and decisions without consulting anyone. Decision-
making was the private preserve of a select few. We have however
arrived at a stage where the managers are facilitators, change agents,
catalysts, mentors and coaches. From the “bossy” management approach
of yester-years, we have shifted to the strategic leadership approach to
management. Leaders are men or women who influence other people
towards a vision by moving them to unleash the latent and hidden
potential within them. By that token, Leaders are team players and trust
others.
9. Test the systems in place whether they are in perfect shape. Are they
sustainable? Do they leave any room for defects and errors to creep in?
Do the systems promote or hinder further development? Are they
appropriate and adequate? Every effort must be made to ensure that the
extant systems are in such a way as to ensure minimal defects. Thus,
quality must be built and integrated into the system so that when a
product or service is churned out, there will be no need of a redoing of
the same. In a nutshell, are the systems enabling or inhibiting operational
efficiency?
125
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Finally, as one peers into the TQM future, after all is said and done, it is
envisioned that TQM will graduate from being a mere buzz word to being
the main thing, having addressed all the tangible areas that affect the
organisation. All indications show that the future will demand quality in all
spheres. Thus far, the world has witnessed at least three revolutions, the
agriculture, the industrial and the mega technology revolution. Could we
safely assert that the quality revolution is yet another in the making? The 21st
Century organisation will only soar to higher heights of competitive
advantage only to the extent it flies on the swift and golden TQM wings.
126
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
you to spare no efforts in your quest to find, read and lay your hands on the
classic TQM resources as they could make the difference between your
fortune or doom.
Bibliography
Mark Brown, Hitchchock & Wilard,Why TQM fails and what to do about
it, Irwin, Inc., Burr Ridge, IL, 1994
Norton Bob, Testing for excellence in one week, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000
127
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter Eight
It beats logic to imagine that any country could remain in squalor even when
technology has made information transmission across the world possible
⇔
Bower, Bartlett, Uytherhoeven and Walton, Business Policy pp 92
128
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
The strategic organisation that surmounts all hurdles in the above painted
scenario must be an agile, consistent, lean, continuously learning, regular
environmental reader, adaptable and consistently responsive. This entails the
teams cohesively play the winning game as often as possible to the extent
that they instinctively know each others’ abilities, strengths and weaknesses
long before the competitive match begins. The coach should strategically
place people in the right spots poised to score. Further more, the
organisation must at all times have a well motivated staff cadre (internal
customers) who are equipped, activated and challenged, that will in turn
market the organisation where ever they go.
Having said the above, we re-echo that strategic thinking is not only good
but essential to the well being and survival of any entity. What is it that has
made corporations like Microsoft the near monopolies they are? At any one
given time, the organisation is many years ahead of its closest rivals and
consistently churns out new products in record time. The shared vision is
feverishly pursued until the work is done. But even after the triumph, some
research work still continues into new product areas. In addition, Microsoft
has the strong social responsibility ethic where it pays back to the
community what it gets and hence has a relatively good reputation despite
129
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
the relentless antitrust legal arsenals that buffet it from the restless
competitors. A recent case study showed something of the litigation battles
Microsoft has had to and will continue to wage. Look at the case study from
the Economist Magazine down loaded from the Internet some time ago.
One person has been at the helm of all this success, no other than the
venerable Bill Gates. This leader works relentlessly despite billions of US $
pouring into his account every second. He is a strategic leader whose highly
contagious enthusiasm works wonders. The write up shows some thing of
the man.
He suddenly appeared on the computer horizon and has been there ever
since. His name is Bill Gates, probably the richest and most influential man
on this terrestrial ball. At 14 he had a company and by age 35, was the Chief
Executive Officer and Chairman of the Goliath Microsoft Company, except
this time, this modern Goliath is apparently invincible on the computer
Market for now. Gates has sustained a powerful intense love for computers
from his youth days and has continued to improve his mastery in computer
software programmes and this has surely rubbed on to the company teams.
But from whence has Microsoft hailed and what has made it so powerful?
What has been the “silver bullet” and who have been the major key players?
For one thing, it is very clear that Bill has been at the helm of the Microsoft
success. He, along with Paul Allen, a childhood friend started the small and
little known company in 1975, having had a short stint with MITS in New
Mexico then proceeding to open up Microsoft. The early days were rather
rough because Microsoft was unknown in the computer forest where giants
like IBM reigned supreme. Armed with only three workers, knowledge and
determination, the company commenced business in New Mexico, later
moving to Bellevue, Washington. Slowly but surely, Microsoft found its feet
in the relatively new computer industry. Market positioning is a crucial
stage. Knowing that for Microsoft to be noticed, there was need to be
aligned to some big name, hence the choice to develop software programs
for IMB was hardly surprising, this being an excellent strategy. Having
noticed that many were more involved in hardware, Bill and Allen figured
that the Software would be the need of the future, what insight they had! As
Check Microsoft case study in Appendix 2 drawn from the internet
130
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
131
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Microsoft has stood out from the rest. These graduates are sharpened and
contribute brilliant ideas to the product development. Also, Gates has been
careful to hire only the right people with the appropriate acumen, expertise,
experience and must be “ Known quantities” equal to the task. The products,
by that token have been of continuously improving quality, much to the
pleasure of customers. As Microsoft has been becoming more complex, a
deliberate effort has been made to maintain a “small company” culture so
that the personal touch is not lost with time. Contact with customers is vital.
Whereas in the past, Microsoft only concentrated on churning out high
quality impeccable programs, it has also gone further to cater for
consultancy and customer service. This has been another plus.
All the above has been achieved by the fiery zeal and determination of
basically two men, Bill Gates and Paul Allen. These men, as earlier
intimated, worked closely together until Allen was taken ill in 1983. Gates
continued to herald the Microsoft torch which has shone brighter over the
years. Bill, possesses a peculiar simplicity about him that one cannot fail to
notice. He is self-assured, creative, energetic and intense. The CEO also has
a clear mind, insight into multiple issues and very daring too. When he is
about a task, he works feverishly and relentlessly until the mission is
accomplished. Software innovation is not for the fainthearted.
Determination, diligence and hard work marks him out from other Chief
executives. As one would expect, such a high profiled man is very
passionate and demanding until results are produced, most of the products
being time bound to keep a head start. The irony of it all is that this zest is
contagious because Bill gives as much individual attention as possible on e-
mail and other wise. He works closely with the developers and keenly
reviews everything they do. Together, they have been able to develop such
classic programs as MS-DOS, Word, Excel, Fortran, and PowerPoint. Apart
from these programs, other developments have been in the operating systems
and applications software, headed by Steve Ballman and Mike Maples
respectively. This team has fought computer “wild beasts” and triumphed!
Furthermore, Bill has continued to champion the development of other
multimedia software programs. This man in particular has been highly
inspirational and sensational, ideas never cease to flow out of that mind!
Now that Microsoft is unquestionably the most powerful organisation in the
computer software industry, many problems have begun to buffet it, which
the Gates administration have and will wrestle with. That Microsoft is and
will be the foremost software giant in the 21st Century is beyond doubt, but
to maintain that leadership is quite another hustle. For one thing, there is a
general feeling that the organisation is fast losing the “small company”
132
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
culture due to its complex nature. Although vigorous efforts have been made
to resist this decay, change is inevitable, unless the company is fragmented
into smaller units. The said complexity means that the company by bits loses
the fluidity, agility and the “family-ness” of the entire organisation. Time
was when Bill knew every one by name but with a nearly 14,000 workers
world wide, it is practically impossible to know every one. Closely akin to
the afore mentioned is the slow but sure increase of people who do not really
identify with the initial passion, intensity, sacrifice, team work, high quality
output and the continuous improvement goals that engulfed the forerunners
to the present Microsoft. Today, it is feared, many join Microsoft with the
self-gain motive rather than the love for the job as well as longing to see new
products churned out, far ahead of any competitor. Continued growth and
complexity has meant that the single Redmond campus has proved
inadequate. There is need to expand and probably explore other sites
although this will lead to a further “unity” disintegration in the sense that the
pace of development will not be uniform. Saliently, more professionals have
had to be hired as well as train staff within. This is no mean task at all.
Furthermore, the popularity of Microsoft programs has far outstripped the
ability to satisfy the demand. Today, it is unthinkable to imagine a computer
without the Microsoft programs, as the integrated operating and application
programs are literary on every computer! This has led to a situation where
even the newly introduced consulting and customer user services are far not
equal to the demand. All these are business opportunities lost.
If I were asked to advise Bill Gates on what to do to remain buoyant, I
would suggest the following:
1. It is good that Gates has acknowledged that Microsoft is no longer the
same as in those formative years. It is far more complex and naturally the
centre of attraction World over. Thanks to his accurate foresight, Bill
acted prudently long before hand in appointing Shirley and then Michael
Hallman as COO. But Gates should do this more often as need arises
long before slothfulness creeps in and solidifies.
2. Bill should continue to be strategic in approach while Hallman focuses
on operations, ensuring corporate agility.
3. There is need to sharpen the customer sensitivity needs and to be as
personal as possible.
4. Innovations and niches must continuously be explored. This means that
Microsoft must not rest on its laurels but strive to be the trendsetter,
where rivals find it difficult to copy. They must have a satellite approach
where information is shared freely and quickly sent across the entire
organisation.
133
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
5. Quality must run in all spheres of the organisation and products. The
service must be speedy, timely, personal and customer satisfying. The
products also must be excellent, always adding new features.
6. Every person joining the corporation must be a team player and have a
similar passion for high quality and continuous product innovation. These
traits must not be trifled with nor treated lightly.
7. In an extreme case, where Microsoft becomes too big to be governable, it
must be split into small units. This is a very sensitive line to tow though.
8. Training of staff must be stepped up more vigorously than hitherto, so
that they are inculcated into the company culture. Initial comprehensive
orientation is key.
9. Effective communication is a must, more than ever before. Management
by exception is becoming a must but this should not compromise detail
and meticulousness.
10. The right information must be on hand all the time. As we know, one can
have all the money but without information, all efforts are endangered
because of the rapidly changing environment. Time and opportunity can
only be redeemed when the correct information is at hand. This
information is very crucial for strategic decision making. Also, everyone
in the organisation must know what is going on at any time and no one
relegated to the “information vacuum”. This tends to make people feel
left out and as such, they will not put in their best due to lack of the same
goal empathy.
11. Aggressive and constantly refined marketing strategies must be put in
place.
12. Diversification is a welcome option where possible, but ensures that the
core values of the company are preserved and enhanced. More computer
accessories can be developed as well as an expansion of the present
consultancy and customer services.
13. Give incentives to those who bring in excellent product innovations that
are viable.
14. Continue to hire “Known quantities” that have the same corporate goals
as Microsoft. Having qualifications is one thing but being a team player
is quite another issue.
15. Watch the market meticulously, and “benchmark” backward to ensure
that the nearest rival does not get too close. Further, watch out for those
unknown entities that might come up and undercut Microsoft. Recall that
Microsoft itself was once a start up feeble company compared to the
giants like IBM. The picture is entirely altered today because the “Big
brother” despised and ignored the once “non entities” like Microsoft. Due
134
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
to its size and power, it felt secure. Frequent market research and “market
reading” are crucial, remembering that rivals are always prowling around
looking for an opportunity to seize.
16. Watch out for bureaucracy that has crippled many powerful
organisations. This “vice” tends to slow down the development pace and
corporate agility. The company structure must be kept as “flat” as
possible, meaning that although a defined and organised structure should
be in place, the layers must be kept at a minimum.
17. Keep information as secure as possible. Developmental secrets must not
be leaked to anyone or else rivals will pick them and outdo Microsoft.
This means information must be classified and accessibility restricted to a
few. This must be clearly explained to all employees that the issue at
hand is strategic rather than mistrust but a strategic move.
As Microsoft hurtles into the 21st century, and observing the above points,
we are not afraid of the results. Let those who try to compete with Microsoft
do as they please, we have the powerfully innovative and strategic Bill Gates
team, and as such, we can safely rest our case!
Questions still linger whether this titanic company will continue to hold the
computer world at ransom and for how long.
In Zambia, most of the companies are in their infancy but a company like the
Guardian Motors remains by far one of the most powerful and advanced
organisations with practically no cash flow hiccups having refined its
strategies over many years. Enterprise goes with innovative strategic
thinking.
⊥
Executive Excellence, April 1999. In other words, strategy is non negotiable. Where it seems to have
failed, perhaps what is needed is to refine the processes, be abit more aggressive, find out where the
customers are and even revise the methods relating to strategic formulation, identification and
implementation. In addition, the organization must get closer to the customer so as to be a customer driven
entity. Want of these attributes in many teams has led to mass organizational funeral processions to the
corporate bone yard.
135
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Corporate Regeneration
136
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
A few years ago, General Motors was by far the most powerful, influential
and successful organisation in the Motor industry. By all standards, no other
company could compare its market dominance, size or financial muscle! By
that token, General Motors (GM) bathed in its glory for generations. It is
now well over ninety years old, which record is rare to have in these
turbulent and competitive times. To be around for such a long time is one
thing but to maintain market leadership is quite another experience. Many
companies have shot up like meteorites and disappeared as fast as they
came. This has not been the case with GM because it was the champion for
many decades. How ever, GM has not had it easy lately. It had a crisis in
1992 when it recorded a net loss of $ 5 billion! Stuck at cross roads and any
decision made was definitely going to affect the future of the company, the
organization had to salvage itself. But what led to this crisis? Why is GM
transforming today? The April 1999 Executive Excellence magazine gives
useful hints as to where GM went wrong and what it is doing today to rectify
the past pitfalls. The following, among many, are some of the reasons why
GM nearly collapsed without realising:
137
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
All the above led to the crisis of 1992 because the environment had
drastically changed over the years while GM remained static like a
monument. As earlier intimated, the Japanese entered the Motor Market with
superior quality products which ultimately under cut GM`s market
dominance. By 1991, the Japanese had triumphed already!
138
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
GM went full throttle and implemented the survival strategies. Since the
company is big and complex, it has not been easy to steer it back to
leadership in the industry but the said company has scored many successes,
some of them unprecedented. The sales have gone up while the market loss
rate has reduced. The profits have shot up once again. From a net loss of $ 5
billion in 1992, to a net profit of $ 2.3 billion in 1997, is unprecedented. In
just five years, the titanic company is being steered to safety and is
definitely going to avoid the iceberg! As earlier intimated, GM is in top
drive to recovery though a few impediments still linger in the way. The
President, John F Smith, is optimistic that his organization will surmount
all the hurdles because signs of new life are clear for all to see. For example,
the company will introduce 23 new cars and Trucks within three years.
Now, this is speed indeed!
Among the major concerns is the fact that GM is still the High cost vehicle
producer in North America. In this environmentally conscious age,
pollution matters are unavoidable. A pollution free motor vehicle is a big
plus and as such, GM is vigorously exploring new options in that direction.
That not with standing, the important thing is that GM is on the right track
having thrown away the relics of the past that made it rest on its laurels. It is
gratifying to note that GM is determined to have agility and speed as its
hallmarks. In all these efforts, TQM lies at the heart or else the giant will
tumble and die!
The market leader of the 21st century must take heed of GM`s mistakes and
sail to safety while the `Market dominance day` is yet young.
139
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Thirdly, strategy helps the organisation count its “foot soldiers” to respond
appropriately. Strategy has a way of forcing organisations and individuals to
realistically and objectively examine themselves. They are brutally honest
with themselves and as such know their limiting factors, what to do and
when. In addition, strategy enables an organisation to stop in its tracks,
perform a retrospective and introspective scan, put the meagre resources in
the right place and move at an ideal pace. Failure to do this often results in
corporate obesity, over trading or serious inefficiencies that translate into
high overheads as well as serious losses. In as much as we should
ambitiously attempt great things, it is none the less prudent to know your
strengths and weaknesses. In that way, you know what to do in case of any
eventuality. Know where to look at a glace to get the current big picture.
Fourthly and closely connected to the previous point, strategy enables any
organisations avoid all extremes that slow it down in the highly competitive
global economy. Red tape, bureaucracy or loss of focus will be a thing of
the past once an organisation develops a well-trained strategic eye.
Admittedly, strategy is a means to an end, not the end in itself, but it none
the less does help chart the direction in the most efficient and cost effective
manner. Coupled with the best strategic ideas, there must be a will to
pragmatically get things done other wise all is a waste of thinking time. Due
to this weak strategic eye, many parastatal companies grew obese and
eventually had a bloated workforce giving a false impression of a low
national unemployment rate. Actually, most companies became liabilities
rather than assets to the government surviving on subsidies as such failed to
profitably sustain themselves after the stream ran dry in the early nineties. It
still remains a (good though!) paradox though that the ZANACO has
remained consistently highly profitable despite all the changes, perhaps
because the government deposited all its cash there. It therefore puzzles
every right thinking person why the new dealers flogged (sold) the Bank at
the end of 2006.
For another reason, strategy helps anticipate trends, for early and correct
positioning. In a dynamic world, change is inevitable and cannot be
precisely predicted for sure but one thing is sure, change is the norm. Thus,
strategy enables, to a great degree, a firm to read the writing on the wall and
proactively re-position itself. The organisation develops unique abilities to
factor in allowances for change so that they quickly and timeously mutate
with the times. As earlier intimated, bigots rarely make a mark on their
140
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
generation and are soon forgotten as soon as they leave the centre stage. Not
so the strategic, they remain fresh and relevant for many years on. Religious
organisations and other societies must especially take heed to this point.
Other businesses such as Post offices, Cinemas etc need to read the times,
tastes and preferences of people and prudently proactively position
themselves. It warmed this writer’s heart to note how the once crippled Zam
Post begin to network, link up and diversify its product offering in the light
of the PTC demise in the nineteen nineties. As yet, most Zambians still use
the regular Post box and for a season will continue unlike in the western
world where people have mutated to largely using the internet. For the Zam
Post, it is time to prepare for the “rainy day” ahead. Another interesting
contrast is the lamia (Land line) versus the cell phone. The large fixed
landline telephone booth looks really archaic against the flashy cell phone
forcing the former out of business, at least in the developed world….
In the sixth place, strategy assists in major decision making relating to the
future, product life, diversification, training needs etc. As mentioned in the
previous point, strategy powers an organisation to make firm decisions
timorously and then hurtle along to implement while the window of
opportunity still lingers. Many wait too long and thus make the right
decisions at the wrong time. More than making present decisions, strategic
entities always have an eye to the future. Akin to an eagle’s eye, the
organisation has the bigger picture in view, peers into the future and curves
the right steps towards that strategic future. A strategy dearth leads to
serious blunders that cost millions of dollars and in some extreme cases
company mortality. Right strategy gives indicators when to make a move,
mutate, apply emergent remedial shifts, diversify, disinvest, invest,
outsource or enter strategic alliances. The said organic strategy has inbuilt
mechanisms that enable it to benchmark itself.
141
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
the now chronic leadership dearth that has plagued the nation. It has been in
“auto pilot” as it were! We are yet to elect the correct strategic leadership to
steer the country to the Promised Land. The author was intrigued to hear a
Zambian Economics PhD casually remark that Zambia had amazingly been
on “auto pilot” for many years and risked breaking apart due to persistent
mediocre leadership choices the country has had to bear with. He terribly
lamented and I believe he was not alone.
Lastly, the right strategy helps identify the opportunities for potential market
share expansion. As the strategy is crafted, it takes into account the situation
before, during and the potential after effects obtaining in the environment in
which the organisation’s lot is found. The well-orbed strategy sharpens the
focus on the right things, sensitizes the opportunity sense antennae as well
as broadens the mind to think within, without and beyond the box.
======================================================
Bibliography
142
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
City Milan Montreal New Delhi Santiago Seoul Singapore Sydney Taipei
Toronto
143
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter Nine
Executive Excellence
For any entity to succeed, regardless of its size, shape or location, to a large
extent, the critical component is right leadership, yea, strategic leadership.
This breed of strategic leaders is extremely rare and far between but must be
found at all costs. It is not enough to have the right academic qualifications
or status. It is not enough to have a huge financial muscle either but what
counts is the strategic instinct and meticulous eagle’s eye that proactively
sees opportunities, dangers and challenges from afar. The eagle flies in the
higher orbs of the sky and is able to get a broader bird’s eye view over a
wider given area while keeping a special eye towards its target. As it glides
in the sky, it is able to make intelligent calculations, estimations and
decisions based on what it sees in relation to all the parameters surrounding
its target. Further, as it zeros in on the object, the eagle is single minded and
yet remains alert to any eventuality that might occur in its descent flight. In
case Murphy’s LawΕ rears its ugly head, the eagle swiftly and drastically
changes course and climbs up to the skies for another try or change of plan.
In a similar fashion, the strategic manager is one that has what it takes. Akin
to the eagle, s/he has the whole picture in view, considers all parameters and
heads for the bulls’ eye. In other words, the strategic manager does not rest
in the generals but sets the target and then assembles the details on how to
reach the intended goal. Put differently, the strategist does not only have the
knowledge but the ability to turn ideas into reality. Strategic leaders
generally are dreamers who while realistically bearing in mind all factors,
Ε
This law has been coined to denote unexpected sudden occurrence of something to disturb the smooth
operations of a plan. This phrase has been used in the aviation industry.
144
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
forge ahead to turn their hope to reality. They draw tangibles out of the
intangible. Further, they think way out of the box in any given situation. The
said person does not only rely on age old formulas or procedures to get the
job done but constantly scans for newer, better and cheaper ways to get
things done. While others are using blunt axes, the strategist sharpens his for
five hours and cuts the tree within the next hour. The ideal manager is a
continuous thinker who goes beyond the analysis paralysis casket. In
addition, the post-modern strategist is consistently learning and reaps
valuable lessons from the past for future application. The past acts as a
learning point as well as a planning base to turbo the entity into the proactive
mode. For instance, we have heard of certain Managers who seem to possess
an unusual ability to handle pressure and still come out at the top of the list.
The author once worked with a leader who was in the habit of doing
different things while other managers were engrossed in the annual program
budgeting process. The friends would have a clear head start by about two
weeks but as the dead line drew closer, that manager would galvanise all his
resources, do the job and beat the deadline far ahead of all others! This used
to stun a lot of people including this author. What was the secret? The
answer is given in part by Stephen Covey in his monumental book “The
seven habits of highly effective people”. Covey advances the idea that the
quickest way to cut a tree is to spend five hours sharpening the axe and then
felling the log without much ado in the sixth hour. Those that do not bother
to sharpen the axe spend the entire six hours sweating it out and not
probably do a good job. We learn that before undertaking any task, it is
prudent to spend much time in preparing and planning so that at one swipe,
the mighty tree tumbles to the ground. Strategic Managers are always
proactive in outlook, smart and extremely hard working.
The strategic leader is never a solo operator but builds strategic alliances
with many other stake holders such as local team members, information
hubs including the internet, friends and all people s/he wants to serve.
Bigoted and self-centred Managers rarely go far or achieve much. There are
exceptional cases though but it is almost certain that after the person has
been ejected by either death or job loss, there is no continuity because no
operating framework and enabling environment bequeathed. The author has
met certain highly successful but egocentric business people who at their
death owned half the town’s assets but as soon as the last shovel was put on
their grave, their legacy business empire instantly crumbled. The family
members turned against each other and literary tore down the empire. All
reason is suspended for a season as the family runs amok as though some
145
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Thus, we can safely say on this point that it is not enough to have money,
intellect, status, position to be an achiever, you need to have extra ingredient
called leadership for you to turn a vision into reality. Leaders visualise and
146
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Scan the Zambian business horizon, how many are leaders? As earlier
intimated, I fear most are bosses rather than leaders. It is not the well
managed but led organisations that ultimately triumph in the turbulent
market place.
147
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
CK
The camp was the biggest on record with 345 kids and only 12 leaders. Yet
Twandi, the camp chief then ensured the camp successfully took place
incident free. Today, CK is CEO of a small but budding organisation with
global connections called the CK scientific group. The man flies the world in
his own unique orbit, though barely 33 years old (2005).
The rest of us have picked on other trades befitting our strengths. I am an
operations guy in a high profile NGO but still hoping to manage a company
some day. Twandi is a lecturer, commands respect and attempts small
businesses. Peter Mulenga is a middle management bank executive, pursing
legal studies.
In a few words:
1. CK is a strategic leader, eloquent speaker and thinker.
2. Twandi is an astute manager, teacher, coach and wise.
3. I am an academician, preacher and operations person.
4. Peter is a corporate manager and a great legal mind.
Legacy tests leadership quality. The acid test for one’s leadership is what
they bequeath after they have worked their way out of or have left the
previous position. Many people brag about having been extremely
successful in achieving things but upon evaluating their legacy, it is apparent
that their work did not live beyond them. Things seem to have crumbled and
halted after their exit. In fact, many an African leader feels extremely
pleased when things fall apart after they leave because this, to them, proves
their indispensability. But true leadership begets other leaders and ensures
continuity long after the leader has left the podium. In the case quoted
above, when we have all gravitated to other stations in life things should
have continued to properly function. But then, our leadership quality should
be tested largely by our legacy, of what standard it is. Is the next generation
sufficiently empowered to carry the torch a mile further, or are they left
148
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
1
Coined by the author to denote chronic bureaucracy
149
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
The 21st century business leader has a unique clout and acumen for business,
always forward looking and a few steps ahead of his/her peers. The said
person glides high above team mates looking far ahead akin to the sharp-
eyed eagle and yet strategically keeps in touch with the team. By that token,
s/he sees danger and opportunities long before the team mates do. Thus, the
person has a clear vision, goal, contagious zeal, resilience, integrity and
determination to achieve the near impossible with the human eye. Some
migratory birds like the Canada geese are believed to use the earth’s
magnetic field/pull to navigate and plan the migration route. No wonder they
scarcely miss the mark. Sadly, many Managers’ thinking is encased in a box
and cannot think outside or beyond the box nor read the dynamic
environment in which the organisation operates. As a student, the author
once interviewed an executive about the potential competition from new
market entrants, threatening the organisation. The response was stunning.
First, that person was baffled at the question because as far as he could see,
their company was by far the greatest in Zambia and by that token
invincible! That was serious myopic thinking indeed.
To the contrary, the strategic leader sets benchmarks and endeavours to
surmount them whilst leaving room for emergent strategies. S/he envisions
and sees clearly where the organisation has been, is and hopes to go, both in
the long and short term period. A shared Vision culture is nurtured, as it
were.
NASA
Momentus occasion, Neil Amstrong on the lunar surface
150
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Interestingly, the US govt that year also had a budget/GDP surplusθ for the
first time in nine years. Further, within a space of five short years that
followed, 17 American astronauts (why not coin them ‘Lunarnauts’, to
distinguish them from the regular astronauts?) walked the surface of the
moon. Kennedy himself never lived to see his dream come to pass but it was
actualised almost six years after his tragic assassination. That is visionary
leadership! Indeed, as some one has aptly quipped, “the vision outlives the
visionary.”
5. Self confidence
If there is one mark that should characterise a leader, it is confidence in
whatever s/he undertakes. Scanning the galaxy of the most effective leaders
over the fame horizon, this is one silver lining that passes through all of
them as though they were bred from the same mother. For instance, look at
the late Ronald Reagan, once President of the United States. He succeeded
to a large extent due to his confidence and composure. A frail and
unconvinced look does a lot to cripple the worthy cause advocate. Put
differently, the leader is optimistic from the start and keeps the fire burning
through out the contention period. On the Zambian scene, Fredrick Chiluba
was by far more confident and eloquent than Kenneth Kaunda (though KK
was confident) or Levy Mwanawasa. Their characters are worlds apart with
θ
Refer to the book, “Business” by Pride, Hughes and Kapoor pp 15. Could it be that the USA (NASA) was
busy spending huge sums on the prior space programs such as the Gemini and Apollo 1-10 missions?
Perhaps it was on the arms race including the 1962 missile stand off between the USA and
Communist/Socialist Cuba
151
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
one carrying a sinister laugh practically difficult to predict while the others
uncontrollably throwing tantrums all over the place. I am sure all the
cockroaches must have vanished from State house soon after the latter
character assumed the mantle.
Let us take note here that when confidence is mentioned, we do not mean
one who is loud mouthed, noisy, nosy or obstinately bigoted and proud.
Neither do we propagate the fact myth that all eloquent people are right, then
Chiluba, Bush and Blair would be good men. Many confuse confidence with
pomp and show. Mr Facing both ways and hesitancy are clone twins to be
avoided at all costs.
152
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
153
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
9. High integrity
This is the leaders’ hallmark if they are to draw proper loyalty, motivation
and support from the team members. The integrity levels matter much in that
they cause who ever is dealing with the selfsame leaders to either
wholeheartedly believe the speaker or simply dismiss them. If a leader is
morally bankrupt or weak in some principle areas, they cause people to
suspect rather than support them fully. Corrupt leaders rarely have a genuine
loyal following because when those corrupt practices that generate apparent
wealth are caged, then the followers scamper in all sorts of directions.
Successive African national leaders sadly have suffered from this vice.
There are exceptions to the rule though such as Mwai Kibaki of Kenya (as at
2007) who has clearly displayed unique prowess to change the face of
Kenya, no wonder nearly 98% of Kenya’s budget is financed from within in
a space of only three years! Sadly, the Zambian Presidents have been liars at
times. The constitution adoption process, ZANACO sale and Kashiwa
Bulaya suspicious nolle come to mind. In the NGO world, financial integrity
is critical. In many ways than one, it does not matter how one lives morally
as long as the cash and organisational goodwill remain untainted.
154
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
properly positioned. Suggested ways to practically build teams are dealt with
in the People Management chapter.
1
Coined by this author
155
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
156
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
mediocre quality half complete jobs, but rather, see the bigger picture and
ensure they take the best route towards that end. Visionary leaders are not
quitters but finishers once they embark on a task.
157
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
at anytime unlike the sober, mature, steady leaders that objectively handle
issues.
158
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Another trait under this head is the aspect of talent nurturing and succession
planning. By the time the leader leaves the podium, s/he ensures that they
have a pool of potential successors as well as people whose talents have
been developed to the highest levels possible. Talent management is a
missing ingredient in today’s companies. No wonder most of the people
being churned out of our Colleges and Universities have weak skills, low
competence and a withered talent base. Creativity and imagination will have
been long stifled by various factors by the time the students graduate and
must relearn when they get a job. That is where the leader has to ensure they
get it right, detect potential and immediately begin the nurturing process.
True leaders beget other leaders.
As told by Dr John Maxwell in his monumental series, 21 irrefutable laws of leadership tapes and CDs. I
recommend these to you.
159
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
calculate 200 million moves per second against Kasparov’s two. Although it
beat him in the first game, he went ahead and beat it in the subsequent
games. We learn a lesson here, it is not the number of moves in a second but
the quality of each move, no matter how few. In fact, astute strategists
specialise in few but high yield lethal moves. In another sense, one must
have the ideas crystal clear in the minds’ chessboard. Apart from the moves,
there must be strong will and settled resolve to win. Go on the pitch, as
mentioned earlier, as though you have already won. Kalusha Bwalya was
once fondly called “Lwisha” because they man would not just give up until
the final whistle blew. Athletes tell us that half the race is won in the mind, a
determined resolve indeed. Leaders always think, dream, drink, and relish
winning. The apostle Paul was one such leader that was all out to succeed.
When ever he travelled places, he had one firm conviction that he would
succeed despite the hurdles and odds. He was a resolute mortal (I
Corinthians 2:2)
160
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Phrase supplied by the author.
_
Check the Post newspapers of 9/12/2005 and much earlier. Suicide is much more common in Zambia than
at any other time. Could it be that the reported cases have just shot up or it results from hopelessness or
human sacrifices dangerously lingering in many Zambian lives? We have no telling but can only speculate
for now
161
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
their leader where ever they go. The leader must endeavour to pass on vital
competencies to his teammates so that they (colleagues) are empowered with
life skills far beyond the job related skills. This may include the private life
though due respect must be accorded. In fact, the right leader naturally
attracts people’s confidence where people voluntarily consult them on many
affairs. Leadership is about people management and influence.
162
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
success armour to his young disciple, who has proved himself as his own
man too. Time and space eludes us to talk about Kangwa, Musonda,
Lishomo and the vast array of unwritten financial giants of our day. The take
home lesson for this point is that astute strategists have rare network and
linkage abilities that propel them to higher orbs.
163
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
164
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
to continue operating seamlessly around the world, there must be some kind
of leadership exhibited at every stage otherwise nothing would be done and
the world would curve in. These researchers surmise that heroes are found
literary every where in life, what differs is just their calling and position in
life. For instance, for a church to be well run, good leadership is key, though
the same may have only ten faithful and diligent members with a shared goal
and passion. This view is frowned upon by other thinkers. But we add our
voice and agree that true leadership is at different levels as long as some one
is following the other.
165
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
assignment arenas. The strategist is basically one that peers into the future
and proactively formulates tangible pragmatic ways to avert danger helping
the organization turbo to unique higher orbs. Take for example, the founders
of the McDonalds food chain. It is said that the two brothers were dedicated
strategists and excellent Managers in their own right but failed to expand
their powerful brand to global levels, why? The reason probably is that the
critical leadership ingredient was missing that emboldens one to set a goal
and unflinchingly hurl oneself towards it. Leaders, by their nature, are goal
getters. The two brothers had what it takes to originate, plan, innovate,
suggest new ideas, strategize and set trends yet they lacked the necessary
critical leadership drive. Until they disposed off 100% of their share holding
and patent rights to another more versatile leader, only then did the
organization exponentially explode. In no time, it had shops dotted all over
the United States landscape. Today, if the original MacDonald brothers were
to resurrect, they would marvel in disbelief at what their original creation
has turned out to be. In one sense, they would be pleased that their creation
has lived on beyond them. In another sense, they would envy the one who
propelled it further by his resolute mettle. That is how life is, with its
winding, meandering twists.
From the brief story above it is apparent that a strategist is not necessarily a
leader, let alone a manager.
166
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
times
A think tank, critical Restricted to standards Influences and inspires
reasoner & processes people
Analytical & good More focused on the Originates ideas quickly
planner standards, processes and actualizes them
and deadlines
Articulate and constant Usually inflexible Intuitive and a good
reader of the times broad thinker
Thinks outside and Scope limited to work Flexible
beyond the box area, Job description
Objective and Delegates High integrity
independent
Largely theoretical and Coordinates Moral energy, passion
can give many potential to pursue something
strategic futures…good
simulator
Often operates in the Result oriented,
proactive mode akin to energetic and drive
Covey’s quadrant II
theory
Creative and innovative Selfless and sacrificial,
Empathiser rather than
sympathiser
Deep perception Willing to think and
prowess live outside the box
Systems thinker A constant learner
(SCQARE) logical
mindset
Methodical & Good human relations
Technical and communicator
skills
Usually Philanthropic
Empathetic and
pragmatic
Team player and Play
maker
Coach & mentor, team
player
Avid reader and life
167
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
long student
Macro view to things Micro view to things Both Macro and micro
view to things
Scanning the Zambian grave landscape, many dreams lie buried underneath
those burial grounds. While they lived, people had great plans, strategies and
hopes when death suddenly visited them. I bet most of those strategies were
incubated in the secure brain catacombs for years but never got activated.
Zambians are generally oral traditionalists who will not take time to
document or pass on documentary evidence to the next generation. Great
dreams die with them. Ironically, Zambians are known to conceptualise
amazing things once in a foreign land that they do not do at home! I have
here the galaxy of distinguished professors, PhDs and sports people littered
all over the globe whose profiles very few would equal. At this time, names
like Professor Clive Chirwa (Bolton University chair) who was part of the
latest Air bus A380 design, Professor Michelo Hansungule, a legal expert in
South Africa, Dr Owen Sichone in South Africa, Professor Mweene at
NASA, Professor Fackson Banda, Professor Muna Ndula, Late Professor
Kasoma, late Professor Lameck Goma and many other distinguished
academics flow through my mind. These would have turned Zambia upside
down in a day but as things stand, the scarecrow chimuntu management has
driven them all away. But that is not all, we have (and have had) world class
sports people which include the likes of the legendary Godfrey Chitalu, Fred
Mwila, Alex Chola, Charles Musonda, Kalusha Bwalya, Samuel Matete,
Simutowe, Late Lottie Mwale, Late Chisanda Mutti and more recently,
Collins Mbesuma and Esther Phiri. Among many other firebrands include
the daring Nchito brothers, Peter Zuze, late Richard Ngenda, late visionary
Dean Mungomba, fiery Lucy Sichone, the great King Lewanika, hard
working Constain Chilala, late Professor Alfred Chanda and the list goes on.
If all these were galvanized while in their prime and placed in the right
places, what a different landscape would ensue! The tragedy is that
Zambians are merely excellent strategic planners but poor implementers and
managers. Tragically, the environment created by politicians is unattractive
resulting in the unprecedented brain drain. For some reasons, things don’t
get done at the right time giving mediocre output. Zambians repeatedly do a
job before it actually is finally fixed, thus wasting the meagre resources.
Furthermore, Zambians lack the determination, drive, self-confidence and
possess a weak and flagging momentum. Any perceived obstacle cracks the
motivational spirit. But true leader-strategists grow bolder and stronger as
168
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
the bar gets higher. As Beatty and Hughes have said in their classic book,
“Becoming a strategic leader…,” in many an entity, the missing piece is
strategic leadership in order to guarantee an entity’s enduring progressive
and successful going concern posture. Zambia needs more than just day to
day ordinary operational leadership. It desperately needs fiery and highly
turbo charged strategic leadership to more than just chart the course but offer
direction to ensure the target is hit while the next bench mark is already in
view. Strategic leaders always continuously hit new frontiers and never rest
until the work is done. Once one target is reached, it means new work needs
to be done so as to maintain a strategic lead, ahead of other potential
competitors. What type of person are you? We hurtle along to consider
strategic instincts development, stay with us!
======================================================
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Andrews J.R, George Whitefield, Barbour and Company, Inc. New Jersey,
1990
Benjamin Todd, Dolle Guy, Learning to be a team player, CNN, May 30th,
2005
Blanchard Ken, The leadership pill, Marc Muchnick Free Press New York.
London. Toronto. Sydney. Singapore 1996
Bridges Charles, The Christian Ministry: with an enquiry into the causes of
its inefficiency, The Banner of Truth Trust edition, 1959
169
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Carson Benjamin, Gifted hands: The Ben Carson story, Zondervan, 1990,
USA
Covey Stephen, Seven habits of highly effective people, Simon & Schuster
170
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Iverson ken, Plain Talk, John Wiley & sons Inc, 1998
Lawson George, The life of Joseph, The banner of Truth trust, 1972
Morris M. Henry, Many infallible proofs: evidences for the Christian faith,
Master books, 1974
Noll Mark, The rise of evangelicalism: The age of Edwards, Whitefield and
the Wesleys, Intervarsity Press, 2003
171
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Toycen Dave, The power of generosity: How to transform yourself and your
world, Harper Collins Publishers ltd, 2004
Trump Donald, How to get rich: The secret of Business success from the star
of THE APPRENTICE, BBC books, 2004
Tulgan Bruce & Martin A Carolyn, managing the Generation Mix: from
collision to collaboration, Jaico Publishing house, 2003
172
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
173
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter Ten
≤
Mr Charles Bota is SHOPRITE Zambia Deputy General Manager (2006), having been with the shops for
over ten years. Undoubtedly, he is the native power house to Shoprite’s phenomenal growth, expansion and
success in Zambia.
174
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
once said something very striking. He said “Billy, the moment I walk into a
shop and stand at a particular place for less than five minutes, I am
instinctively able to tell where the issues are”. His work mates often wonder
how he does it but the point is that he has developed a high level intuition to
the extent that he can accurately discern whether things are well or not.
Another case of intuition will suffice. We once had a partial power cut in our
home in Mongu. Half of the house had power while the other didn’t. After
eliminating all possible problem sources such as the main meter box, I failed
to locate the problem root and thus called up the local ZESCO company.
Within a few minutes, they appeared on the scene and asked what the
problem was exactly. I thought it was a complex problem but these men just
walked up to the meter box and touched one point, and bingo, the power
returned! They smiled and left me spell bound. I wondered how they knew
exactly where to touch and fix it within seconds, that dear friend was
intuition!
175
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
time, I am able not only to adapt to the writing style but to discern a good
piece of writing. Admittedly, there are other modern mentors besides but this
is my main hero. The same applies in other areas as well in the business area
where we happen to find our selves.
The other intuition development step is to connect with the intuitive people
for a mentorship program, formal or not. I have found this really helpful in
that you receive one on one attention as you work your way round.
Admittedly, intuition is very hard to teach because of its intangible nature
but certain pieces of the armour can be passed on to the next generation.
This program could include sessions together or taught as and when, in the
normal course of life. With time, you and I appropriate the right lenses for
our selves upon which we develop to lofty heights. For example, I have had
mentorship program with a colleague of mine the last few years in the area
of leadership development. In that program, we ensure we develop traits
befitting a leader, challenge each other and size each other up. In that way,
we make progress.
Thus, a systems thinker fixes the present problems and prepares the long-
term route to achieve the goal given the present capacities in relation to the
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In a word, s/he has the big
picture in view from which standpoint informed decisions are made. Some
scholars have summarized systems thinking in the acronym SCQARE as
broken down below:
176
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Critical thinking
If you are to beat the competitor at their game, develop a critical thinking
mind set. Such a mindset is helpful in analysing their statements and figure
out a way to use their own words against them. In other words, any sentence
or strategy has its own weak points where you can penetrate and widen the
crack. Capitalise on the weak spots where they least expect. This entails
meticulously watching your rivals’ manoeuvres and based on what you see,
quickly curve out a path that counters their strategy or at best totally
confuses them sending panic frenzies in their camp. Build and widen the
wedge between the truth and their words. The recent verbal battle between
PF President Mr Michael Sata and Chinese Ambassador comes to mind. The
Chinese envoy in a dramatic and sensational newspaper head line accused
Mr Sata of being a hired gun. Mr Sata in turn accepted and used the words
back at the Ambassador. In the end, Mr Sata appeared the victor while the
Chinese official looked foolish and out of context.℘
℘
Post Newspaper, 5th November 2007
177
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Sensitivity
In addition to critical thinking, it pays to be extremely sensitive to your
environment, within and without. Install a very sensitive indicator that
detects any “tectonic” movements in your surrounding and thus enables you
to mutate. Many think they can get far without this trait but nay, it is very
closely connected to intuition referred to earlier in this chapter. For instance,
we need to be extremely sensitive to the cultural context where we are doing
business lest we run against the grain.
〈
Refer to the www.CCL.org for more details on organizational politics, April 2007
178
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
NASA
The bigger picture from space
In the absence of that, you make short-term decisions that require too
frequent amending in an emergency fashion, which in itself is undesirable &
expensive. The writer recalls how a narrow view of things repeatedly
mislead him and caused sleepless nights. Always remember that in this
global world, more than money, right, relevant and timely information is
power.
179
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
guarantee success what ever betide. Many people pay heavily for want of
this back up because to their bitter discovery, all the eggs will have broken
with the first strategy. The author remembers the bitter and difficult years
after he failed 1st year University. As a result of having been one track
minded, he kept hovering around the same hill for many years lamenting
over spilt milk before he realised and made head way. Unfortunately, some
of his colleagues in similar dire straits never recovered. It is good to be
single minded about something but always provide for any eventuality.
180
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
∈
Sketches from Church History, S.M Houghton, introduction, pp 8
181
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
many years having grown up in the greater city of Lusaka. More than ten
years passed before we got back and by that time, many parameters had
radically changed. Without much ado, we soon adjusted and got back into
“city life system”. Our anchor was in the right place. One lesson however we
learnt was that if one had not lived in Lusaka before, they often experienced
more serious adjustment problems than we did. They encountered some
level of instability and in some instances made shipwreck of them selves
while we quickly got back onto the rails and moved on. The difference is
because of the historical perceptions relating to city psychology which rope
many initially fail to tangle. Thus, knowing your past, present and future
goals helps you walk confidently today.
Never short circuit the “natural laws” and mind those business ethics!
Where ever you go and what ever you do, always know that certain
unwritten rules apply. Just as we do not physically see the forces of nature
such as gravity, natural laws dictate how far we go and what we achieve.
Stephen Covey speaks well in his book “Principle centred leadership” when
he asserts that you short-circuit the natural laws at your own peril. This
universally applies whether in the home, office, church, and the business
world at large. In addition, always have an eye on the local context ethics
and effectively use them to advance your cause.
182
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
183
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
In the case of the company, internalise the corporate culture e.g. team
work, quality etc
Companies largely rise or fall depending on their corporate culture. If it is a
bureaucratic, red tape kind of arrangement, sooner or later, the walls curve in
as the entity breaks apart. If it is too fluid, jellyfish like, pulling in all sorts of
directions, it will always be operating in a reactionary mode. The best-run
companies like the Zambian Airways tick because of team work, high
quality and good harmonious corporate culture where the customer reigns
supreme. Successful companies have exploited their core competencies,
internalised good corporate practices and remain constantly learning.
Absence of this accounts for the many companies falling through the cracks.
Sell your ideas well and in good time so that your team can buy in.
Excellent shared visions out live the vision carrier. If they are not shared and
people do not buy into them, no matter how lofty the strategy, they will die
when the people with the passion leave the centre stage. There is need to
share your ideas, solicit support, additional input to further refine your
thoughts. In short, contagiously market your ideas well so that the others run
with the ball further than you would have possibly imagined. World Vision
International has grown far beyond the initiator’s wildest dreams, long after
Bob Pierce has left the centre stage. I once interacted with a Pastor who had
wonderful progressive long-term ideas to prosper the local Church work. He
had all the grand plans neatly tacked away in the catacombs of his brain and
grumbled at why congregants constantly attacked him when he meant well.
Noticing the blind spot, I asked him whether he had taken time to share his
strategic vision with the other church members. He had not, hence the
antagonism. Surprisingly, my initial questions startled him, wondering why
he needed to share his brilliant plans since he was the appointed sole vision
carrier and leader. Thankfully, he saw the point and has since implemented
the ideas with tremendous success. This scenario repeatedly shows up in
revival times as well and probably explains why the revival fires subside as
soon as the star figure(s) leave the life podium. Take the Great Evangelical
Awakening that took America by storm in the 1740s for example. As long as
Jonathan Edwards & eloquent George Whitefield were alive, the fires rose
184
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
higher but as soon as they were promoted to glory, the awakening embers
were also soon snuffed out. In contrast consider the second Great
Awakening of between 1792-1808, many players were involved with almost
no popular & prominent individual towering above others. As a result of the
“team work” and shared vision, the revival effects lasted to as late as the
1830s as J.F Thornbury∨ rightly suggests. Long after the initial God sent
actors had been gathered to their fathers, the rekindled fires continued to
blaze. We need to imbibe this lesson in all walks of life if our work is to last
beyond us.
∨
God sent Revival, John Thornbury, Evangelical Press, pp 21,22
≡
General Electric Corporation (GEC) is famous for having demolished the imaginary departmental walls
allowing people to freely interact. Refer to “The Jack Welch Way.” Modern organizations have open rate
halls where colleagues freely interact e.g the Zambia State Insurance Corporation 1990/91 and other
brokering firms.
185
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
idea is to facilitate free information and ideas flow among colleagues as well
as cultivate an open friendly environment where no one hoards critical data
that would move the organisation forward. The present scenario leaves much
to be desired as people glory in imaginary silos and always seek to protect
their turf and domain. It is therefore hardly startling when a colleague takes
off with their office keys as s/he ventures out of town to attend to some
business for three weeks! In the mean time, work stalls as the office literally
grinds to a halt and is a “no go area”. Unless the nature of the office is
highly sensitive such as the Accounts department, I do not see why others
cannot have access to the office. Where these walls have been demolished,
there you observe a community culture where people trust, depend on and
pull together. They instinctively know their team mates intend well and will
adequately cover up where things seem to be falling short. Mutual trust is
key. Ensure you vigorously break down the invisible barriers in your
organisation without fearing the repercussions.
186
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
original owner had a powerfully strategic vision long before any one ever
dreamt of settling in that remote locality. Legend has it that even the famous
Cha Cha Cha freedom fighters including Dr Kenneth Kaunda often sought
refuge there during the liberation struggles. What really struck me was the
rare ability Gore-Browne had to galvanise resources for the massive
structure construction in that far flung area. It is now a famous tourist
destination daily raking in millions of kwacha. I guess I will continue
wondering until the Egyptian pyramid construction puzzle is resolved.
Suffice it to say that Gore-Browne deserves a place among the legendary
Zambian visionary greats. McIntyre throws a little more light about Stewart
Gore-Browne in the book “Zambia, the Bradt travel guide” pages 278/79.
187
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
For a long time, this author did not know his peculiar strength and thus
wasted many valuable years doing a thousand and one things he thought he
was equally good at doing. Thankfully, he discovered in good time to
potently effect a major mental paradigm shift to success.
The question that obviously begs answering by any rational mind is why
bother about SWOT? It is true that we live in radically different
dispensations, locations and settings, but with the globalisation advent, many
parameters are increasingly becoming homogeneous. As a result, if one is to
keep afloat in this hostile competitive business climate, they have no option
188
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
a. Strengths
In dealing with the strengths, the starting point is to carry an objective self
evaluation with a view to come up with an honest self estimation. The
determination of ones’ strength is both with respect to competitors and ones’
internal ability. The entity in question must first of all find out what they are
intrinsically strong at and able to do with the greatest ease. This is the
inward strength. Usually, the entity itself is able to tell this and confirms
when it compares with others.
∫
Proverbs 27:23
189
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
The second area is to identify the entity’s outward strength. In other words,
the organisation observes and crystallizes what it is strong at doing. To do
this, a number of tools are used such as determining the efficiency or cost
aspects. If an entity is able to manufacture a quality product more cheaply
and efficiently than the neighbour organisation, then that could be its
outward strength. Another strength could be the brand name. Some brands
intimidate others and give undue advantage to the possessors. For instance,
where Coca Cola is on sale, generally other drinks recede into the
background. A further strength could be the financial, the market coverage,
distribution channel, the target clientele, human resource or the high quality
output.
190
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
1817±. Ricardo submitted that it made more economic sense to only produce
goods that an entity was able to produce most efficiently and then buy the
other goods from other suppliers.
Other areas of strength include the quality area. As earlier alluded to,
timeliness, right pricing, good supply chain, aggressive internal and external
marketing are critical success factors. In a nut shell, an organisation that has
mastered the product and marketing mix very well will eventually carry the
day. But more than that, it must have the right team players on board that
carry the ball to the goal mouth and beyond. In the service industry, Gordon
Henderson tells of how the Giro bank improved its profits by leaps and
bounds when TQM was imbibed⁄. This can still happen though the bar is
higher now. We pause to consider the Mongu route scenario alluded to
above to cement our thoughts further:
At one time a trip to Mongu was the most dreadful of journeys to undertake.
Not only was the journey long, strenuous and sweaty, but also it was one
that a person had to physically, psychologically and emotionally prepare for
long before hand. The road was as bad as the vehicles that would be used. A
single one-way trip would take no less than three days! As though that were
not bad enough, the route was serviced by one fleet of state owned infamous
United Bus Company (UBZ) buses!ι
191
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
customer friendly and had more capacity. This move caused others to fizzle
out, as they could not compete. But just when JR was becoming the
established route leader, the RPS made a sudden appearance on the horizon,
this time even more efficient than JR! There were reported fights and violent
instances between the rivals. In no time, RPS robbed the market though JR
still remained a formidable force, in the peripherals. RPS then became the
upper class market bus while JR serviced the poorer sort of travellers. As a
result of the near monopoly on the route, RPS became too comfortable,
complacent, obstinate and less customer focused. There were instances when
the RPS crew would violently hound out or insult customers and still get
away with it.
Alas, in 2000, CR smelt the profit on the golden Mongu route and was
irresistibly drawn into the race. As expected, CR arrived with a bang and
momentarily shook the RPS not a little as the said fleet had not expected any
other competitor. CR came with robust modern marketing strategies that
completely out witted RPS. Some of the weapons exploited were introducing
a customer friendly service and at times even offer drinks or fruits free of
charge! Another avenue was the introduction of good quality, timely buses
fitted with Video/TV. This was too good for an average Mongu bound bus
by then!! In addition, the service ensured all the buses were never
overloaded and initially begun with a lower price so as to capture the
market. In no time, customers shifted allegiance enmass. Soon, the
anticipated funeral procession to the bus graveyard for the once potent RPS
and JR was imminent, though they lingered around a little longer than
expected.
As providence would have it, in 2001 after reigning unrivalled on the route
for over a year, Euro Africa heard about the fame and richness of the
western province route and joined the race. Determined not to be out done,
the Euro Africa employed similar strategies that CR had used except that
they emphasized on timeliness on all routes. This has worked well and
potentially dislodged the undisputed Mongu route heavy weight champion-
CR. For a season, the incumbents were paralysed because they were in the
same market niche with Euro. JR still limped along but better than the other
two as it serviced the poorer sort who would be packed like sardines on the
buses, with luggage littered all over the place including the passage way.
Progressively, the battle raged hotter as the buses used all sorts of strategies
that included different departure times. For instance, some now start off as
192
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
early as 04:00 in the morning and arrive at their destinations at about 10hrs
and then make a return trip at 14 hrs, all in a quest to get that extra buck!
Thus, the battle for route superiority rages on as other bus services like
Juldan, Shalom, Jermins, Zoom etc join the race, one wonders who will
ultimately carry the day, let us keenly watch…
In whatever business line the entity pursues, it needs to strengthen its image
by providing high quality but cheap goods that the customers want, need and
can afford. Image building centres around the brand name, whether it is
national, international or global and appropriate strategies crafted as such. If
you use a national marketing strategy in a global context, it might backfire
or not appeal to today’s customer. For a number of years, Coca Cola
disappeared from the Zambian shelves until 1990/91 but still, its brand name
continued to echo in the Zambian’s minds. Two things helped keep this
brand alive: Quality and proper global marketing strategies that still
bombarded the Zambians’ minds. Quality is non negotiable. When the tables
turned for the better, Coca Cola soon flooded the thirsty Zambian market.
The good thing is that the products were readily available, at the right price,
timely supplied, and an excellent customer focused distribution system. This
far outstripped the lethargic parastatals. International marketing in detail is
beyond the scope of this book but in case you would like to read further on
this important subject, refer to my other book let “A hand book for the
international marketer” so that you acquire a bird’s eye view of the subject.
Strengths ought to be exploited to the full because they are the ones that
determine whether you win or lose. The earlier the strength is discovered,
the better. That explains why some nations perform better than others
despite their natural resource dearth. Japan comes to mind. It hardly has any
tangible natural resources yet its strength relies on high quality cost effective
production and delivery while Zambia, with all its abundant resources is
baptized into poverty. Early identify your strength and potently use it to get
to the higher orbs. The World Bank believes that agriculture and tourism are
the ultimate saviours for Zambia as it mutates into a diversified economy
away from its traditional walking stick-mining.
Refer to the August 2004 Development Zambia magazine pp 13 in the article “No turning back as world
Bank calls for a ‘break with the past’, a good analysis in many senses
193
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
ILO
What is Zambia’s distinctive competence?
So much then for the strength, we hasten to look at second letter in our
acronym, “W” for weaknesses that are internal as well. To a certain extent,
you can also consider the opponents’ weaknesses but this will be dealt with
in a separate place. We primarily focus on the inward incumbent frailties.
b. Weaknesses
When an organisation is struggling and performing badly in a given area, it
is high time to check itself and rectify the problem. If fixing proves
impossible, then the organisation has a peculiar weak spot in that area.
Weakness has to do with a feeble and infirm ability to do or perform a
certain function. In other words, this is a militating besetting encumbrance
that weighs or pulls you down. In this regard, an entity has some
inefficiencies and inertia when performing a certain procedure, product or
service. Further, if other competitors are able to successfully do something
better, then that is their comparative or even absolute advantage. But if it
fails or struggles to get something done, then that is a weakness. Akin to
strengths, weaknesses are internal which could possibly be completely
eradicated, mitigated or barely minimised.
194
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Opportunities
195
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
I have met many people along life’s path who talk of their glowing past,
how they went places, accomplished the impossible and left a blazing trail
that scarcely any living mortal, past or present, can equal to apart from
themselves. They harbour fondest memories of their illustrious past, with
their eyes sparkling as they recall the irretrievable hey days, long faded away
beyond reach. Half the time, their stories seem larger than life but they are
true! Often, as they have told their powerful testimonies, it left my mouth
watering as I have exclaimed more than once saying “wow!,” totally spell
bound. For a moment, I wished we could switch places but as I returned to
my trenches, I have often begun to reflect as I chewed the cud while asking
countless questions. Oftentimes what has triggered those thoughts has been
196
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
197
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
resolve to independently solidly stand on their own with a view to help the
weak and the up coming young stars. This entails forecasting, planning,
dreaming and proactively taking steps to ensure that the rainy day does not
catch one unawares. For example, one should discover their talent and
inclination while still young, perfect it over the years, acquire tertiary
education, begin working (formally or not), while focussing on first things
first. The said first things could include completion of studies, making a
mark on the industry (working life), build or buy at least a house, marry and
raise a family while investing into the future such as running a personal
private firm by the side which eventually becomes the mainstay after
running the full course in the corporate world or where ever providence
places one. In fact, if one elects to be formally employed, they must resolve
from day one that the work is but a stepping stone to higher ground. They go
in full throttle, garner all the experience, clout and then move on to work
independently. Gone are the days when our parents spent their entire
productive lives working for one company, putting all their eggs as it were,
in one basket until the boat goes down the drain, to the sea bed along with all
their dreams, aspirations, plans, hopes, health, esteem and inactivated
strategies. But surely, why cling on to this imperfect man made ship?∧ I am
sure the more than one thousand people that survived the Titanic tragedy of
1912 abandoned the Herculean sinking ship and sought refuge in the
lifeboats, but did they need to reach that stage, if the captain had heeded the
several warnings prior to and during the daring maiden voyage? Many
people wait for a titanic ship like carnage before they act retroactively, often
too late in many instances. They run aground upon life’s rocks but if they
had been strategic, they could have averted all disaster by skilfully steering
the ship among the shallow rocky waters to safety.
Life must be viewed like a project that needs to be managed within its time
frame, from the cradle to the grave. When things seem cosy, stable and nice,
beware, danger lurks at every turn. It may appear invisible for a time, but
though it tarry, it will surely come, hence the need to constantly
meticulously read the times. In fact, times of apparent prosperity ought to be
times of serious preparation. It is time to store away in barns in readiness for
the lean years ahead, much like Joseph of old (Genesis 41). Contrary to that
principle, many blow up their chances and walk away empty handed,
stranded and disillusioned (I am referring to honest hard workers in this
book, not crooks and plunderers). The said good people could not see
∧
Refer to Ecclesiastes 5:13,14. Wealth and cash flow easily develop wings and fly away unless caged or
harnessed in the day of opportunity, beyond that, the wings will be too strong for the feeble chains ripping
them apart!
198
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Elijah’s small cloud gathering over the horizon (I kings 17:1). The other
folly with many working or business Zambians is that they procrastinate in
many critical issues and hope to do everything in one evening! That is not
possible, remember that Rome was not built in a day, as the saying goes. By
the same token, it is impossible to fatten and extract quality pork chops from
a pig in a single day. For instance, to build a future, one has to make
headway by small progressive steady strides, with the little that is gathered
along the way. Never wait for the uncertain lump some money such as
pension. These grow wings and fly away! As another saying goes, “the
longest journey begins with a step”⇓ and achieved by many successive,
progressive steps. Monies like pension must be viewed as monies for
holiday making, travelling etc instead of being used for capital projects or
sponsoring this or the other to some expensive school. We need to change
our paradigm so that we do first things first to enable us to relax in future.
How lovely it would be for one to exit life’s orbit with a triumphant shout
having accomplished the life mission par excellence. It is prudent to
anticipate, predict the changing seasons of life and strategically position one
self in view of what might ensue. In that way, life will not be always a
continuous storm or full of surprises, rather, you will be in charge of your
destiny. I wonder, what route have you taken?
The legal
The legal environment refers to the laws that have been enacted by
Parliament which govern the country. These laws are binding to all that
operate in that particular context and apply regardless of where one hails
from. By that token then, it is critical to know the “do’s and don’ts” to avoid
needless litigation leading to gradual business loss as the case might be.
Ideally, the laws are an expression of what the people’s aspirations are as
enacted by the people’s representatives in the persons of Members of
Parliament (MPs). As to whether these people actually articulate the feelings
of the masses is highly doubtful in Zambia but be that as it may, the law
provides that the legislative making process is entirely entrusted to these few
select men and women to the exclusion of boys and girls. If the extant laws
are palatable and favourable, take advantage of them and maximise your lot.
If not, wait and watch. If possible, lobby by proxy or directly so that the
⇓
Anonymous
199
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
archaic or inhibitive laws are amended to portray the current global scenario.
For example, lobby for the changing of archaic fishing laws at the Lake
Kariba currently only favouring the elite and foreign nationals. Sadly,
sometimes it is not only the laws but mindsets that need changing.
200
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
written but inscribed on people’s hearts and minds. Thus, Culture is relative
and may not be the same in all the places. The Cultural aspect has various
elements that must be addressed before venturing into a given market:
1. The Language – the language must be mastered so that negotiation is
made easier. Generally people loosen up their guards and relax when they
realize that you have made an effort to know their language.
2. Material /technological – this has to do with the level of technological
and material advancements of people and how they view change in terms of
the fast changing world. The manager must be aware of the pace in order to
plan well.
3. Social Institutions – Social organizations, Education, Political structures
all these border on human relations and activities.
a. Humans & the Universe (religion etc) – Each culture has certain things
that influence their view of the world. One of the major influences is
religion.
b. Aesthetics (Folklore, Music etc) – This refers to the arts, the music and
all the cultural ceremonies that affect the people in their setting. In
Zambia, we think of the Umutoboko or Kuomboka ceremonies among
many others. The strategist must have “Factual Knowledge” as well as
“interpretive knowledge” of a culture if are to excel. S/he must also
possess cultural sensitivity & tolerance of the varying shades of culture
and nuances that are salient in each unique culture. This calls for an
anthropologist to decipher, which the marketer should be. An
anthropologist is one who studies human behaviour, reaction as well as
the impact the environment has on his/her habits. Always remember that
the marketer’s task is to introduce a new product on the market. Three
possible reactions result when marketing internationally. The first is
resistance because something is new and strange. The second is outright
rejection because something does not relate to the culture. The third is
acceptance because the product is viewed as useful and palatable.
On the American continent, there is a mixture of cultures and this must be
taken into account when attempting to market.
The services of a cultural translator are critical as s/he is one who knows
more than factual translation but interpretive as well as insight into the cues,
and nuances of a culture. As the business penetrates a market, a change takes
place in people’s minds due to the frequent adverts, which influence
people’s tastes and attitudes by and by. For exmaple, in the early stages of
the Mpika ADP, we experienced an interesting impasse where people used
proverbs to communicate volumes. You needed to know and interpret these
201
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
The religious
At whatever point on this terrestrial ball, people hold on to one religion or
the other. Some claim to be atheist, which in itself is some form of religion
assuming that no supernatural being exists out there. Emanating from the in
born belief systems or adopted along the way, people tend to have different
perspectives about the worldview. For instance, what may be a non-issue
with a Hindu may be for a Muslim and vice versa. By that token then, the
religious environment cannot be ignored at all in strategic international
business lest one loses their market. For instance, the western world believes
in aggressive and sometimes offensive eye catching advertisements that may
not sit well with the rest of the world. As a result of the foregoing, it is
critical for the international strategist to ensure they factor all the relevant
concerns so as to avoid sending wrong messages to their potential customers
such a knowing the “dos and don’ts” in a given market segment, unless a
global marketing strategy is being pursued. That said, the world is fast
becoming homogenous in its tastes as the media takes its pervasive
compelling information across the globe, thanks to the Information
Technology revolution. Some of the renowned world religions include
Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Confucius (though some contend
that this is not a religion) and Hinduism among many others. All these have
their strong belief systems and must be observed as one crafts their winning
strategy. India is a country struggling to adjust to the global blizzards
fostered by rapid globalisation. In an article, “Cultural bigotry rises as India
sees social change”≠, Krittivas Mukherjee highlights the conflict brought
about by the rapid social change and has raffled the waters across India.
Globalisation once again remains a force to reckon with but the strategist
must move with the times in crafting the appropriate strategy. Below is a
map that attempts to highlight the concentrations of the various religions
across the world (as at 2006):
≠
Reuters, Wednesday May 23, 2007
202
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
203
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Islam
The economic
The economic climate dictates many things such as the road net work,
infrastructure, level of development, rate of economic growth, and the cost
of harnessing raw materials, distribution channel as well as the cost of
doing/conducting business there. The inflation, tax regime and anticipated
trade trends must also be explored to ensure that the organisation does not
suffer terrible loss in the event of problems. For instance, Zambia is largely
a trading country despite having vast natural resources yet to be tapped.
With the lately opened economy, the following write up gives some insight
of what Western province of Zambia has to offer:
204
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Today, one just needs to stand by the roadside and observe how many buses
that stream into and out of Mongu day and night to see the increase in
traffic. No less than three buses arrive and leave Mongu daily because of the
newly discovered trade from this once despised place. What really caused
such an attitude shift and sudden traffic upsurge to this place? With the
human eye, it seems for many years the picture portrayed was that the
natives are too sectarianistically conservative and a repulsive lot who
jealously guarded their untapped natural resources regardless. At one time it
was said of the place that if one did not know the Royal Lozi dialect, there
was no chance of succeeding in the place. There may be a grain of truth in
the accusations but the Lozi, like any other, value their culture and will do
any and every thing to defend and promote it. As a matter of fact, they are
actually a very friendly lot when given the due regard and if one sincerely
shows that what they are interested in is not theirs but them. In that way, one
will worm their way to success and comfort among these lovely people.
That besides, as the throne changed hands, and as more and more people got
exposed, the foretaste of the Bulozi beauty begun to radiate to the outside
world. The first was the Fish then followed by rice, cashew nuts, meat and
many other rare goodies. In fact, the sand is potentially excellent for glass
making and other related activities.
As such, people started to trickle to Mongu in the late nineties but today, this
tiny trickle is now a flush flood. People literally pour in from all corners of
the globe to have a taste of the rice, fish and mineral prospecting. These
≈
Although still a minor crop as at 1994 (only 7% of the total cultivated area), rice production has known an
upswing since 1994 after World Vision and other developmental organizations undertook to promote it on a
larger scale. Opportunities for Western province pp42
⊗
According to research conducted in 1995 by Mulwanda and team, 333 tones is harvested every year from
the lower Zambezi. Roughly 75 % is consumed locally while the rest is exported to Lusaka and beyond-
Opportunities for Western Province Maimbo, Huijsman, Mulwanda and Lof pp50
205
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
people are all littered around Mongu and beyond and in some cases, business
people actually camp in the areas of business! This is unprecedented.
But what are the factors that have led to this four-fold increase? Many
answers could be given but from a layman’s perspective, it is because people
have suddenly awoken from the long slumber of considering Western
province of no economic value. They have discovered among many things
that the area produces world-class rice that is of at least four grades, Supa
(the finest), Burma, Angola and Blue bonnet. This high quality rice
competes favourably with the best brands on the World Market. In addition,
it has been discovered that the Barotse plains have a potential of feeding the
whole of central Africa with grain but for the land tenure politics that linger
in the background.
Rice
The other attractive feature about Western province is the reported presence
of diamonds at Shangombo and the Zambezi river, the rumoured presence of
Gold, oil, iron ore, copper and other relatively undisturbed natural resources
such as timber, river sand, cashew nuts, mangoes, crocodile farming
potential and patches of potential arable land. Cattle rearing is another
industry the West boasts of and in fact, it was believed that at one time
Western province had more lives stock than any other province. Tourist
attractions such as the Sioma falls, the Liuwa and Siomangwezi National
parks, the beautiful scenery and indeed the warm-hearted natives add value
to the incredible profile of the Western province. The famously controversial
Mongu-Kalabo road now under construction will open another route to
Angola× and beyond. Now that war is ended, trade can begin in earnest. As
×
Incidentally, Angola is potentially the richest country in the SADC region but for the civil war that raged
for over 24 years. Refer to Africa connexion International Magazine pp 23 Volume 9 second qtr 1994. This
type of carnage has distorted the economy not only of Angola itself but other regional countries as well.
206
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
such, Kalabo, with its potential Iron ore, oil, diamond, mine is slowly
becoming a spot light. We hardly need to mention the planned road bridge
at Katima Mulilo to link Namibia, Zambia and the Congo DRθ. All in all, the
potential is great and only needs to be tapped.
What are the fears? The obvious fear is the plunder that has ensued and
continues to as people come and go out of the province with one single
purpose, to profit. This is always done at the expense of the locals. For
instance, Shangombo, a little district in the remote corner of the country was
until recently hardly heard of but today, due to the “diamond rush”, the place
harbours all sorts of characters lingering there! You will find people from all
parts of the World, including prominent international business people there.
All rank and file converge there. When asked, they simply reply, “There is
potential business here!”
Looking ahead, one anticipates more and more influx of business people
flocking to Western Province and there by up lifting the Economic status of
the town and province at large. Checks and balances must quickly be
introduced to avoid further degradation and wanton plunder of the grand
resources that Western Province is endowed with. The Politics and
conflicting policies between the State and the Royal establishment must
amicably and quickly resolve issues lest the area loses too much through
plunder before it is realized. For instance, as at now, the Sesheke/ Senanga
stretch can make one weep when they consider the wanton and unscrupulous
destruction that has occurred on the forests in the last decade or so and that
largely by foreigners! It is a rip off once again. These people take the rare
high-grade timber across the Zambezi to build beautiful towns and cities, out
of Zambian raw materials! An appeal to the powers that be is that remaining
at daggers drawn will not curb the degrading anthropogenic activities. That
not with standing, let us watch and see what lies in store for Mongu and the
rest of the country as international trade makes its maiden voyage here
wards.
© Billy Sichone 2003
The demise of terrorist leader Jonas Savimbi gives hope that the Kalabo road will be useful, apart from the
long abandoned the Benguela railway.
θ
Refer to The Zambian Farmer Magazine Vol 3# 2 of April 1998 pp16, 17 as reprinted from the African
review of business and Technology.
207
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
“Never allow challenges and threats rule you, rather pro-actively manage
them” BS
Government policy:
Government policy regulates how business is done in a given country.
Policies are frame works that guide practices. Depending on the extant laws,
the policies may militate against or foster a certain course of action. If your
business is going against the government policy grain, chances are that you
will not go far or succeed. The government policies are enshrined in various
documents especially the constitution. Thus, if the constitution forbids
certain practices, curve your strategy in a suitable way that gives you a head
start. For instance, until 2007, the Zambian laws favoured foreign investors,
and still do as opposed to local indigenous investors. This means that if you
are to do business, you are better off as a foreigner or one that has powerful
links with outside investors. As can be seen, the government policy can be a
threat or a comrade towards a given activity.
208
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Level of development:
Some times, the level of development affects the way business is done. If the
laws are fine, then the next head ache is the red tape, corruption, distribution
channels, supply and quality chain, local orientation, the GDP & GNP as the
case might be. If the population is small and a large majority live far below
the poverty datum line, chances are that your business may not flourish
much but if the critical mass are in the middle and upper classes, you may
just hit some jack pot. That explains why many western countries are
rushing to China and India today. A detailed discussion of the economics of
the nations is beyond the scope of this book but suffice it to say that your
success is closely linked to the over all level of development of a country. In
another sense though, the seemingly “backward countries” offer the best
growth potential for any entity because most of the resources and market
remain untapped.
Culture
The culture of the people can be a threat or strength depending on which
side of the coin your activity falls. If it cuts across the grain of the local
values, practices and way of doing things, expect a revolt in one way or the
other. However, if the activities flow with the grain, expect a pat on the back
and much support. For instance, the HIV/AIDS fight has predominantly
focussed on the use of condoms as a preventive measure against infection,
presupposes that people cannot abstain. But recent revelations indicate that
in places like Zambia, if you leave out the Faith Based Organisation (CBO),
you will not register significant progress, why? Simply because religion is
part of the Zambian culture! Once the church buys into your perspective,
they will sound the clarion call to fight the pandemic and more lives will be
saved by that token but not until then. Other areas that culture affects include
the dress code, the tastes, perceptions, way of doing things, view of time and
how the community structure is arranged. In the global context, many
cultures are literary struggling for survival as they attempt to wad off the
western culture invasion. India is one of the many examples of countries
whose cultures have been bombarded and assailed by the western media.
Remember Bollywoods’ Shilpa Shetty cheek kisses with Holly wood’s
Richard Gere? What a stir it caused! Reuters’ Krittivas Mukherjee wrote an
analytical article on 23rd May 2007 which accurately captured the cultural
dynamics at play as a result of the lopsided development in India resulting
from globalization. The post-modern mind sees no problem with certain
practices like kissing in public while the traditional and conservative person
209
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Legal
The type of legal system being used and the laws there of have a large
bearing on the way business is conducted. In the event of disputes, how and
what law are you going to use? How does that affect you as an individual?
What about as the organisation? Some laws are realistic while others are
absurd depending on what they are based or derived from. In addition, it also
depends ones’ back ground, orientation or ideals in life. As a multinational,
there always is a consistency challenge because what may be perfectly
acceptable in the USA may not necessarily be in China, Iraq or India as the
case may be. This pauses a threat on the entity and must be meticulously
handled.
The legal system position renders it difficult for a company that has its
tentacles in various countries at one and the same time. The various legal
systems that do exist are:
1. Code law/civil: derived from the ancient Roman empire.
2. English law (Common law): This was derived from the decisions that
were passed in local courts set by the English King. This law is based on
precedence. Consistency is thus maintained though challenging when it is
the first case of its kind.
3. Islamic law: Based on and derived from the Koran.
4. Socialist law: Developed by Carl Marx who believed that all men
should be equal and as such championed the socialist movement.
All these are some of the hurdles that the multi country corporations have
to contend with or encounter.
Thus, companies must agree before hand which law is going to be used in
settling any potential dispute. The following ways could be used to settle
international disputes:
1. Arbitration- where two disputing parties agree on an impartial person to
stand between and solve the problem without going into court.
2. Litigation- Simply having recourse to the law and settling the matter in
court. This is the least desirable because it has complications such as which
law to use and also dents the image of the warring parties.
3. Conciliation-a non-binding agreement where two disputing parties agree
to ask a third party to mediate the differences.
210
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Thus we can see that SWOT analysis opens up a whole new world of
looking at things. If properly administered and utilised, it is an invaluable
tool to get ahead especially if entities are open minded, honest and forward
looking. It now remains for us to demonstrate the benefits of the SWOT
processes and then hurtle along to the next level in our quest to build our
impeccable world class strategies.
That SWOT analysis has immense benefit is beyond question. To say that it
is the universal panacea in the strategy galaxy would be a huge over
statement too. It does have peculiarly helpful effects that have propelled
myriads to the next level. As such, from what has already been discussed in
the chapter so far, we summarise the SWOT benefits in the following points:
1. It helps identify the core competencies. The organisation is able
to identify and objectively zero in on its unique endowment
upon which it can capitalise to cost effectively reach its
objectives. By that same token, it is also in a position to
timeously make informed decisions whether to venture into
something, outsource, make or buy. It also discovers its
distinctive competence and ensures it thrives on that score.
2. It helps to focus on the core business. Organisations that have
multiple competitive advantages run the risk of thinly and
widely spreading their resources and thus reducing
profit/success maximisation. After a SWOT analysis however,
the organisation knows exactly the priority areas that keep the
organisation afloat. By that token, it knows what areas to prune
off so that it can become agile, lean, responsively efficient and
effective. For example, in a bid to have a powerful corporate
image and social responsibility, the ZCCM took on too much,
and highly diversified to the extent that it had too much to
handle. In the final analysis, it had too many cost centres than it
could effectively handle. That, in part largely contributed to the
death of that mammoth conglomerate. We can apply it to the
worlds’ past and present declining empires. In Africa, the
communal family arrangement contributes a great deal to the
211
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
212
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Modified quadrant II
Not ideal Ideal
1. Reactive mode 4.Proactive mode
Always in a hurry and behind This is the ideal place where the
schedule. Characterized by panic, person perceives things from afar
stress, hustle and bustle. Not self and strategically prepares for the
originated program but pace set by “Rainy day”. When the actual event
outside forces. Unpredictable and arrives, the person shows no panic or
variable depending on what part of hustle. All they do is press the right
the season and calendar. button and the system roams to life
churning out high quality out put and
eventual outcome.
2.Responsive mode c. Anticipation mode
This is when a person or entity The anticipation phase is when the
develops a refined system that is able entity is able to read the writing on
to respond in time to all queries or the wall long before others see and
request. This entails having some strategically mutate to fit in with
form of system where the desired what is to come. This is more than
information, service or product is mere perception but goes further to
easily generated, processed and made read the trends and to give strategic
available in time for use. This fits futures in readiness for any
well with the Just in time (JIT) eventuality. This includes the “Plan
approach and best fits the fast food B” strategies that give room for rapid
business etc. and sudden mutation
This is good position but not the
best. It is a progressive step towards
the proactive and anticipation modes
213
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Circumstancial Strategic
© Billy Sichone 2005
≡
Refer to the mini case study in Appendix A
214
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
215
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
undisturbed place in the heart of Eastern Province. All sorts of bird lovers
drawn from different walks of life and ethnic groupings delightfully
converged here to watch the magnificent birds crown the sanctuary and
leave. Thus went the undisturbed ecosystem for generations.
Then something tragic happened that has changed the once beautiful and
bird teeming area for ever. An investor bought the land, drained the dambo
and planted sugar cane oblivious of any repercussions his actions had on the
ecosystem. No environmental impact assessment was done or at best, a
cosmetic one was. Today, the place is dry, hollow, deserted and bereft of any
sweet bird chirps or tweets that once beautified the place. One wonders
where the birds now perch. Sadly, only grass and cane grows there as though
this place never harboured a wealth of rich and rare diverse bird species.
This mirage now remains in the distant painful past memory archives. The
investor has made his money and does not care a whit.
Had a strategic eye been consulted or available, the dambo’s fate would have
been entirely different today. Millions of tourists would have continued to
flock to this potential world wonder site but that has eluded Zambia once
again! We have to content our selves with oral tradition as we tell our
progeny, to our shame.
∇
as quotated by Simon Dresner in his landmark book, The principles of sustainability, pp39
216
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
======================================================
Bibliography
Wisconsin New York, New York San Francisco, California St. Louis,
Missouri
217
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Development Zambia, “No turning back as World Bank calls for a ‘break
Hampton J. Barbara, “To die for: The Satanic Verses this side of September
11- A review Essay”, Pro Rege, June 2005 pp1
McIntyre Chris, Zambia: The Bradt travel guide, 2nd edition, Bradt
Publicatiuons, USA, 1996
218
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Sirleaf Johnson Ellen, “Africa must develop its own vision: Need to move
beyond handling crises to strategic planning & management”, Africa
Recovery magazine, united Nations Volume 9 # 3 November 1995 pp 3
219
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter Eleven
220
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
This is a huge opportunity for some while an end to a traumatic episode for
others.
There is need to read the economic situation your lot falls into whether it is
in a recession, depression, prosperity or decline stageψ. These factors
definitely affect your corporate profitability. Other factors such as Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Product (GNP) need to be
considered. Gross Domestic Product refers to all the goods and services
produced in a country by all people in a year’s period whether by the
multinationals or natives. Gross National Product on the other hand, refers to
all the products and services produced by a particular country’s
ℜ
Refer to Numbers 9 in the Bible to get a sense of reading the time, knowing when to move and when to
be still.
ψ
Refer to the book “Business” by Pride, Hughes and Kapoor, 6th edition Houghton Mufflin company
Boston, New York 1999, pp14, 15. This book has marvelous simplified business concepts, well researched
and the authors seasoned.
221
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
×
As wisely advocated by Mr Kennedy Musonda
222
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
out source or relocate the production centres to another cheaper site such as
China, India or Africa where fellows desperately scrounge around for any
available job. In keeping with this, the strategist locates cheaper sources,
enters binding agreements and then introduces cheaper but high quality
goods on the market.
223
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
reporting and brutal openness hitherto unknown on the Zambian scene. The
pithy and candid editorials tore or built any one from an objective stand
point. There was confusion in those earlier days but today, the Post is a
serious opinion maker both nationally and abroad. Had it not spotted the gap
and joined the regular Paper band wagon, chances are that it would not have
lasted this far.
The punch line is that you identify a yawning market gap probably one that
every one is neglecting, avoiding or not seen and forcefully exploit it. For
example, if “Chikanda” or ‘African polony’ is not seriously commercialised,
improve on the quality in preparation and packaging as well as create a good
door to door distribution net work in your town. Do not forget to patent your
recipe so that no one hijacks it! You could rake in millions you know!
Maheu is largely based on the famous traditional “Munkoyo” drink but
refined, well packaged and patented. Today, the fellows are raking in
billions from a drink that has been around for generations.
Similarly, if you are to start up any line of business, you must develop a
keen eagle’s eye that quickly identifies the gaps, conducts market research
and hurtles along to grab the crack before anyone else does so. This calls
for well developed intuition and business sense levels. That partly explains
why many foreigners walk on to the Zambian soils reap billions of dollars
and exit the orbit while the nationals wonder around, complaining all the
way to the grave. You need to sharpen your skills! Another rather crude case
relates to scholarships. Opportunities abound but one little thing often scares
off star students: HIV test! Where there is such a requirement, better try, no
matter how competitive. A friend with less than a diploma once clinched a
high class international scholarship because the degree guys chickened out!
224
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
The rise, progress and spread of the Zambian Post newspaper 1990-
2007
For nearly 27 years, the Times of Zambia and Zambia Daily mail, both State
run papers, although nationalised some time after independence, reigned
supreme. They were by far the most potent government propaganda daily
print media mouth pieces and to the extent they reported, to that extent most
Zambians were informed. Their operations were extremely government
regulated and dared never publish any iota of government critical news item.
The key strategic positions such as Editor and above were to a large extent,
political jobs. In terms of finances, the papers raked in millions although
most of the times, the papers were inefficiently produced, of poor quality,
highly subsidised and distributed to mainly government departments that
probably never settled their accounts. As for competition, well, your guess is
as good as mine, they competed between themselves in a cosmetic fashion! I
guess they spent more time gossiping about pay rises and political
promotions than strategising to competitively outwit each other on the
market. Very few foreign publications were allowed, and if they did, one
paid dearly to get a copy. The News week, Economist and Times magazines
were about the only potent foreign publications worth talking about at the
time but even then, most of the propagated ideas could not resonate with the
average mind as the government controlled command economic and political
system impeded outside contact and exposure. In any case, if anything was
viewed as antagonistic to the State, heavy censoring ensued, if not the total
banning of that particular issue. That is how things stood as at 1990. By all
225
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
standards, the Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily mail were national
standard trend setters and appeared poised to maintain the superior market
share given their extensive and complex national network, perhaps even
beyond the borders of this country.
But then something happened in 1991, from nowhere, a paper called the
Weekly Post was born whose editor was Mr Fred Membe along side some
prolific, racy, penetrating and piercing writers such as the late Jowie
Mwiinga, atheistic Mercutio and the towering Bright Mwape, a first or
second year Evelyn Hone College Journalism student at the time. The
powerful Yuss dazzled the readers with his artistic caricature antics and later
the quaint satire writer, Clarke. Never before had the Zambians ever
experienced such stinging daring reporting. At the time, Dr Kaunda with his
hench men were the prime target, and the major issue of the day,
introduction of the multiparty politics. At first, the long established papers
(Times and Daily) sneered at, mocked and ridiculed the puny back yard
weekly publication that seemed to have been formed by a consortium of
perceived disgruntled fellows with a little support from anywhere. What
could they do? How could they dislodge such long standing and time tested
papers with a powerful international profile? How could the half baked
journalists possibly ever match up with the seasoned, experienced and ripe
writers of the day? What about their distribution, coverage and regularity?
What would these frail and perhaps diseased guys do, why waste their time
and resources? So went the ridicule avalanche, similar to the taunting
Nehemiah and company faced (Nehemiah 2-8) when rebuilding the
Jerusalem walls. The Post was indeed bullet riddled and pelted from all
angles at the time. The New paper idea appeared a sick joke and near lunacy
at the time. As expected, the young but living paper experienced some initial
operational set backs but as the stinging and revealing investigative reports
begun to pour out, the world sat up straight, because a new force had hit the
scene. Not a few eyebrows were raised as the once fragile looking paper
begun to dig deeper whilst others desperately attempted to bury the trash. In
no time, the titanic traditional and so-called “objective” papers begun to feel
the heat of the potent and fearless Post editorials. Before long, litigation
battles ensued raised by mostly high profile personalities in the country. It
appears that they were traditionally accustomed to unquestioned filthy
clandestine dealings and could not simply stomach criticism, akin to one
stealing relish from a pot. In no time, the paper garnered sufficient clout
and credibility among the national papers. The paper that dug deeper carried
the spirit and aspirations of the people though it appeared rather too radical
226
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
then, after nearly 27 years of State controlled media. As a result, the Weekly
Post was verbally outlawed in many circles and not bought by the State.
That did not cool the Post momentum. With time, The Weekly Post turned
into The Post and confidently took its place among the daily newspaper
stands, clearly out growing the rusty rest. Today, the paper is by far the
foremost widely read Zambian paper both at home and abroad. Its daily hard
copy circulation coverage of nearly 15,000± reaches the whole country, the
Internet and gets to many outlets long before the Times or Daily Mail do. It
has an efficient and effective distribution channel with a reliable transport
fleet. Besides, the newspaper contents are worlds apart with the Post
carrying the burning and current relevant issues of the day. The catchy
headlines and punchy editorials make the paper stand apart from the rest.
Further, the paper has been moving with the times and seems to have a
finger on what the real issues are and what people want and are itching to
hear. The Post has a way of exhuming and exposing dark corner secret
bedroom meetings that countless times even catch the President by surprise.
A few of those startling revelations have sometimes sent the man hysterical!
One can’t help but think of what was said about the Prophet Elijah (2 Kings
6:12). Some times, the Post makes the alleged corruption infested
government appear like a seriously dysfunctional information leaking vessel.
Hence the endless skirmishes with the Presidential legal mind.
But the Post has other unique attributes as it is full of innovations that are
absent in the traditional papers. I suppose penetrating the “Kariba Dam wall”
bureaucracy makes it a fruitless task to attempt change the ancient lethargic
state papers, one is better off looking for and sipping away Zigolo⊂ all day.
As an example of what I mean, the paper has continuously introduced
powerful sections such as the Business Post, the feature articles, the
Sangwapo (advertisements), the Saturday Educational Post, lifestyle, sports
and the weekly personality profiles among many forward looking ideas. The
paper consistently continues to improve but never losing sight of the original
resolutions of being objective, profitable and candid. It is clear that the Post
rakes in millions daily and is the trendsetter of the times on the newspaper
market. The traditional papers are still clutched in the bureaucratic mode and
are no match for the agile Post. The Daily Mail and Times are miles behind
as though they never once commanded nearly 100% of the Zambian
newspaper landscape. For instance, one can still find the Times and Mail on
±
As quoted from a reliable veteran source. The estimated volume for the state run papers is 12,000 (Times
of Zambia) and 7,000 (Daily mail) down from 45,000 in the 70s and 80s!
⊂
Zigolo= A sugar saturated cold solution popular among boarding pupils and students.
227
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
the streets as late as 15 hrs and selling at ridiculously slashed prices. The
Post will have long run out, even in most of the smaller towns! Some times
one wonders why waste tax paper’s money on papers that won’t sell but
merely used for political propaganda and self-preservation. Another thing
one notices when you encounter a Post and State Journalist is the difference
in the attitude, diligence and motivational levels. A Post journalist will
compass land and sea to get accurate fresh information. The others grumble
all the way, are laissez faire and generally laid back unless there is some
“motivation”! Why be bothered when they know that whether they report or
not, whether the paper sells or not, the tax payer will still subsidize the
company anyway! After all, their pay cheques are guaranteed. The Times
and Daily papers have not awakened to the needs of the times. They need to
review their strategy consistent with their fine and unequalled motos, if they
have a strategy at all apart from reporting on globe trotting President,
daughter and Queen or busy defending blatant clear irregularities! People
will not always buy a paper like that! People are looking for credible
tangible news, both local and international. Apart from the job
advertisements and a few Internet downloaded news pieces, what do the
papers have to offer? In fact, it is the advertisements that cause most of us to
occasionally buy the papers. Perhaps, they should consider crafting a
strategy that revolves around the advertisements, it could be a money
spinner you know!
Having said the above, there is need to mention a few perceived weaknesses
and strengths of all the papers. In many senses, the Post leads in many areas
of strength but sometimes is perceived too strong for the 27 year suppressed
Zambian minds. Besides, our cultural norms do not as yet sufficiently
appreciate some of the things promoted especially on the lifestyle section.
Some of those reports are too extreme, nearly nude and offensive to a wider
audience, though some consciences are becoming seared by the day with the
Satellite TV advent. That explains why some political leaders bark out loud
once hit under the belt. The Post should watch out what it promotes in the
name of “modernism” or “Post-modernism”. In terms of candidness, by and
large, it is doing a great job though this opinion is relative. Another caution
though, watch out for potential new market entrants. It is true that many
have come and wound up in the intermittent period but one may just manage
to dislodge the paper that digs deeper in terms of sales, just like it (The
Weekly Post) did in the early nineties! Continuously improve and build a
powerful niche. Learn from the Zamtel that is being beaten by new comers
like Celtel despite potentially having the widest network coverage. Today,
228
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Cell Z is trailing far behind Celtel, what more when mighty MTN settles?
There will be entertaining drama! I suppose that is what a market economy
is all about but take heed lest the Post also joins the other dead papers in the
already crowded corporate bone yard.
As for the Times and Daily Mail newspapers, a lot of lethargy, scrap metal
and boxed thinking still needs to be hurled out. Sadly, these papers remain in
the organisational coma surviving on the taxpayers’ life support system.
They are actually a drain on the meagre national resources and not worth
supporting unless privatised or let to run independently and professionally. If
possible, these should be commercialised or spun off from state control.
Away with the mediocre archaic politically infested management and puppet
journalism! The times have changed therefore, it is high time to awake.
Largely, the invisible political hand messes up these potent media entities.
The same goes to the now frustrating ZNBC, State politics, politics all the
way! We are tired of some faces! The Daily Mail and Times should urgently
shrug off all impediments and give the Post newspaper a run. Perhaps one
way to beat the competition and silence the Post is to commercialise one of
the state papers into an independent tabloid or investigative paper akin to
Uganda’s Monitor paper. It is a smash hit worth spending your cash on. But
knowing African politics and politicians, that is a far fetched dream, perhaps
unique to Museveni. That said, both papers need to improve on their
reporting quality, especially their generally poorly researched and biased
editorials. The language level is good enough given the target readership but
there is need to polish up even there too. One hardly feels they are reading
good standard English when their eyes are scanning these papers. The
language level is rather too low for developed, broad and exposed minds. If
the lower brackets (and they are in the majority, though most do not buy as
they cannot afford!) of society are the target group, then well and good!
The page size of the papers is needlessly too large, perhaps to accommodate
more advertisements. To their credit though (Times and Daily), their
advertisements are good and this is highly encouraged. There is variety and a
good assortment. They get rid of the adverts at their own peril, though the
papers need to add more innovative contemporary issues that will motivate
almost every Zambian, old or young to walk across town to get a copy of the
Times or Daily. I often find it intriguing when kids troop to my house on
Saturdays to read the education Post, that is the way it should be! Others
want to read Kalaki, Pastor Cholwe Mweetwa, Dr Canicius Miles Banda, Ms
Lucy Muyoyeta, Dr Neo Simutanyi, Dr Simeo Siame, Dr Owen Sichone, Dr
229
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
When I first set foot on Western province soils, I often wondered why the
land reported frequent bizarre lightening episodes. Various views were
advanced concerning this hair-raising phenomenon that included among
many things, witchcraft. This was and remains the predominant belief. It is
strengthened by the erratic selective targets that this lightening strikes. Most
of these could be perceived enemy property, such as cattle, houses or
relations. At other times, it could be foreigners who have imposed
themselves on the land and regarded by the natives to be wanton plunderers
of the natural resources. It is largely believed that these self same investors
are suspected to reap far more than they plough back into the community, if
at all they have the courtesy to do so. As a result, the natives send a cartoon
like cloud with spurious lightening flashes that sort out the target. A case in
point was one Program Manager who settled and worked in Kalabo
(Popularly known as the “School of medicine” for its superior remedies and
dosages second only to the Lukulu and Senanga west districts perhaps.
Incidentally another powerful school of medicine exists in the northern parts
of the country called the Kaputa district, no body dares that place and gets
away unscathed! Verbal reports have it that an even more deadly and
sophisticated school exists there). Without his knowledge or suspicion, he
worked among the locals but they had a bone to chew with this
230
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
231
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
That said, no one is certain for sure at the present time as to the root cause of
these sporadic lightening episodes but one cannot 100% rule out the super
human origin of these bizarre occurrences.
√
Brett, Agents of change, Banking world, April 1992
ℑ
Refer to Bivan Saluseki’s article “Living in the Diaspora: The story of Kazhila Chinsembu”, The Post.
Sunday August 5 2007 pp XV.
232
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
for the rainy day ahead which might strike any time. Its not a matter of
whether but when.
International Marketing
International business is taking different shades and is unavoidable today.
This dynamic world is rapidly changing to the extent that it has been reduced
to a “Global village”. This assertion is true in every sense because what
happens in one part of the world has a rippling effect on some business
transaction thousands of kilometres away.
As such, it is critical to have the right people in the right places at the right
time to lead and manage the global companies. We are now experiencing the
early generations of global managers whose mettle is tested on international
assignments, where they manage organisations with a diverse work force
and perceive things in different ways due to the script inscribed on every
soul.
People from different places look at one and the same issue and react
differently. What may seem right to me may not necessarily be so to my
neighbour due to our perceptions and values. As such, the International
Marketer must be aware before hand that interpretations of similar events
will vary significantly from place to place. This view of things is our Self-
reference criterion (SRC)¬
¬
SRC refers to the way we view the world based on our back ground orientation, culture, attitudes etc.
Shaw & Onkvisit do a more through job in their book “International Marketing” pp 260-261
233
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
1. Ethocentric where goods are produced for one domestic market but the
goods go “International” as a “by the way” due to surplus. The Maheu brand
comes to mind. Initially meant for the local Zambian market but is now a hit
in the neighbouring countries such as Angola and Malawi.
2. Polycentric where subsidiaries are located in different countries and each
operates almost independently in that they set up their own marketing
strategies etc.
3. Regiocentric/ Geocentric where marketing is on a global scale.
In the quest to penetrate and capture more market, the Marketer must
develop a global awareness in him/her self as well as those s/he will work
with. The orientation of International Marketing hinges on the ability to
assess and adjust properly to impact strange environment. It also rests on the
environmental approach to international strategic marketing that differs from
domestic marketing that deals with one homogeneous market. The
homogeneous market serves people with similar tastes, cultures and habits
where as the international scene has to deal with multiple markets with
various shades of taste and likes.
The world has been reduced to a small place where transactions done in a
remote place of the globe may have an effect on business in another part of
the world. The trend today is that World Trade is going “Global” and as
such, the Marketer should think globally. The World economy has gone
through different cycles and phases. At one time, The USA Multinational
corporations (MNC) reigned supreme and unrivalled. It is on record that the
20th century saw the world go into at least two economic depressions
between the World wars. After the wars and eventual recovery of some poor
economies, the USA & other countries started thinking “Global” in terms of
trade. The weapons that had strategically fought the trade wars in the past
were obsolete and to remain obstinate would have spelt total doom. We are
into the era of interdependence, which in effect is the most dangerous stage.
234
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
on Tariffs & Trade (GATT) was set up and later (1994) the World Trade
organisation (WTO). All countries that signed the GATT agreement were
expected to adhere to the rules. The decision was arrived at because Member
States used all manner of ways to protect their economies while expecting
others to open up theirs. The following were some of the barriers to trade:
1. Protectionism: through
(a) Unrealistic standards: where countries set unreasonably strict
quality standards.
(b) Tariffs: To protect the domestic infant industry from external
competition, tariffs are imposed.
(c) Quotas: When Governments impose restrictions as to the quantity of
goods to be imported for a given period.
(d) Voluntary export restraints (VER): where a country just decides
out of its own free volition, to restrain exports in order to deal with a
problem.
(e) Boycott: where goods are not bought for a specific reason or to press
a certain demand to be met.
(f) Monetary barriers-Either by restricting access to forex or refusing
foreign transactions like drafts.
ℑ
The Language of Trade: A glossary of International trade terms, p30.
ℵ
The language of trade: A glossary of International trade terms Page 30
235
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
inflation to soar out of control. Thus, the IMF was set up to stabilize foreign
exchange rates and establish freely convertible currencies.
3. Keiretsu- Found in Japan and are huge companies with numerous
associating companies. In other words, one core company at the helm with
hundreds of other associated companies like the Mitsubishi group (Involves
160 companies, of which 124 are listed the Tokyo stock exchange.). Each is
entirely independent with its own board of Directors. Companies today are
seeking longer and more stable relationships between vendor & supplier.
236
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Once the history and geography has been thoroughly imbibed, it is time to
study the cultural dynamics, which is the topic of consideration in the
subsequent book parts.
African Time
Reading through an article in the Post of Tuesday October 28, 2003 entitled
“Can Africa Keep time?” set my mind thinking once again. I thought I
should put pen to paper on this subject because I feel, to a larger extent than
we realize, we fail to develop as a continent due to our attitude towards time.
The article was drawn from a discussion on the BBC on how that the
African is perceived as one who cannot keep time. This view has been
strengthened by the recent happenings in the UK when a Ghanaian King
arrived many hours late for a meeting, and I would imagine, saw nothing
wrong with that. Indeed, from what I have read and observed over the years,
I suppose this sad perception is true relative to our friends from the
developed world.
Generally, in Africa, we are laid back, not time conscious without any sense
of urgency at all. All that matters is to see the sunrise and set. Many reasons
can be given for this attitude but I hasten to give a few which immediately
come to mind:
Firstly, the average African mind set has not grown up with a watch and has
moved with the changing lengths of the shadow. In other words, the angle of
the sun relative to the horizon has been the determining factor. Thus, there
has been no rush to do anything in a given period. Perhaps this explains why
generally, as Africans, we do not see the sense of all the noise about time
keeping. The question asked is, is the sun still up there? If yes, then why the
rush?
237
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Secondly, the typical African mind largely moves by instinct not man made
time frames. The appointment talk, meeting times and the rest of it are
foreign to the African mind and are viewed as an inconvenience! Time must
revolve around a person, not vice versa as obtains in the west.
Thirdly, the recent world changes as we hurtle along towards the global
village have caught the African by surprise. In the first place, the huge
technological strides as well as the one world economic order have taken
place away from the continent. These dynamic changes, though many have
begun hemming in on the African continent. Before the Continent is
liberated from the clutches of poverty, another thing has already evolved.
The advent of IT1 is especially responsible for these rapid changes because
decision-making is largely time bound as a result. As such, when a typical
African sets foot on the Washington or London streets, it is all a whirlwind
for him or her! As such, the African is perceived as “late” relative to the
robust world.
Fourthly, traditionally, what matters in the African mind is whether
something is done or not. It does not matter when but whether. In other
words, Africans are event driven not time bound. As opposed to the Western
world that is a time slave, the African is liberated. Therefore, in the typical
African setting, I would not be surprised to learn that words like
“appointment or time keeping” etc do not exist!
Fifthly, the African is content with the status quo and is not in a mad rush to
get things done at the expense of others. What matters in Africa are relations
rather than things or material gain. The traditional, communal system has
hitherto been more valued rather than the individualistic western culture. In
the developed world, the question is often, “what can I gain out of this in the
shortest possible time?” as opposed to the African who asks, “how can I
better the lot of every one else?” Both these positions have their own
positives and negatives. In other words, the African has no ambition beyond
the communal good. The drive to achieve much self-gain in a short time is
absent. It is worth noting that the idea of keeping time seems shocking to
some from other circles too. They arrive at 09:30 hrs for work, scavenge
around for “ma local bunzi”∠ with a two litre zigolo√ container to wash
down the rocky stuff. After galloping that, they then borrow a newspaper
that they read all morning and then knock off for lunch at 11:50 only to
return at 16:35 hrs in time to knock off. Their actual work is secondary and
1
Information Technology
∠
These are ‘rock’ buns made out of flour and popular among pupils and students
√
Zigolo=Saturated cold sugar solution usually loved by boarding pupils and students
238
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Having said the above, I venture to submit that the so-called time keeping
problem is not limited to Africa alone, no! The Middle East and the rest of
the eastern world have historically been the same as African, if not worse.
According to what I have read and observed in some of these our friends,
they are equally in the same pit, if we can call it thus. For instance, Philip R
Coteora in his monumental work “International Marketing”, (pp 124-126,
9th edition), high lights a number of helpful insights. In that book, he states
the different attitudes to time. For instance, he brings the idea to bear on the
international traveller that one shock a person encounters is the amount of
relativity of many things. As one ascends the international ladder, absolutes
become less pronounced and among them is the view of things, which are
clearly wrong in the one country as well as the corporate ethics. For
instance, we note that people view the commodity “time” differently due to
hind cultural orientation. The people from the Middle East and Asia are not
really “time bound” i.e. time conscious whereas the people from the west are
“Time-bound” and precise on time. In short, Monochromic time (M-time)
are time bound and emphasise on time keeping, appointments and
punctuality while Polychronic (P-time), are not time bound. Put differently,
people in the Western world follow Monochromic time while those in the
middle East and Asia polychromic time.
It should be further noted that the typically time bound western business
person is in for a shock if s/he went to the middle east hoping to complete
business as per schedule. Then jet out of the country the next day having
239
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
clinched an arms sale deal for instance because time is not treated as scarce a
commodity as perceived by the westerner, unless of course they are dealing
with highly exposed people.
Having asserted the above let me hasten to deal with the merits and demerits
of valuing time.
The article asks the question, “Is poor time keeping Africa’s worst enemy?”
I venture to think that the question is good and worth exploring by some
other fertile mind. For now, let us centre our thoughts on advantages or
disadvantages of keeping time.
Advantages
1. When time is observed much more is achieved in a timorous and
harmonious manner. There will be less frustrations and people will be
progressive. Where time is kept, there you shall see more constructive
informed decisions made there by leading to more legendary feats.
With the advent of IT, decisions that once took a year can be made
within minutes. How many developmental decisions will have been
made in the same period in this Technological world?
2. There will be more development as opposed to what obtains in a
nation like Zambia today. Politicians spend all their time bickering
and wrestling power from each other rather than focusing on the way
forward. While some are questioning those that got political office via
a forged ID, others spend all their time scheming ways to hit the
opponent under the belt. Meanwhile, time is ticking away and rests
not. Granted, some degree of controversy is essential, but let us be
mindful of time bane.
3. Individuals will achieve more both for their personal and corporate
good. If one person for instance establishes a business empire at 27,
this will spur others to do the same at a younger age. Thus, people will
be focused and direct. As at now, procrastination cripples us BAD!
4. There will be less time wasting. People will spend less time idling
away on Fantasy Island expecting manna to fall from the skies. As the
case is in Africa to day, people spend more time on either
entertainment or scavenging for food. In regard to entertainment,
many now look to the western world with their 24 hours television
stations via satellite. Children and even adults are addicted to the box
(TV Screen) and fill their minds with many unhelpful things while the
time swiftly flies by. Others are hooked to the Internet. I have nothing
particularly against TV and the rest because in and of themselves, they
240
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
241
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
But what are the disadvantages of keeping time? It is hard to capture any
demerits as most of the things related to good time keeping are positive.
However, let us briefly state that time keeping, as perceived from the
Developed world standpoint, has some demerits. The following general
demerits come to mind before we consider the ones that directly affect
strategy:
1. The world becomes more stressful when too much attention is given
to time.
2. The World becomes the slave of time rather than vice versa. This is in
keeping with what Christ said to those that attacked his disciples
regarding the Sabbath day observance (Mark 2:27). I believe the so-
called developed world is a hopeless slave to time.
3. The time madness is largely responsible for the breakdown of the
natural African system. The western culture of time has squeezed into
our vocabulary words such as “appointment”! Originally, Africans
valued each other above all things but now, deadlines and all the rest
of it have destroyed the natural union we once knew. Now what
matters is TIME and not people. I am aware that in the Natural
African setting, abuses were there such as time wasters and lazy
slothful gluttons who patronized their hard working folks even at
awkward hours, but this has robbed us of the quality time we spent
with each other. These funny fellows move like “Target odourless”
leaving you no room to take cover when you see them. They move
like headless chickens, to summon some violent language from Prof J
Kab or like misguided scud missiles. I fear that part of the high
marriage failure rate and the increasing juvenile delinquency may be
tied to too much attention given to other things as they appear more
time bound relative to others. The effects? Children grow up like wild
grass just under our noses!
4. Destroys families- People are too busy “sowing & reaping”. Promotes
individualism. That explains why the developed world suffers from
242
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
The following reasons come to mind as to why time must be kept and
redeemed:
1. Time is precious. Recall those days when essential commodities were
scarce? Recall those long queues? Then a tablet of soap was like gold.
Not so today.
1
Internet
243
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
244
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
commoners because we did not value time. I venture to say that where
you spend eternity depends on how you use time!
Before we conclude the subject before us, how can we corporately and
individually improve on time keeping?
I do not have a magical answer but here are some of the tips from my
experience:
1. Set your short and long-term goals clearly and begin to work towards
them immediately.
2. Strategise on how to achieve the said goals. It would be helpful to break
down your goals into smaller “packets” and monitor them periodically. In
that way, you will watch your progress. Personally, I already have long and
short-term plans on paper and live each year without much ado.
3. Set some benchmarks and indicators that will tell you whether you are on
course timorously or not.
4. Keep a diary and plan it preferably a week in advance. Read books like
Stephen Covey’s “Seven habits of highly effective people” and “Principle
centred leadership”. These books once well read will help you.
5. Make time keeping a habit. This begins slowly and grows into a natural
thing. Refuse to rest on your laurels or on what obtains ordinarily. The fact
that every one is slothful does not make the thing right. Embarrass your team
leader by arriving early all the time. Who knows, you may just encourage
him/her to pull up their socks!
6. Budget your time wisely and pick only the most critical and value adding
things.
7. Buy a good functional watch. This may seem silly but I mean it.
Unfortunately, many have wristwatches but they are the worst timekeepers!
Friends, those watches are not just merely ornaments, they have a function
to help you keep time! I fear many of us have been cursed by our wrist
watches countless times. Interestingly, others buy watches for pomp and
show. Actually, some of those watches do not even work! They most
probably were stolen from grand pa or from other weaker mortals…
Well, well, well what shall we do at this stage? Only one thing, let us
redeem the time that remains. Away with the lazy old mentality! We must
and can do it! No longer will the west dub Africa the timeless continent!
245
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
money. Rationalise as much as you like, the bottom line is attitude and lack
of sense of destiny.
Culture
Political Environment
A marketer must take into account the political environment in which one
intends to work because this variable is very critical in determining which
way to go. By and large, the Political environment ranks among the highest
variables before one gets bogged down with other ‘knitty gritties’ such as the
culture and legal aspects. The following factors will influence international
investment:
1. Stability of Government policies and how they will affect trade liberty.
246
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
247
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
damaged unproductive land. Perhaps some one is getting some kick backs
somewhere, hence the delay. Or could it be that the nation does not want to
lose investor confidence? Probably.
6. Price controls-Are prices freely determined by the law of demand and
supply or are they state controlled? These were prevalent in the pre-1991
Zambia but have now been replaced by Market economy principles i.e.
Market forces as opposed to Government determined prices.
7. Labour problems-Is labour readily available? How cheap or
expensive is it?
8. Sanctions- Are there any international pressures laid against the state?
What type are they? Are our goods going to flow freely?
In the past, Governments were hostile to foreign investors but in the last
decade or so, the situation has changed. The following Strategies will lessen
political risk:
a. When entering a country, it may well mean that Joint ventures with
the natives are entered into or
b. Expanding the investment base by joining with banks who are owed
a lot of cash by the Government so that the Government will be disarmed
from wrecking havoc as they will be interested parties, for how can you bite
the finger that feeds you?
c. Marketing & Distribution- Ensuring that the company holds the
controlling power over the distribution world wide so that should the
Government cannot be “funny”, or else risk losing Market for their products
too.
d. Licensing-Intellectual property & Technology. This licensing limits
usage and is for a specific period. It may be good to register the patent both
within that country and abroad. Despite the elaborate laws, Zambia and
Zambians doe not respect “intellectual property”. Perhaps our communal
background accounts for this. In the developed world, this is a big issue
because some one used their brain power to generate something and thus
deserve to be remunerated. In addition, this also encourages creativity.
e. Planned Domestication-This is a Systematic withdrawal because the
Government is going to decree thus “any way”.
248
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
International Marketing does have its own twisting curvatures upon which
many marketers, no matter how seasoned, make serious ship wreck. Some
quickly recover but others cause untold damage both to themselves and that
of organisations. Among the many common blunders we have listed the
following:
1. Brand name/image-re launch, brand life cycle etc. Some times, marketers
fail to interpret the times, context and what their ultimate objective is. Being
ignorant of the corporate strategy, they fall into the trap of crafting an ill-
fitting strategy running across or against the grain. Instead of fostering goal
congruence, they rip it apart, thus pulling in the opposite direction. As a
result, the brand name is injured, stunted and not clearly defined in the
customers’ mind. In an ideal situation, a brand name should hold all the
corporate attributes in capsule form the absence of which spells doom. Not
properly imbibing or clearly defining the corporate vision can also lead to
serious mistakes in decision-making relating to the products and services.
The life cycles, stage development, market research reports interpretation,
diversification, disinvestment decision are all a gamble risking ultimate
corporate demise. In international Marketing, you need to know much more
things such as the cultural context, cues, unwritten rules and what resonate
with the people or not. Based on those research results, a marketing strategy,
local, international or global is developed that hits the bulls’ eye. Half the
time, a national strategy is used in an international context and miserably
fails to deliver.
2. Customer satisfaction. Apart from clearly defining your brand name, there
is serious need to ensure that your customers are constantly and consistently
249
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
satisfied. The fact that they were satisfied yesterday does not automatically
mean they are today or tomorrow for that matter. Thus, a workable
information tool must be designed that continuously captures relevant
information about changing customer tastes and feeds into the marketing
research data base for onward processing into new products and services. In
real life however, such systems rarely exist for prolonged periods of time
due to the cost factors. In the end, the organisation assumes that customer
tastes remain stagnant for say five years when the global information
machinery has worked wonders to change people’s perceptions, preferences
and expenditure patterns in a space of three years. By the time the entity
realises, people have moved on to something new and more exciting.
Always remember that the customer is sovereign no matter which part of the
terrestrial ball. The sooner you realise this, the better. Professor Fackson
Banda had some interesting things to say about marketing communication
and consumer satisfaction in a presentation to the Africa Management
Communication (AMC) international’s 2007 annual conference held in
Sandton, South Africa. It is a pithy write up worth ploughing through.
Refer to the Post newspaper, “ Democratising marketing campaigns” Wednesday February 14, 2007 pp28
250
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
251
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
each other. Apart from the skill capacity building, other important aspects of
human resource management include the psychological, the emotional, the
morale and motivation of staff. Exceedingly large organisations tend to be
impersonal with no homely touch that is supposed to give people a sense of
belonging.
Human capital
Human capital refers to all aspects of a person that are engaged in the
building and sustenance of an organisation. In other words, all organisations
exist for and because of people. Remove the human factor and the
corporation ceases to be. Thus, every organisation should keep a proper
inventory of all the right people in the organisation, know their key
competencies and place them in the right place. If they are not thus
deployed, the organisation soon begins to dysfunction or may not be as
efficient as it ought to be. There fore, the human capital refers to the sum
total of all the viable human resources in the organisation who while
carrying out their various functions contribute to the effective and efficient
running of the organisation. Zambia once had thousands of graduates that
could effectively run the country but today, this is slowly dwindling, at least
in terms of diversity and distribution. Today’s average graduate is the
classroom type educated only to work in the office for some one. There is
urgent need to raise another cadre, trained with entrepreneurial skills who
can function exceptionally well both in the corporate world or private sector.
In that way, even more brighter ideas will be generated that will build
mother Zambia.
252
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
after it ejected over 2,000 Puritanε preachers in 1662, its small wonder the
church is going through such turbulent times today, nearly 450 years later.
5. The right human capital helps to bridge the gaps created by time, space
and culture. If you are working in the global context or have international
company, the right people on your side help mitigate the problems that
would other wise engulf you had they not been there. In the time conscious
western world, time is of essence while this may not necessarily be so in
Africa or Asia, although admittedly, globalisation pressure is radically
changing things.
It is now clear that human capital is not a by word but a critical issue that we
cannot relegate to the terraces, rather, it is the very essence of organisational
existence. As people’s goals are realised, they stick around and devote their
best energies. They are the company’s ambassadors. At one point we have
ε
‘Puritan’ refers to the nickname given to a set of 17th century English Christians who insisted on the purity
of Life, doctrine and practice. Some of the famous ones include Dr John Owen, Richard Baxter and John
Bunyan, author of the immortal classic, ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’
253
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Capacity building
♦
Dr John Maxwell has written a book with a similar title “Team makes the dream work”
×
Refer to Proverbs 27:17 in the Bible
254
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
for instance, shared not only the Gospel but his life also∂. No wonder he left
an indelible mark! One can scarcely miss Paul’s footprints in many modern
Reformed Bible Christians! That is the way teamwork should function after
being built.
Capacity does have some off shoots and some of these include:
a. Innovation
Innovation has to do with the originating of an idea and applying it in a
given context to achieve the same or even better than intended results. Many
innovative people are creative too and always looking for ways of doing
some thing better than the standard traditional way as long as their out put
approximates to or super cedes/exceeds the industry standard. In any given
situation, one must think outside the normal confines of thought so as to
achieve something. An example is the Apollo 13 scenario where their
oxygen tanks exploded mid space towards the moon in 1970. They used
every available article on the spacecraft to survive until they safely reached
the earth after a gruelling seven-day voyage lasting over seven hundred
hours. In one instance, they used some metal pieces to help remove the
excess carbon dioxide so that the air toxins reduced significantly.
The improvised machine that saved three astronaut lives March 1970
Courtesy of NASA
"Jury Rigged" Canisters to Clean Air
of Carbon Dioxide
∂
I Thessalonians 2:7-9, II Tim 2:2
255
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
for their radios every Saturday evening when the familiar signature tune hit
the air waves. What was very intriguing for the producers is that the program
was religious, communicating a religious theme, which ordinarily people
detest. But this one was different in that it came in series of plays depicting
decisions that people repeatedly make in the course of their lives which they
either live to regret or applaud. The target group was largely the teen-age
youth though it had a universal appeal. In summary, the story was about
several characters that were growing up and faced several temptations
bordering on peer pressure and how the gospel made a difference in
someone’s life choices and perceptions. The characters were native Mongu
residents though in the play they used pseudo names such as “Utwa”. As the
series began, the characters were introduced and as the plot developed, the
30-minute program hit Mongu by storm. The radio “listener ship” sky
rocketed for those 30 minutes and eventually, the radio station became
popular by that token. Letters poured in to show appreciation and respond to
quizzes that were run at the end of the program but then the episodes came
to an abrupt end. To date, people still have fondest memories of the
momentous series.
But when one analyses the tools that were used in the production of that
fantastic series, it was simple innovations put together by the genius of the
Kambule team. First, an old dilapidated cassette recorded whose cassette
cover could scarcely close was used to do the recording. Secondly, the
ancient audiotapes were used and thirdly, the actors were enthusiastic church
members using scanty scripts. These elements put together made a world-
class production that shook the world. That was innovation at its best.
After that period, the church acquired more sophisticated digital recording
equipment but failed to produce even one program. What was the reason?
Why fail in the face of state of the art technology? Many answers could be
summoned but the following come to mind:
1. The company relaxed since it had reached the apex of their short-lived
celebrity career.
2. The attitude as a result changed by the time the digital equipment was
arriving.
3. The major stake holders/script producers felt their task was done and
needed to move on to something else.
4. The team begun to break down as people’s attention shifted from
quality message dissemination to personality tussles. The team
dynamics were disturbed, as it were.
5. Some key role players left town and no one could exactly replace their
appealing charm.
256
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Sadly, the young generation 2000 came to a sudden close and fell silent
forever.
b. Creativity: Creativity involves using your original inner ideas and strength
to generate something that probably has never been made before. Innovation
is intimately connected to creation only that the latter originates from the
mind using the inner resources as opposed to using some possibly tried and
tested ways such as improvising some thing to sort out something. Creativity
is the ability to create knowledge. The power to harness imaginative powers
into something tangibly worthwhile that hitherto has not been.
c. Intuition: this is the inner gut feeling that one develops due to experience
or an inward discerning eye. Much has been said about this aspect there fore
we leave it at that for now.
d. Independence/objectivity: An empowered person is usually able to make
independent objective decisions and is ready to be held accountable for their
choices. The opposite is true about another that is not thus empowered. By
virtue of being ignorant, they are vulnerable and often fear the unknown as
well as make serious errors and rush decisions. Their chief goal is to survive
and thus use any method as a survival strategy. Not so with the ideal
professional. One case comes to mind that involved the famous prosecution
lawyer, Mutembo Nchito. At the risk of losing his practicing licence and life,
257
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Team/group dynamics
Survival tactics
Organisational politics
258
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
In any society where humans interact, politics of some sort exists, unless of
course in the grave where each corpse is confined to its allocation. Corpses
only share worms rather than politics. With the human eye, there is dead
silence in the grave. Not so where anthropogenic activity is taking place.
Venture into any club, society, business or church, politics exist only that
they take different shades and focus. Thus, when one first sets foot into a
new environment, they may be blind to certain missiles that keep flying
around the airwaves until s/he touches the wrong button. That which is
invisible to the naked eye eventually becomes visible as more “live wires”
are accidentally tripped over. It is there fore prudent to watch out for little,
little things that would potentially sour or sweeten relations within the
organisation. For instance, if the organisation jealously guards its public
image and if one wantonly goes ahead and hazards the name, that person
will be efficiently hounded out or marked out for frustration until they
eventually exit the orbit. Depending on the powers that be, the operatives
behave in various ways so that they can win favour or a good placing. Have
you ever wondered why and how some of the most wasteful employees keep
escaping the hang mans’ noose? The reason is that they probably know how
to play their cards well. Among the most common reasons why these hawks
survive is they are connected to some one at the top, have bribed their way,
have studied each person and know how to appropriately respond to them or
simply plead their way to survival, make themselves appear always
available, anticipate what their bosses will want and provide, know when to
ask for something and ensure their “goodwill account” is not over drawn. If
that account goes into over draft (OD), trouble begins to brew. In other
words, the organisational politician can sniff the land mine from afar and
swiftly take another route to avert danger. Other organisational politicians
are skilled at testing the waters long before others realise. For instance, if
one wants to know whether they are valued, they sometimes threaten to
resign and see whether the people at the top take note of the threat and
respond. If the people that matter appear indifferent, it could signal that the
person is not valued. In such a situation, the person finds some excuse to
either keep within the fold or simply abandon ship.
Caution:
If you elect to abandon ship ensure you do it when and if necessary because
you could dent your image by the frequent seemingly needless quitting
threats that might grip your potential employers with some doubt. They will
find it hard to trust you no matter how smart you present yourself because
they will feel threatened by your track record. Secondly, you run the risk of
259
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Organisational politics takes many shades and can vary from insignificant to
life threatening. Not a few have received the axe as a result of unwisely
trifling with fire but other risk takers have triumphed to the next stage of
development by the same token. Below, we give an actual example of
organizational political correspondence that took place in one organisation
many years ago. It happened that an entity was struggling to keep their
debtors figure down each month. But sadly, the picture was not changing as
fast as cosmic management would have loved. Thus, many of the middle
galaxy managers resorted to other aggressive tactics that helped in a measure
to change the picture but by and large generated backlashes on all
concerned. We engage into a bit of accounting language with its technical
coding:
Date: AC 2044
Greetings,
Your account 900 is a mess. Tunguza, as you prepare the payroll this month,
ensure that all advances over 30 days are deducted from the staff concerned
without fail. Please submit copies of pay slips to me and to head of audit as
evidence of such deductions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Humble Bully, Senior Manager
260
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Mars
CC: Head of Audit
CC: Operations Director
==============================================
Response:
In response to your strong assertion below, I beg to differ with your dogma.
I wish you had given me space to explain when we talked on the phone the
last time. Instead, you shut me up and gave me a piece of your mind. I was
intimidated. Your concerns were good and legitimate but handled harshly.
I hold that our account 900 is 100% ok for the following over looked facts
on your side:
1. The report you referred to was a draft report, consistent with the recently
agreed position at the Accountants' meeting at Fairmount Hotel. We are to
submit a draft report as a funding basis. Further, if you had read the report,
your view perhaps would have been different. I wonder, have you read that
report?
261
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
2. The draft report was obviously before certain procedures had been done
such as Ledger Revaluation and Account allocation. This was so because we
had not yet received the account listing and to be in time with the 5th day
dead line of the subsequent month.
3. In the said draft report, I stated that most of the people had already
accounted but I just needed to pass Journal vouchers to reverse the advances.
That hair raising $ 18,000 or so would have been a thing of the past.
4. In fact, there is only one or two over 30 days, handling a FX which is
expensed over time. The other is still on duty on planet Mars.
5. I will resend the soft copy of the report I sent on March 5 for your perusal.
I do not for a moment claim to be a perfect man in accounting matters but on
this one, my conscience revolts to stifled.
Thus, I end by appealing to you to rediscover the magical leadership
prowess that once laced your conversation. I miss it.
Here I stand...
Shalom,
Colossians 4:6
Tunguza Crankshaft
Solar system Accountant
Planet Pluto
Telepathic no:XXXX555%%%%
Greetings,
I find it rather insulting for you to think that if you are asked to correct a
situation which we have been struggling with, then you are being
intimidated or the issue is being personalized. I do not wish in any way to be
your hero. Neither do I wish to subscribe to your definition of servant
leadership. I will take this matter up with Senior Management here for
advice.
Your most
Humble Bully
Mars
================================================
262
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Colleagues,
I have seen your flurry of emails and I wish to say that the situation is
degenerating into personalities and removed from concentrating on our
various functions. I must therefore nip this in the bud.
The roles that we play contribute to the efficient running of the Directorate
and one of the areas that I have been constantly chastised on is A/C 900 and
I made this very clear during the last Accountants Meeting in Livingstone. I
have asked the two Cosmic managers to be diligent in this area in particular
so as to clean up the records. The treatment of the Accountants who are not
showing any signs of reversing this trend has been harsh because the picture
is not changing at all. Having said this, I want us to remember that we ought
to do this in love. Christ commands us to do so.
While the NO will continue to give support to the planets, I expect the
various staff to work as unto the LORD and give us here space to work too.
I lastly appeal to the two of you to mend fences and look at this episode as a
stepping stone to higher heights.
God speed.
Mfwiti Ikali
Operations Director
Solar system
Planet X
Universe
==============================================
263
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Thanks for being wonderful exemplary mentors, I will miss working with
you.
I must continue packing for now while looking out for the earliest flight out
of this place.
Remain in His keeping.
Tunguza Crankshaft
Solar system Accountant
Planet Pluto departure lounge
Telepathic no:XXXX555%%%%
How ever, many practice poor politics where they are naïve and diligently
dig a grave for themselves unawares. For instance, very brilliant people like
Boutros Ghali fell organisational politics victims because they did not pay
attention to the “natural laws of the organisation” On the other hand, Kofi
Annan survived because of his articulate scheming. For one thing, he has
married an American, been to school in the US, and knows where the booby
traps are and avoids them. One can argue that he is but a puppet but let us
focus on his smartness…
The following write up will help illustrate and augment what we have been
saying.
264
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Ghali’s ouster and replacement by Koffi Annan from Ghana. For all we
know, Ghali is an Egyptian and seems to have worked tirelessly at the UN
for many years before he was elected into office in 1991. He is a highly
principled man and possesses all the traits of a great statesman and not easily
shaken off his principles. Also, he seems to posses a very crystal clear mind
that is both strategic and objectively analytical as evidenced by his seasoned
comments.
He stepped into the UN offices shortly after election with a burning passion
to restructure the UN into a more agile and relevant organisation, in keeping
with the original San Francisco goals of 1945. As we know, the UN ideally
is there to preserve World peace, prevent wars, alleviate poverty, improve
global health, and fight exploitative labour practices as well as resolve
regional conflicts. This is achieved through many interventions, such as
negotiations with Governments and using its own military force, derived
from the UN member countries to quell crimes against humanity. When the
World body commenced its work many decades ago, all these goals were
very fresh and justified the existence of the UN. But alas, with time, it has
turned out to be a US tool to advance America’s global dominance political
agenda under the guise of being a “world peace watch dog”, when the UN is
supposed to be independent and objective, detached from any single
Government manipulation. The advent of the cold war made the UN further
lose its sovereign identity and to this day, it still is firmly clutched in US
hands. This is what Ghali set out to change, and as it were, touched an
American “naked live wire” instantly electrocuting himself!
But then, the man was prompted to institute these drastic manoeuvres
because of the organisational state of the outwardly sparkling entity. When
Ghali took over the mantle, he found a desperately weak and fragile entity
literary struggling to keep alive. What were the root causes, one may be
prompted to ask?
For a long time, the UN has been owed billions of dollars in unpaid
subscriptions by member countries, chiefest being the USA. As a result, the
world body has operationally been crippled. The only way to get round this
hurdle was to restructure (re-engineering & down sizing), cut down on staff,
limit travels and initiate controls on the use of resources. Therefore, when
Ghali stepped into office, his keen eagle’s eye diagnosed the problem and
immediately prescribed a remedy, but ironically, the proposed solutions
greatly infuriated some power mongers. These were but the first straws that
lashed out at the US Government and from then on, he was a marked man.
Further more, he begun to advocate objectivity and fairness in treating
265
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
conflicts around the world. What was evident was that the US could pick
and choose at will whom to help, when and where. Hitherto, no one had
dared question such hypocrisy but Ghali irked some quarters when raised his
finger in protest to this disparity. The question still begs answering, what
exactly was the problem root cause?
Having analysed the scenario, it now remains for us to draw a few lessons
and conclusions from our observations.
266
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
.
Firstly, we note that Ghali was probably naïve about many things when he
stepped onto the 38th floor of the UN Secretariat. He assumed too much
thinking all were friends when viper tongued politicians were lurking in the
corridors to strike him! Secondly, he seems to have been unconcerned about
the immediate impact of his reforms. For all we know, change is always
resisted, especially when it threatens peoples’ status. America is in its
declining stages as a world power, and the kicks of a dying horse can be
deadly. Thirdly, although his reforms and strategies were excellent, it seems
to me that he had worked on the flawless ideas with a small click of friends,
to the exclusion of all others. As such, his ideas were perceived to have been
force fully shoved top-down rather than participative. In the fourth place, He
seemed to have been in a terrible hurry to implement the reforms and did not
make a proper internal situational analysis of the HQ. Although he did a
good overall operational analysis of the organisation, as evidenced by his apt
conclusion that the world body was too bulky and over weight, it seems he
was unaware of “who is who” at HQ. Naïve about UN organisational
politics, he bashed some folks on the head while he spat others in the face.
How they gnashed their teeth! I am one who supports originality in a leader
and would have applauded his brave assertions but it is more prudent to
know your enemy before you act. Tread circumspectly when restructuring as
a general rule.
Fifthly, organisational reforms take time, especially the complex UN having
tentacles all over the globe. Ghali, should have first looked for ways to curb
the off shoots of the radical and comprehensive changes by preparing people
through training. In addition, he should have been more careful to motivate
his staff in various ways, such as capacity building and the need for
organisational mutation.
As the momentous event recedes into the irretrievable past, we can only
salute Boutros Ghali for the resilience he displayed in attempting to steer the
titanic UN back to sanity. As he himself aptly concludes, “I believe that such
a transformation is still possible and will succeed-if the United States allows
it to do so.” we trust that the petty politics will be surmounted and the
metamorphosis realised.
To a limited extent, Ghali tested his own poison because of his myopic eye.
In another sense, he was a victim of circumstances, hounded out before he
realised what was going on. Perhaps the culture differences contributed to
267
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
the communication problems, we have no telling exactly. But then, how has
Anan successfully survived to the end of his second term? It seems he knew
the ropes and could smartly read the times as well as the changing writing on
the wall, though his son’s deals nearly tarnished his image. Former World
Bank’s President, Paul Wolfowitz was not so lucky for he suffered at the
hands of his fellow colleagues (May 2007), charged with conflict of interest,
in relation to his girl friend. One needs to vigilantly watch and walk
circumspectly thereby forestalling any future adverse backlashes.
But then, being politically right outwardly is not enough, one must have
certain extra traits to lengthen their longevity in an entity. They have to
develop and refine these unique attributes to succeed. The key words are
‘unique competence’.
268
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
status makes it difficult for the organisation to easily prune them off
as they add value to the organisation profile. For instance, those that
are educated and have internalised some expertise may use that to
hold the organisation at ransom. I once heard of a PhD holder in one
organisation that was an expert in report and proposal writing. The
presence of that person in that particular organisation made many
donors, including the UN, to pour resources into that organisation.
What was at play? That person had educational and specialist assets. I
have also heard of a company that harboured a near non-performer in
the organisation. This person committed a number of misdemeanours
and felonies but for some unknown reasons escaped unscathed. In the
fullness of time, it became clear that the person in question has a high
social standing with a lot of money lacing his being.
ℵ
More Cs available!
269
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
4. Known quantities (KQ) - Some people simply carry some clout about
them and are constantly sought after rather than their seeking. Such
people rarely apply for jobs but the reverse is true. KQs are
outstanding individuals on the industry and inspire confidence in
others. The presence of such people in the organisation attracts good
will, clients and compels other organisations as well as individuals
desire to have some thing to do with the organisation in question. In
the past when the quantity was not present, people would not have
bothered about the organisation but at the arrival of the KQ, eyebrows
are instantly raised. Should those people leave, then out goes the
goodwill as well! As such, when these fellows misbehave or break
corporate ethics, the organisation has to count the risk factor involved.
If the continued employment of that person means image loss, then
the prudent thing is to immediately relieve the person; if the opposite
is true, reconsider.
270
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
have mutated. In that way, some people realize this loophole and
exploit it to the full, knowing that they cannot be easily laid off. The
frustration of course is that they will most probably not rise to the
higher echelons of power within the organisation as long as their
name remains in the mud. In a word, the people in question are too
valuable to let go because of the hind investment. The author recalls
an instance when he met some lamenting important Government
official over the non-contract renewal for his colleague. His argument
was on the amount of investment and training in that person who lost
the job but the response given was simply stating that the capacity
thus built enabled that person to get a job elsewhere. The investment
trap could have worked well but the strategy failed at this stage. For
the astute strategist, bonding resulting from training could turn out be
a grand opportunity, a means to an end.
271
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
some influential financial figure who literary run the party from their
pockets. Election after election reveals who the financial giants are.
√
This is nepotism
272
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
know what you want to hear and in what way, when and how you
want to hear it. They wittingly package their world award winning
messages, knocking out even the meanest person, as it were.
Interestingly, rouges, some in suits, occasionally tell the whole truth
but by and large, they will tell you half truths that leave enough room
for them to squeeze between the cracks and escape with their lives.
When you are sad and need cheering up, they swiftly come with a
well-packaged message to lift your spirits and when you are most
happy, they ask that request that you would not ordinarily entertain
and get what they want! That is not to say that smooth talkers are all
like the sly politicians of our day, some of them are genuine and well-
meaning people! Fredrick Chiluba was a classic word manipulator.
For ten years and beyond, the man has consistently hoodwinked the
vast majority of Zambians whilst in office or after. I bet he is more
popular than all the other presidents combined due to his sweet
tongue. Ironically, Zambians revere crooks rather than righteous
people probably because most of them are lazy and liars themselves.
γ
Refer to the International book-keeper, August/September 2004 issue story entitled “Employees fear staff”
273
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
11. Antagonizing the superiors from below- this happens when the
subordinate perceives a difference in perceptions among his/her
superiors over a matter. The said person deliberately elects to pursue
one path at the cost of the other and when confronted, s/he explains
from their standpoint. This causes the superiors to enter an
antagonistic tussle while the subject sails along safely. This also tends
to happen when there is duo loyalty and various conflicting
instructions are fed into the person at hand.
12. Corrupting some key person by paying them in kind or other. This
happens when people have to pay in some way to the superior to
maintain their job. This could happen when some one undertakes an
official trip, they leave a portion of their per diem with the boss.
Others are given certain privileges and expected to cash in with the
boss at some point. It has been heard that some Police officers are put
at some roadblocks popularly known as the “gold mine” or “ATM”
with the sole purpose to raise money and cash in with the boss. Other
police officers are alleged to be given the Police motorcycles to raise
money for some superiors failure to which one is cast out. Another
popular way is to pay in kind. This mode is historically common
among the female folk who pay by their bodies to maintain their
positions. They offer sexual favours to their lovers and in turn are
rewarded by fat salaries, good conditions or even promotions, in some
instances where they do not even have any qualifications! Despite
their serious blunders on the job, these people some how survive and
even proceed to higher orbs! Note that this is not a universal situation
but is sufficiently common. In these latter days, women have also
become sophisticated where they tend to patronize their junior male
staff for sexual favours too. They are “sugar mummies” Further,
others demand kickbacks from those they help to clinch certain jobs
or contracts. As long as those “loyalties” continue to smoothly and
timorously flow, all will be well despite the odds. Cartels are
commonplace in some countries, including Zambia.
13. Quality out put and responsiveness. This occurs when a person churns
out quality and comprehensive stuff to the pleasure of the superiors.
The person is able to anticipate, proactively capture and document
certain data such that when the information is requested, s/he at the
click of the finger sends the requested information. Another aspect
that marks this person is their responsiveness to issues. The person
274
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
14. Align oneself with the bold, rich and influential i.e. imitating them or
being overly loyal. To survive or get some thing out of people, you
need to exploit some tact. Degree varies from person to person in the
use of tact. Some are amateurs while others are experts. The experts
often know “who is who” in whatever situation and quickly establish
friendships of convenience and will pretend to be extremely loyal
until they achieve their goal and then suddenly bolt, leaving no
fingerprints! It is normally hard to detect the experts’ schemes and
often lands many well-meaning leaders into trouble. Usually, such
crafty people will go to great lengths to agree with the powerful, some
times even risk sacrificing their own image on the pleasure alter until
they achieve their goal. The author recalls countless politicians who
have ascended to power echelons through being needlessly loud
mouthed and supportive to the President when in their heart of hearts
wished the appointing authority dead! Once the tide changes, they
also do the same, parroting newfound principles! That calls for tact
and a pliable boneless character some times.
15. Database. This is when some one has access to highly confidential or
sensitive information. This person could have information about the
organization or some senior people such that if they attempted to
hound the fellow out, that would open the implicating Pandora box.
To that extent, the person will be treated with utmost care until the
information becomes irrelevant or non-incriminating. By that token,
some have kept their jobs for as long as they remained a source of
blackmail. In other instances, the person in question may not be a
black mailer per se but one that has a special skill to gather data from
the grape vine and pass it on to the relevant people. The person has
extensive and complex information networks within and without the
organization. If you want any information regarding anyone in the
organization, just plug in and within a few seconds, all the data and
information is at your disposal! These people operate like a search
engine and are themselves part of a human Internet. Simply log in to
their server and all your queries will be answered! Such individuals
wield a certain influence and power in the organization and become
assets for data mining. In other instance, these people act as informers
275
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Very well then, we rest our case there with respect to some survival tactics,
it is therefore fitting to go further and consider some dangers to watch out
for whilst operating in the corporate environment or indeed any community
where politics are bound to take place.
276
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
professional and religious Manager. They plotted to get him out of the
way so that their back door flour transactions could flourish once
again. One day, Mombo arrived at the checkpoint before driving out
of the plant and leisurely allowed the security staff to check his boot
while he whistled away a hymn. To his utter shock, they found two
full flour bags in his boot! The man could not explain and was
subsequently charged with attempted theft. His unimpressed
employers pardoned him and thrust him into a much lower frustrating
job where he practically had no power or influence. With him out of
the way, the flour trade resumed apace. Always watch your back,
never take any chances like the naïve man.
277
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
3. Others are more lethal in attempting to get rid of their rivals. They
poison them at drinking sprees, parties, office tea or water etc. The
assailants first study their target’s habits after hours or in their leisure
time, if they cannot crucify them during the working hours. If it is
liquor or drug abuse, they take that person with them, offer lots of
drinks and drop in some toxic substances in the drink when the fellow
is not looking or has gone to the toilet. The next day, the man is
history. Others are more courteous and put slow killing poison in your
drink or food. Secret security agents are fond of this tactic. Still
others, assassinate your character so badly that by the time you awake
up to reality, you are off the charts. Always be alert and constantly
scan your surrounding, any person is your potential killer. Not
everyone who smiles is a friend indeed. Further, we would not be far
from the truth to assert that any person is a potential death trap.
Remember the Hui Cho killings (32 slaughtered) in the USA Virginia
Tech in March/April 2007. Your next sip could well be your death
call.
278
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Imagine for a while that one day, after a heavy and stuffy Friday you
knocked off late and went home eagerly looking forward to a restful
weekend. It is in the cool of the day and nothing would be better than a
Friday!!
As you settle for a bath, warm cup of tea and then jump into bed, you hear
some strange noises outside. Since you are weary and tired, you resolve to
ignore the noise, after all, you have heard Hyena like noises near you bed
room window before. But as the watches of the night progress, the noise,
akin to a dog persist, you remain stuck to your warm darling blankets as you
treasure your beloved sleep. Thus, the night goes by.
In the morning, one of your dependants suddenly dashes back into the house
and informs you that a dog is stuck in one of the small openings in your tiny
verandah. Naturally, you immediately dismiss her claim as mere fantasy, but
then the she insists. As you get to the scene, you get the shock of your life,
lo and behold, a big dog is stuck in your verandah wall, as it were, in small
hole whose diameter is almost three quarters the size of its head! The head is
the other side of the wall facing the out side while the rest of the body is in
your veranda! What would you do?
Imagine further that the dog cannot come out having struggled all night and
yet is still alive? Would you proceed to break the wall to set the poor
creature free or would you opt for the grisly option to crash the dog's head
and then thrust the "grinded" head through the hole?
This happened to one of the members of staff here at Planet Pluto. Pray for
us earnestly brethren for divine protection against the onslaughts of the evil
one! We need to put on the full Armour of God constantly.
Or
Consider another case that happened to the same said staff mentioned above,
Slippery.
She had been having a good time with colleagues around especially so that
she was the ‘hot babe’ around. In the process, she wooed the hottest dude on
the block who fell hopelessly in love with her. Life was cosy and good in
279
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
every way. I mean, the guy had a good job, good looking (super handsome),
was driving and was rising fast up the corporate ladder. What more could a
girl look for? Hey, life was ‘cool’ despite dissent from certain quarters.
One striking thing happened shortly after they announced their relationship
to the world. The other interested girls and guys were disappointed.
Evidently, the girls were more hurt because what follows left hairs standing
on end: The next day after a powerful bash with friends, there was sweet
feelings in the air. Her dude had gone to his palace after gracefully dropping
her off just after midnight. She staggered into the house and greeted her
mum as she pulled herself to lumber onto the couch. In the morning, she
surprisingly found her self comfortably sleeping in her bed! As was her
custom, she got up early with a view to fetch bathing water outside in
readiness for work. She opened the door and then horror struck! Lo and
behold, right there in front of her door step was a complete set of female
clothes in a heap as though some one had undressed there. Right from under
wear to a coat were all there. The terrified girl slammed the door and ran
back into the house for her dear life. Thankfully, more seasoned though
superstitious mother was on hand to advise on the way forward. She calmed
every one first and then proceeded to collect the set of clothes using a stick
and burnt it some distance away. As the burning was taking place, curious
onlookers from the next flats had gathered around. That was the story of the
day for many weeks to come. Was that a warning sign? What would you
make out of this scenario?
280
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
7. Booby traps: At other times, the older employees set traps for the
ignorant new person to see how they behave or make serious blunders
early in their career which reflects badly on them. The first
impressions create a lasting opinion and as such, the person cannot be
trusted or given higher and greater responsibilities. A story is told of a
colleague of mine who landed a big job which the older generation
employees had been gunning for. The only way they could get rid of
him was to let him sign something during his probation period against
the prescribed organisation rules. He signed himself out. Always
know your limitations as well as rights because in every entity, there
are unwritten rules, regulations and by-laws. Watch out for those land
mines lest they detonate under your feet!
281
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
10. Power jostling/wrestling: This is the all too familiar activity that takes
place in almost all institutions, whether in the home, school, church or
office. Depending on who is at the helm and who is led, power
struggles can and do take root. This occurs usually, as earlier hinted
when people have a insatiable appetite to control resources, are proud,
want to be obeyed or fear being toppled by the operatives. Thus they
spend all their lives avoiding land mines, protecting their turf or
securing their fort as much as possible. This debacle can take different
directions and if not carefully watched degenerate into serious
polarisation with a crippling party spirit that literary grinds an entity
to a halt. In such tussles, people devote their energies in the wrong
direction and have no strength left for any other productive venture.
This wrestling may be loud for all to hear or silent but hot depending
282
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
on the ploys and strategies used. Always avoid from such fights unless
it hinges on your survival.
11. Power distance: Power distance refers to the power dynamics that
exist in every organisation. Usually the managers tend to be bosses in
the real sense of the word and everything revolves around them. In
many Zambian institutions, a manager is untouchable and no body
dares question them on any matter lest they be flushed out of the
system or charged with insubordination. It is interesting to note the
power distance between the boss and his deputy. Once s/he goes on
leave, the acting person must literally consult on every decision, no
matter how small lest they burn their fingers. When some one visits
any office, large or small, they can almost tell what their relationships
are like with the Manager by the way they behave when the fellow
pitches up. If the power distance is large, the operatives disappear into
the nearest crevasses like cockroaches when a light is suddenly turned
on. They seek refuge somewhere or become suddenly mute. Where
the manager is a team player, everyone is free to express themselves
regardless of whether the manager is present or not, of course bearing
in mind the binding ethics. Look at the Zambian scenario where the
vice President dreads the President as though they can be struck dead.
In our country, the first lady wields more executive power than the
vice President, at least the power distance is less between her and the
President compared to the vice. Would we be far from the truth to
assert that the first lady is in fact the de facto Vice President? I doubt
it.
283
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
tree as has been evident in Zambia for many years though people in
power vehemently deny. Thus, if we were to strictly follow nepotism
witch hunt, no one would be spared because we would be all accused
of supporting our own. That said, there are situations in Zambia where
some people are clearly biased towards their own relations, and if it is
within their powers, they short list only their relations and a few weak
candidates. Who can pin you over people who have been interviewed
over a cross section panel? If such a thing continues unabated, it
becomes a citadel of laziness, abuse and subjectivity where rules are
used depending on who you are and not what the policy says.
284
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
15. Crippling words from workmates and friends. For some unknown
reason, apart from human imperfection, people tend to fracture each
other. They do this by being malicious, gossipers, envious and all
those negative vices. As a result of these negative traits, they tend to
generate a negative energy in the atmosphere and go all lengths to
prove their point. A case in point was the issue of Sanballat and
Tobiah in Nehemiah 2 & 3 in the Bible. We note here a set of
indifferent people called the “nobles”. One wonders where their
nobility lay but these people first of all resisted the work of rebuilding
as highlighted in point 14 above and went further. First, they folded
their hands and then spoke scornfully about the workers. They
mocked the builders. In the process, some of them (Jewish workers)
succumbed to the pressure and grew weary. Many Sanballats and
Tobiahs abound today everywhere. You have to diligently and
meticulously watch out for these if you are to escape their venom.
16. Performance: Many Zambians assume that once they pass the
interview, they will sail fare ever after, but actually, that is when the
real hard work begins. Performance is a serious booby trap for the
largely laid back and lazy Zambian. A colleague∞ once remarked, and
rightly so that the main thing killing Zambians are two “L”s, Laziness
and Lying. This hardly needs explanation as we see it all over us from
the highest office to the lowest pauper in the land. Instead of using the
∞
Chikondi Phiri, June 2007, Mpika.
285
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
offered opportunity to build they profile by world class out put, many
relax and eventually get the boot. Although the person in question
may be to blame in the case just quoted, there are cases where the
powers that be form a cartel which eventually hounds out some one
based on their performance in a given time frame using legitimate
ways such as performance appraisals. Watch your back and ensure
you are consistently on top of things. I admire the way the South
Koreans think and work. The Koreans have long established a culture
of hard work and self reliance but now they are now turning to
interdependence by fostering the five “imperatives” namely,
entrepreneurship, regional integration, global connection, knowledge
based and market led. On an individual level, develop a versatile
personality that mutates with the time launched from a hard working
diving board. Dreaming alone will not do.
======================================================
Bibliography
286
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Allen R Cohen, The portable MBA in Management, 2nd edition, John Wiley
& sons 1993
Blackhall Sue, The world’s greatest blunders, Octopus publishing group Ltd,
1989
287
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Kamau John, Why Boutros fell from grace, New African, # 378, October
1999 pp 20
Makodza Lackson & Mutaka Davis, Try North-Western, local investors told,
Times of Zambia, Wednesday June 13, 2007 pp2
Olya Opiyo, What was in the mind of mass killer Hui Cho?, The New
Vision, April 25, 2007, pp10
Oyelese Yemi, The men behind Lumumba’s death, New African, October
1999, pp8
Pech Khareen, Up, Up and away, New African, October 1999, pp28
Shaw John J, Onkvisit Sak, International Marketing: Analysis & strategy, 2nd
edition, Prentice Hall, inc, 1993
288
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
289
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter Twelve
People Management
290
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
291
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
People management
292
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
a high probability of not only motivating people but also of perpetuating the
organisations’ market leadership or drastic turn around from near death
brushes. The writer has heard of organisations, such as the one referred to in
an earlier chapter (The winning organisation) where trainings, workshops or
travels are planned at least one year in advance there by forestalling any
panic frenzies that often bug many firms. Once the organising is done,
capacity building commences. Capacity building relates to fostering work
related skills and competences by training, exposing or providing staff with
opportunity to improve their ability to do things in a given work area. Others
have defined it as “the process of developing a person’s capacity in a
particular set of work-related or functional skills”∅ This leads to efficiency,
effectiveness and saving in the long run. The capacity building takes place in
different ways including, informal, on the job and formal. Further more, the
capacity building can either be specifically limited to a particular entity or a
general purpose skill that enables one to function independently long after
they have left the organisation. Ideally and as earlier intimated, capacity
building aims at lifting one’s skills, abilities and competence in a given area
by stimulating the latent potential to higher levels. In this rapidly changing
world, there is need to keep abreast with the times by acquiring the right
kind of skills to make the right decisions at the right time. Thus, the Human
resource has this arduous and yet honourable duty to ensure staff are
continuously adept to take on changing scenes. Further, a well-trained staff
team is most likely going to integrate as a team much faster and better,
having been moulded into team players and goal getters. Modern
management trends suggest that continuous training proves cheaper in the
long run as people are not only motivated (Knowing that they are more
capable and marketable) to stick on but sharpens them into potent swords for
market success. Thus, a wrong set of people in HR spells doom as they will
not only be unable to spot talent for sharpening but may go right against the
organisational strategic grain.
∅
Mpika ADP (World Vision Zambia) Provisional Design Document (PDD) glossary pp V 2006
293
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
The individual rather than the corporation is in the driving sit. That not
withstanding, the organisation still plays some part in career development as
long as the initiative taken is in keeping with the overall goal congruence. If
it is in line with one’s job description and affordable, why not? The
evaluation methods vary from questionnaires, post training reports,
performance appraisals or observable competence improvements as the case
may be. Thus, the HR should not content or restrict it self in providing
training only but must thirst to see tangible results arising from the resources
spent. This calls for diligent monitoring and evaluation with the view to
modify or strengthen the weaker points as well as identify new outstanding
gaps. Having analysed the feed back, the HR generates periodic reports high
lighting the out puts, impacts and outcomes observed in that period, not
forgetting the challenges and recommendations. A documented proposed
strategic direction is a good proactive step in the right direction.
From the fore going, we observe that the only difference from our earlier
birds’ eye view above to the “HR & Administration” is point c. although we
can safely say that all other points are in an expanded fashion.
294
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
(vi) Able to proactively develop a training plan over a given course of time.
295
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
So much then for the broad HR view, we now proceed to consider the
Personnel management element, derived from the broader umbrella of
People Management. Briefly, Personnel Management specifically concerns
it self with the famous hiring and firing of people. It welcomes some one and
bids them adios when the chips fall down. Further more, this function looks
at the staff welfare, performance (against set objectives), promotions,
demotions, discipline, transfers, loan applications, leave and long service
issues⌡. In other words, where as HR focuses on capacity building and
efficient use of staff, PM deals with the legal aspects, procedures, and other
related issues immediately affecting the individual in the course of service as
well as at the separation stage. This entails that the Personnel officer must of
necessity have a firm grasp of the extant local labour laws, policy issues,
staff placements, payroll issues e.g. preparation etc (in some organisations)
as well as ensure all the operational “gears are up and running”. For a long
time, Zambians’ labour rights have been violated with impunity being
worsened with the advent of the investors who do what ever they please and
some how get away with it. It is an even more shocking thing especially
when the head of State is a lawyer of high standing! One would have
expected better employee treatment and legal compliance. In most of these
unfortunate cases, had they hired qualified People/HR management
practitioners, perhaps things would have been far different. It is gratifying
that relevant bodies are now seriously taking up the matter. But good
personnel practices do not need a revolver pointed to our necks before we
comply, they are for the good of every one, investor and native alike. Once
well treated, these selfsame natives are good will ambassadors to ten other
friends who come and buy from you, thus supporting your business. The
strategic eye foresees all this and much more, long before any backlash
returns to haunt them.
⌡
Refer to: Annual report for 2002 Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training Zambia pp2
296
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Below are the major labour laws as given by the Zambian Ministry of
Labour and Social Security∴:
a. Employment Act Cap 268
The Zambian law has been evolving over the years as we move
away from the British standard left at Independence. By and large,
that law delineated what was due to the African, Asian and
Colonialists. It was to a great extent based on the British labour
law though greatly favouring the whites. After that, there have
been several revisions especially in recent years as the Labour
relations take a more recognizable centre stage. The laws are now
more contextualised and reflect the obtaining situation, though
more still remains yet to be done. The Zambia Institute of Human
Resource Management, a professional regulatory body (established
as an act of Parliament # 11, 1997) has made many valuable
contributions some of which have weaved their way into
Parliament and enacted into law. The employment act is a pivotal
law as it deals with many issues in a broad sense as relates to the
employment contract, conditions, terms and references,
termination, separation and to some extent, the recourse action in
the event of a dispute. In short, this laws’ objective is to provide a
legal framework for employment relationships between employee
and employer. This law, first enacted soon after independence
(1965) has had several revisions since, the last amendment being in
1997 to ensure the law complies with the liberalized economy. The
Human Resource Manager has no option but to acquaint
themselves with this critical law for effective and smooth labour
relations.
297
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
ILO
Trade union leaders and members strategising
Thus, this law offers a plat form for collective bargaining as relates
to the Trade unions and the employers. It stipulates the steps to be
followed in the said process and what course of action to take in
the event of a deadlock, stalemate or dispute. Enacted in 1993 in
the light of the liberalised economy, this law, like the employment
act was last amended in 1997 guaranteeing, among many rights,
the freedom of association. It is interesting to note though that
some developed countries like Japan have hitherto not had labour
unions at all. This is interesting chemistry worth curiously
enquiring into. As for the British inherited legal system like
Zambia’s, we cannot avoid the Unions.
Apart from the earlier employment Act of 1965, another law was
passed to deal with special cases, especially in times such as state
of emergency where the President assumes most of the powers to
298
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
act by decree for the good of the nation. It was very active in the
twenty seven year state of emergency during the Kaunda regime. A
detailed treatment of this law is beyond the scope of this book but
the reader does well to look it up with the Government Printers for
a hard copy but suffice it to say that the use of this law is restricted
to special critical circumstances.
299
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Post ILO
Under age children engaged in ‘Streetism’ or
working in a Tobacco Factory
The law provides for the protection of young persons in the field of
employment in hazardous or injurious situations. Worst examples
of child labour common in Zambia include Prostitution, streetism
(selling & living on the streets), stone crushing, quarrying etc.
Note that child labour is different from child work where the child
is taught survival skills. Child labour refers to the coercive,
strenuous, slave work conditions with an egocentric profit motive
on the part of the employer. HR Managers do well to master this
law lest it has terrible ramifications. A read up of the UN’s
convention on the Rights of the child is also instructive on that
score.
300
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
301
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
This act paved way for the transformation of the Zambia National
Provident Fund (ZNPF) into the National Pension Scheme
Authority (NAPSA) that became operational some time in 1998
after the initial ground work had been formalised. Effectively, the
scheme is a pension scheme which people turn to when they retire,
having contributed to this fund all their working life. Unlike its
predecessor, the scheme offers a wide range of products which
members have access to after saving for some period of time. The
present retirement age is 55 after which a person has liberty to
claim a regular pension amount for their up keep. Effectively, the
pension scheme act, birthed in 1996 provides for the establishment
of a National Pension Scheme for social security in the event of
employment loss. Whether it works effectively or not is yet to be
ascertained although the scheme vigorously collects monthly
contributions. Frequently, the contribution rates are adjusted, one
wonders why.
There are other acts worth acquainting oneself with, the major ones being:
The above referred to laws are there to ensure that equity and fairness
obtains on the employment field. They are designed to ensure that employer
and employee’s interests and rights alike are safe guarded. In short, they act
as a regulatory framework from which people operate. Any Human
resources practitioner in Zambia must there fore imbibe these tenets or else
by surprised by endless unexpected litigation at every turn. Different
302
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Motivation
“All organisations say that people are our greatest asset. Yet few practice
what they preach, let alone truly believe it.”, aptly quips Peter Drucker, that
legendary Management guru. And yet how so true this assertion!! James A
Finkelsteinℑ quotes Drucker in an article called “motivating people. It is a
lamentable fact that we have slid into the new millennium with relics of the
past still firmly clasped to our “corporate skins! What can be done? How
can we handle this hurdle? What parameters can we employ that will help us
to fight lethargy and demotivation?
Having briefly defined what motivation is, we now proceed to tackle four
critical dimensions namely, Where, who, how, and why as advocated by
some fine writers like Finkelstein.
303
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
In the first place, for any one to function well, they need to operate in a
conducive and palatable environment, i.e. the buildings, office
accommodation, furniture, “family” kind of work treatment, freedom to
contribute to the company goals and any outer gadgets that make life
worthwhile. It must be remembered that the average worker spends over 8
hours daily at the work place and as such must needs find the work place
attractive and comfortable otherwise work is reduced to a mere “necessary
evil”.
In the second place, the worker must have a sense of belonging in the
company, popularly known as “a sense of community” these latter days. As
new employees join a company, they come with expectations that are either
fulfilled or drastically altered, in which case many feel disillusioned. In other
words, the company culture must be one that is realistic, open, clear and
framed in such a way that mutual trust and teamwork harmoniously co-exist.
The culture of two merging companies is especially tried and tested when
two hitherto different work forces converge, obviously causing “sparks”
which need to be extinguished through the evolution of a new culture. In a
nutshell, “culture is how people interact at work, how they support the
mission, how they regard each other, how they work together toward goals,
and how they treat customers.”ϒ This definition is all encompassing and
deals with all the salient features of a corporate culture. If the right culture is
absent, it leads to losses and ultimate company failure. In the long run
people become egocentric rather than corporate goal focused. They even flee
in some cases. Thus, good supportive and progressive corporate culture
significantly contributes to staff retention rates as well as diversity and plugs
high employee turnover. It is also worth noting that most of the new
employees quit at the induction stage before they get “connected” to the
cultural server but if they successfully go past that stage, their propensity to
quit significantly diminishes.
The third parameter that rears its head is that of development. This is the
“how” of the work place. Workers must be given the skills to handle their
tasks, through prolonged training. If strategies are clearly set, pursued to the
end through appropriately trained staff, then some positive progress is
registered. If the “how” is not clear in peoples’ minds, they feel
incapacitated, directionless and demotivated. To the contrary, if they are
capacitated and involved in some way from the planning stage, as well as
ϒ
“Motivating people”, Executive Excellence magazine, April 2000 issue pp10
304
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
kept abreast with the latest developments, they will “own the goal” and
wholeheartedly support it to the end. In other words, the company must plan,
train staff, and ensure that these appropriated abilities are utilised rightly.
Short and squeezed training sessions are not recommended for “practice
makes perfect” as that quaint old saying goes. People need to internalise
what they learn and only by constant practice do they perfect their skills.
Sadly, many institutions are guilty of hurried trainings in the quest to save
some cash. On the other hand, it is worth noting that whereas in the past,
enterprises took the sole responsibility to train and educate, this has
drastically changed as part of the new ‘social contract’ as propagated by
some quarters such as the Korean Vision. The responsibility therefore now
heavily rests on the individual actively taking part in shaping their destiny.
Most employers today only supplement an individual’s efforts unless the
entity specifically wants that skill developed and internalised in the
organisation. The times have drastically changed the wind direction. The
presupposition in that case then is that the staff cadres earn enough money to
foot a good portion of their study and training costs, short of which
encourages ‘human capital flight’.
The fourth dimension is the all-time famous reward system. Many reward
systems have appeared on the horizon, some fair while others horribly
inhuman! The universal one which has stood the test of time is that of
compensating at the end of the service or through periodic performance
reviews after which one is paid some token of appreciation. In as much as
this method has worked well in the past, the present generation is more
individualistic and favours “Immediate gratification” compensation. The
worker of today is interested in seeing instant tangible results as well as
investing in the future, to secure the retirement. Unlike in the past, when one
could bank on the retirement package and there after run “broke” as soon as
the cash is exhausted, today’s worker wants immediate tangible results. In
other words, immediate cash value is more ideal for the modern day worker
called the “X generation worker”. Interestingly, not only is cash crucial to
motivate a worker, time off and the psychic gratification are paramount
today. In this hurried hustle and bustle generation, one appreciates some
time off work to pursue other refreshing activities (Such as family life,
holiday, set up own business etc) and then return, having “recharged the
brain cells”. Another dimension worth considering is the deliberate policy to
give first priority to current staff for promotion before offering it to the
outside world. This motivates staff to keep on board, work harder and feel
part of the whole organization. This is one way of awarding staff who have
305
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
been around through out the changing seasons of corporate life. Not only
does this motivate them but also builds synergy as much less resources will
be spent in orienting newly recruited appointees. Granted that the outside
will bring fresh ideas thereby enriching the organization, the extant staff too
have dreams and ideas that need venting out once availed an opportunity.
The motivational sources vary from place to place but the points advanced
above are key. Depending on one’s hind orientation towards work, they
either are motivated to work by reward or inherently think work is good in
and of it self for them and brings about honour. The English Puritans and
early Protestants strongly believed that work was inherently good and that
alone motivated them to labour on. No wonder, generally places where
Protestantism once thrived, radical development pace has been recorded.
Consider England, USA, Germany, Switzerland and wherever Protestantism
flourished, there is a great difference compared to elsewhere. John Calvin
the reformer is still remembered in Switzerland to this day. The good hard
working attitude we see today is but a relic from the past glorious Puritan
era. McGregor’s X & Y theories come to the fore here.
29.01.99, NDOLA.
Introduction
306
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
through the entire BP network. At the interview time, Mr Njobvu held both
the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) & the
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) qualifications and
was the senior Depot Manager in the northern part of Zambia. He has since
relocated to Cape Town, South Africa to take up a more senior and
challenging job. By that token, he travels extensively in the BP network.
During his student days he was several times elected the best overall student
world over and at one time was the best Management Accountant in BP in
the Southern Hemisphere. Peter is indeed an international quality leader.
QUESTIONS.
P. Like I said, people are viewed as the most important asset of any
organization and if they are satisfied, they will improve in their output. This
means taking care of both their welfare and environment in which they
307
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
operate. People say that these days, the buzzword is 'Team Work', and this
has been a buzzword for sometime now in the management circles and for a
good reason. They are saying that the original hierarchical structure is in
efficient and must be broken down to give way to a learning approach.
P. For a long time to come, we are yet to find a mode of management that is
better than teamwork because in a team setting, all the people are qualified
with one leader who is basically a boss but does not come out as such but
rather is a team player as well. In the Accounting firms for example, all the
members are qualified professionals so that none is above the other but as
they share ideas, the output is by far more and richer than if one person were
to work. Teamwork emphasizes the fact that people should be allowed to
express themselves, brainstorm and bring up all sorts of ideas. There is a
belief that 100 lousy ideas are better than none. If you get ideas from all
sorts of people, including those on the floor, you will get great ideas.
P. I have a team under me, with whom I seat, plan, brainstorm and work out
all things. I have Engineers, Accountants and all sorts of staff under me.
B. Has the teamwork culture permeated into BP? How successful and
applicable has it been, if at all? (To what extent)
308
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
reason, teamwork doesn't seem to be working too well. We still have a group
on top that can't be touched while the operatives in the middle to fix below
are forced to receive commands. As a result you have a culture where people
will not accept correction or advice but busy to please the boss. As BP, we
are trying to discourage it. Various efforts have been made such as shared
ideas to get the methods of best practice. I have attended some in the region
and they continue to take place, they come up with really good ideas.
P. Yes, if you like, it is very effective and I make sure that I go out on the
shop floor for one and a half hour everyday just to familiarize and acquaint
myself with people who may ordinarily feel uncomfortable to visit me at the
office. Then we are dealing with people on a personal basis rather than
giving instructions from the top. In the end, this opens them up and you get
better results.
P. What I think is that TQM is the process of management where you affirm
that our processes and procedures guarantee almost that at the end of the
chain or production line we are going to be churning out high quality
309
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
B. Now, we are running short of time, but could you briefly tell us some
of the hurdles you have encountered in Implementing TQM?
P. The problems are always on the attitude of people who think the
procedures are just too long and are tempted to use short cuts to achieve the
310
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
B. Finally, on a personal note, you have done both the ACCA and CIMA,
which one of the two emphasizes TQM more?
B. Thank you Peter, for giving me this interview despite the early hour I
came.
311
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
bones and they will not rest until their objective is met. The vast majority
however need to be motivated from without or by some external stimuli.
In the corporate world, people enter jobs moved by various motives among
them includes career development, good staff welfare, job security as well
the after effects. If any of these are missing, people still get on board with a
view to take the earliest life boat out of the Titanic ship. Maslow thought
through issues and crytalised his thinking into what has now come to be
known as “Maslows’ hierarchy of needs” This paradigm or frame work
basically looks at the various factors that affect a person’s motivation and
thus influence the way they behave, respond or do things. By and large, this
is a good working frame from which premise one can dive into the
motivation theories’ ocean. Below, we reproduce Maslow’s pyramid
highlighting what we have alluded to:
Self actualization
estee
Social
Safety
Basic lowest level need Physiological
Self actualization
This is the highest form of self fulfilment after the lower needs are met. Few
actually reach this level as they spend most of their time trying to attain the
other more basic needs.
Esteem needs
People want to feel accepted, recognized, valued and appreciated. In the
absence of that, they tend to have a lower self image and hardly move on to
1
Refer to “Organization theory” by P Bryans and T.P Cronin. Mitchell Beazley Publishers 1983
312
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
realizes their full potential. Proper self worth (esteem) is critical to achieve
maximum potential. Esteem needs refer to self perception as well as what
others think about you.
Social needs
This refers to among many things, the need to feel loved, needed and a sense
of belonging in society. This shows itself in many ways hence the social
classes we have in the world.
Safety/security needs
People need to feel safe before they ascend to higher levels. Among the
security they need is that of their lives, food and job security etc. In a
nutshell, it is the desire for security from any threats or danger.
Physiological needs
This refers to those basic survival needs without which the organism dies.
Some of these include air, food, sleep and water. A person at this stage is
extremely vulnerable and will not concentrate on anything else that does not
bring tangible results to mitigate their immediate need.
313
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
while the other struggles to keep within budget for a year.♣ This also
explains why people fail to accept and adjust when they suddenly loose their
lifeline such as a high profile job and thus become insane or soon die of
depression. The drastic drop is just too much to bear. As for the confirmed
pauper, they are not afraid of falling (because they are already down any
way!) and easily improvise coping mechanisms thereby surviving longer
than one would expect. Next time you see a once big “Bwana” collapse and
die even if they seem fairly above average, know that they have fallen down
the hierarchy and failed to adjust. The suffering was too much and suddenly
felt vulnerable, rejected by the system, society, friends as well as their self-
esteem crushed beyond their imagination. The strategist anticipates, foresees
all these issues and works while it is day ensuring that all future potential
hazards are forestalled long before hand. In addition, the post-modern team
leader anticipates these challenges and inspires his followers to proactively
prepare for the rainy day. He also suggests great and brilliant ideas to his
colleagues so that no one leaves empty handed when their contract comes to
an abrupt end or expiry. S/he puts success in his people’s way. Further more,
the leader makes people buy into the organisational goals, the benefits and
how the milk will continue to flow if they worked well and harder. In other
words, the leader does not only limit himself to the official matters but also
wisely touches the private lives of people urging them to redeem the time, as
it were. By way of summary, we can safely state that we need to know
exactly what motivates people, when, where and how lest we prescribe the
wrong remedy. Is it money, promotion, recognition, travel, training or
individual/shared accomplishments? The strategic thinker prefers security
above comfort.
The Lincoln company case below is a good learning point for us with regard
to motivation. Let us draw some principles to apply in our own local
scenario, bearing in mind that each context is unique and demands different
approaches:
♣
Refer to the Post newspaper of 01/03/07 pp 2 titled “Chupa urges govt to check mismanagement at
ZESCO” as an example of what we here advance. The said organization was on its knees for lack of
financial resources not even able to offer basic core service while the top brass were making away with
huge sums of money because it was “in the conditions of service” Who would understand such warped
thinking?
314
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Of the many successful companies that have hit the business horizon, none
perhaps has been so specially blessed to have a consistently growing loyalty
and prosperity of all its employees as The Lincoln Electric Company⊇. It has
been around for nigh a hundred years and all these years have been years of
growth, expansion and strategic placing of the company. Lincoln company is
an excellent place to work at though it is not for the faint hearted who want
to make a quick buck and dash off, rather it is for the resilient and hard
working.
Talking about the Lincoln Company today without the mention of the
pioneers of this entity would be gross injustice. Due honour must be given.
We will look at the two famous Lincoln brothers who graced the company
horizon in those earlier days and put the company firmly on its rails, from
which it has never departed. Who were these men, if we may ask? What did
they do and why did they act as they did?
The two were John C Lincoln and his brother James Lincoln. John initially
begun the company in 1895 without his brother and ran it until 1907, a
period of thirteen years in which time he, John, perfected the trade upon
which the company was hereafter based. He was a technical genius and as
such, received over 50 patents for various apparatus inventions he
developed. His natural ability so perfected over the years such that by the
time James joined him, the unique company products were fairly established
on the market. But technical ability alone is not enough these days, John
needed some one who had a management acumen, which was well packaged
in his brother, James. We would not be far from the truth to assume that
when James stepped onto the company premises, he immediately swung into
action regarding the life long system reforms. The said reforms were so
thorough that by the time the man left office, his ghost lingered in the
company and has never been exorcised since. The fact that his principles
have never been altered or adjusted for over 30 years shows how timeless,
excellent and useful his character must have been. His writings too, are also
replete with evidence that James was a rugged individualist who strongly
believed that anything was possible for any one provided they elected to
⊇
This company is in the USA
315
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
work hard. These principles are reflected in the philosophies and practices at
the company.
But what did they do that has consistently propelled Lincoln Company to the
market apex all these years? What are the classic management and employee
approaches they have utilised that we may draw a leaf? In answering the
question, it is fitting for us to state that arriving at a workable management
practice takes time. Were we to judge the Lincoln management methods
against the modern management trends, they would be somewhat archaic,
but these are the very management practices that have fought and won
battles for the company. The approach to the organisation is that the
executives have endeavoured to keep the “small company” feeling, akin to
that at the Microsoft except that here, the individual output matters more. In
keeping with the resolve of being small, this has ensured that the company
remains agile in that the products are of consistently high and improving
quality while inversely reducing costs. It is a firm belief that the costs and
prices must be kept as low as possible. This means that as many ways of cost
saving have been devised to reduce cost such as maintaining simple but safe
structures and furniture, designing and making own machines and having a
“just in time” minimum inventory stock. Further, total quality has been the
heartbeat because this ensures nigh zero defect products, which in effect
pays back over time. The second key to the organisational approach is the
strict adherence to the company objectives to which everyone must
subscribe. This keeps the company focused on the distinctive competence
and no one acts “ultra vires”. The company, unlike many modern firms, is
highly centralised in decision making and yet, ironically, the two chief
executives are among the most accessible to every one in the company. The
person with the lowest job has as much personal attention from the top as
anybody else. This is seen as the executives walk around the company floor,
people cheerfully talk to them with no dread, and also in the eating and
parking places, no special places are reserved. Now this is unique! In the
same breath, it means that the decisions are generally top-down though
maximum communication is maintained. For example, the Chairman and
President must both know what is going on to the minutest detail so that they
can have a hand in making any decision.
316
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Having said the above, we hasten to say that Lincoln Company has a human
face to it as well. The company practices are designed in such a way as to
motivate the worker towards maximum output. This is seen in the incentive
parameters which reward individuals according to the output, time spent,
initiative and new ideas brought into the company. In this way, many feel
attached to their jobs and will willingly work long hours so as to gain that
extra buck. At Lincoln, it can be truly said that “Time is money”! Let it be
noted that this arrangement makes people need minimum supervision
because of the created conducive working environment guaranteeing
freedom of expression, individual importance and worth. Another important
motivational factor has been the preference of internal promotions, tapping
local talent from those espousing the same company goals. This approach
has caused the hard working sort to amass enough personal assets
corresponding to their output. This feels good and highly motivates.
Furthermore, the company pays handsome bonuses at the end of every
profitable year as well as ensures that the employees are given permanent
jobs, thus creating security and not stifling creativity or innovation. As a
result of the aforementioned approaches, the work culture at Lincoln is that
people are hard working, diligent, have high morale, are cost conscious, aim
for speedy high quality product and service output, have little idle time and
are their own supervisors. If they relax, it means less pay, the reverse being
equally true. These factors have kept Lincoln buoyant over the years.
We have no doubt that the above scribbled excellent picture about the past
waters many mouths but our concern now shifts to the future as to how these
past successes will be maintained. What safety gadgets will be inserted to
ensure sustained market leadership? The following strategic moves are
suggested. In the first place, the cost cutting methods through new ideas and
new techniques must continue to thrive. In the second place, quality must
continue to be intertwined into all the products taking particular care that the
external customer sets the pace. The internal customer (i.e. the employee)
must also be satisfied continuously too. Thirdly, the company must ensure it
curves out a niche which competitors (old or new) will not easily copy.
Further more, new innovations and products should be placed on the market
way ahead of competitors. Lincoln should be proactive rather than reactive,
emerging as the trendsetter. Also, the company must meticulously watch out
for emerging and established competitors who may undercut Lincoln and
take over the market, for many market leaders in other markets have realised
too late that a once puny rival had overtaken them. Speedy and timely
quality service must seal up the strategic manoeuvres of tomorrows’ Lincoln
317
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
318
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
working all their lives and maintained effective but simple communication
with everyone. Also, they strove to know workers by name, which alone, is a
powerful motivation to employees. If the personal touch and the ‘Earn as
you work” system are absent, the motivation system will not work
sustainably. The absence of company wide issue consultation and the
autocratic tendencies accounts for the reason why many companies do not
follow Lincolns’ example. On the other hand, some view the Lincoln
motivation system as strenuous, inconsiderate in the event one is
incapacitated and not a sustainable practice although the individual pocket is
satisfied. Furthermore, the reward system is designed by the top executives
alone, who do not consult or know exactly the stress levels each job evokes
within a person. The given reasons suffice for our purposes as to why few
companies espouse the Lincoln approach.
Having analysed the reasons why very few companies would throw in their
weight behind the Lincoln method, we move on to comment on the
management practices with respect to the modern trends. The Manager of
the year two thousand and beyond is one who is pictured as robust, strategic,
team leader/player and not the bossy type but rather, one who considers
others as equally critical to the quality output chain. In fact, in modern and
post-modern management circles, teamwork is the buzzword and is
emphasised far above the individual performance. These trends have been
learnt from the Japanese who have employed teamwork effectively which
results in high morale and commitment to the company cause. Furthermore,
the manger of today is not expected to be autocratic or make all the
decisions. Minimum management and informal structures are preferred so
that bureaucracy does not creep in nor stifle innovations. Also, this makes
the company remain focused, strategic, agile and fluid, thus moving with the
times. In addition, employees are expected to contribute ideas, brainstorm
and be party to the final decision unlike in the traditional approach where all
the decisions were enacted at the top and pushed down for implementation.
The top-down approach has not been effective in that the actual
implementers on the ground do not identify with or buy into the goal, as
decisions are “Pushed down their throats”. The traditional approach largely,
has been the adopted practice at Lincoln although some tenets found in it are
also found in modern management practices. By that token, we could safely
say that the Lincoln style leans on the past in decision making but in some
cases also incorporates modern trends. With all due respect to James
Lincoln, I think the company ought to shed off certain tendencies, which, in
and of them selves may not be wrong, but need to be revisited in the light of
319
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
As I look twenty years hence, I think Lincoln will remain the place I would
desire working at as long as the motivation patterns are constantly revised to
match the modern trends. Today, there is the realisation that there is more to
life than just money, into which we trust, the Lincoln Management will look.
Fly on to higher orbs then ye Lincoln company!
Nearly every one talks about teams and teamwork in these latter days but
very few actually imbibe or let alone believe in it. Many have proclaimed
that teamwork has worked for them but as soon as they left the podium, all
that they had boasted about crumbled to the ground, why?
The reason probably is that they worked with a group rather than a team. A
group is more concerned about reporting on one’s sub area to the leader who
compiles all the separate reports into one. In a sense, the group focuses on
their work area rather than the broader picture that belongs to the leader. A
coherent team on the other hand is a developed group that has matured and
jointly deals with problem solving, functions as a unit with shared goals,
aims and aspirations. Further, a team is interdependent and promotes
working in a borderless manner so that the team members cooperate and
over lap where necessary ensuring that overall goal is reached. The
imaginary departmental walls are demolished giving way to greater team
efficiency where they look at things together, process them and churn out
joint decisions that nearly everyone in the seven members + or - two team
agrees to. In an ideal team, status & power jostling are laid aside paving way
for a shared leadership arrangement where the formal leader is viewed as a
team player and member. In such a setting, the formal leader’s function is to
build an enabling environment where people are free to contribute on any
issues without fear of retribution from any one. The end result is better
320
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Why are there scarcely any real teams in our day? Many reasons could be
summoned but some of them could be:
1. People fear to lose control and power. In traditional settings, people
glory in their status and will not willingly give up or share power to be
one of the mere regular operatives. The large power distance,
especially in Zambia is heralded rather than loathed.
2. Fear of confrontation: A well-developed team entails openness and
candidness for the greater good of the organisation. If one does not
tow the line, promotes team disintegration, or indeed repeatedly fails
to perform, the team members are at liberty to query to the extent of
recommending their jettison from the team.
3. High demands of team building. To build a team is demanding and in
some cases, back wrecking. You have to be at it continuously,
sometimes for years until it begins to form and deliver. To create such
a setting involves continuous training, education, interaction, open
communication and some monetary resources in some instances.
4. Members’ incompetence, vulnerability and mind set. If a leader is
reluctant to develop a team arrangement where it is clearly necessary,
chances are that they fear to expose their incompetence. Being in a
team makes them feel vulnerable because if they fail to be ahead of
the pack, leaders may be embarrassed so they settle for the easier
option-position power.
The question that still lingers and begs answering is what is the end of teams
and when are they ideal? As stated earlier on, teams function well where
they are necessary other wise you might as well settle for groups. In settings
where the work is highly predictable, procedural and centred around
reporting, groups are more appropriate but where a process demands a joint
effort, there a right team is non negotiable. Teams spend more time
brainstorming, thinking through, sharing ideas and evaluating to arrive at a
common decision whereas in a group, the leader is the major goal owner
who brings the separate strands together to make one cohesive whole. The
major purpose and goal of a team is to promote higher quality output,
efficiency, and transparency among many reasons. Building a team takes
time but with the right environment, people and clear focus, the team hurtles
by leaps and bounds to success.
321
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Having surveyed the team landscape, we can safely assert that teams are
possible to build as long as the motives are right and will definitely pay
dividends in the by and by. But before that, it is arduous, restless consistent
hard work. Ntota International some time back adopted the team approach to
management. Here are some high lights:
It is common to talk about teams rather than live them out. The reason, is in
part, the nature of teams. In 1999, when Mr Bolingo took over as Country
Director of Ntota Zambia, he introduced the team concept, with a rotating
regional team leadership.
Further, the program managers underwent training from the UNISA relating
to leadership. Initially, there was enthusiasm about teamwork but sadly, this
zeal died along the way. Very few, if any pockets of teams exist in Ntota
Zambia today. The organisation harbours more of groups than teams
probably because most of the work is routine and report based. Further,
fewer people willingly overlap or have the big picture in view. Clearly,
Ntota Zambia has a long way to go to build the modern self-managing teams
as most of it seems clutched in traditional management mould though the
trend is rapidly changing.
We can safely assert that teamwork is possible but the cultural tendencies
impeding its flourishing must first be overcome.
Everywhere, and at every turn, people are talking about teamwork! Whether
it is on the assembly line, the office, the battle front, or even in marriage!
This is indeed probably the most ideal attribute sought after by every
institution today, having taken a leaf from the football team. But what, in the
business world, glues all these entities together? What one crucial ingredient
is most critical enabling teams to function efficiently even across oceans,
yea in far-flung countries? What is it that enabled Neil Armstrong to venture
onto the surface of the moon on that 20th July 1969, moon day? I
unreservedly assert that it is communication via Information technology
(IT)!
322
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
For another reason, the entity, being online, faces up to the rapid and drastic
changes that confront the business world today. Environmental pressures
directly emanating from the advent of IT buffet virtually every industry. IT
has made the world even faster, than it was a decade ago. Today, a decision
that once took many months can now be dealt with in a few minutes.
323
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
have made communication so easy for prompt decision making. For one to
keep abreast with the times, they have to make hundreds of decisions in a
day due to the scarcity of time as well as the complex nature of the world.
From the time the first mainframe was commissioned, there has been no
turning back regarding the gigantic strides towards better communication.
Today, no competitive company worth its salt dares enter business without
IT other wise the company risks folding up. As one writer once wisely stated
“Ignore IT at your own peril”Θ Companies use different communication
modes for various reasons. Some use them strictly for business while others
use the website for all and sundry. Largely however, the entities use the e-
mail for inter personal communication to report, summon or give notice of
some event. This is a quicker way to communicate rather than having a “face
to face” chat, although “eyeball to eyeball” communication is by far the best
as immediate feedback and cues are appropriated. Among the pitfalls of
using the impersonal gadgets is the higher susceptibility to being
misunderstood. But the rapidly changing times forbid us to use the time
proven ancient paths, hence the need to mutate to IT to help us.
Θ
Banking World, October 1990 pp3
324
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
a long time to come continue to be the key word, what really sticks together
these teams is communication fostered by IT. Therefore, the next time you
see the space shuttle launching into space, towards a successful mission
flight, always remember that communication lies at the heart of the millions
of buttons pressed, and any successful company of the twenty first century
has to ensure that it is armed with effective communication gadgets and
equally powerful evaluative prowess too. Thus, armed with these powerful
communication avenues, the Coopers and Lybrand has nothing to dread!
I have often wondered why certain entities seem to hurtle to greater
efficiency heights and out put. Those that were under dogs yesterday are
probably carrying the day presently though their success is not guaranteed
tomorrow unless they avoid the path of their predecessors. During the 2006
world cup for instance, certain hitherto unknown teams potentially turned
the tables but thanks to the experience of the more mature teams. A number
of them survived by a whisker as they found it frustratingly hard to crack the
puny nuts. A careful analysis revealed that the greater and more mature
teams had a lot of professionals that had hardly played together while the
weaker teams had played together for a considerable amount of time. By that
token, their team effort paid dividends in that they relied on each other rather
than on individual skill. Another lesson learnt was that some people were
specially matchmakers who read the game and knew where the ball needed
to be at any given time. For instance, the England versus Trinity/Tobago
encounter gave valuable lessons. England had a star-studded team but lacked
proper coordination though through experience, they triumphed in the final
five minutes of the match. Individual skill was displayed through out the
match but nearly failed to turn skills into goals. On the other hand, the
Trinity/Tobago side really played as a strong united team. There was
considerably less individual skill and more teamwork that made it really
difficult for the much-fancied England to score. The key player that made
England crack their opponent was their captain Beckham. This gentleman
read the game and provided a conducive environment for the two quick
goals as his powerful crosses got the right man at the right time. Beckham
was the matchmaker, no wonder he was voted man of the match. From
another perspective, success depends on the psychological preparedness of
the person. In sport, this has a great bearing on one’s performance. I am sure
the big names like Rooney, Beckham, Owen etc must have impacted on the
Islanders but thankfully, they put up a spirited fight. If we know what is up
against us and resolve to stand as a team, we can go further than we would
ordinarily have.
325
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Team work brings about synergy with the right team dynamics in the correct
dosages or else all is lost. As alluded to in the previous case, “Teamwork is
the key word” as declared by Vic luck, the Chairman of world-renowned
Accounting and consultancy firm-Coopers & Lybrand. Indeed, teamwork is
the keyword for today and tomorrows’ successful company while
collaboration is the Buzzword. Turn everywhere today, there is a shift
towards interdependence (internally and externally) through collaboration
and teamwork so as to reap the best qualitative results. The Lybrand
Chairman, like many other management gurus, has vast experience having
worked in big companies such as Philips, Ford and Chrysler. These are
giants in their own right with well-established global brand names. As one
researches through the teamwork literature plethora, one cannot help but
notice how even the service industry is no exception in the march towards
pervasive quality goods and services.
326
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Given the four reasons above, one notices how teamwork has thrust Coopers
& Lybrands to the global consultancy industry apex. The fast opening Asian
market is an excellent place to position one’s business because of both the
large market populations as well as the considerable advancement in
technology. This entails that the market sucks in more technology as well as
generates more business opportunities by that token. For instance, the 11,
000 strong work force at Coopers communicate frequently via the internet,
intra net using gadgets like the video conferencing, e-mail etc helps not only
to cut down on travel costs but also the speed at which decisions are made,
information exchange, cyber-brainstorming and e- commerce. Clearly,
modern companies have a competitive advantage over those that operate in
traditional groups, management and bureaucratic structures that slay many a
company. Furthermore, high quality standards and continuous improvement
through teamwork are the only way forward for the modern firm, at least for
a long time to come. We must think long term, synergy and
interdependence. This is a fine way to think of a firm and the players
therein!
∉
IT= Information Technology
327
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Team players
Team players come in different shades, types and approaches. Some are
extroverts, others are ‘individualistic’ team members connected to others in
a virtual arrangement. Whatever the make up, good team players have some
amount of good people skills. They love to hover around people and have
some hobbies that bond them to other people. Guy Dolle, CEO of the
Arcelor steel maker is an avid sports man who reads the sports page first
before he goes to other business affairs. In an interview with CNN’s Todd
Benjamin, Dolle revealed that he has adopted some of the football team
dynamics into his highly successful company. He says at least two things are
critical, integrity and valuing colleagues as vital assets to success. Team
playing is an art that must be learnt and perfected over time.
The interesting feature is how the giant Motor Companies like Saturn are
using teams and Managers to make headway in its quest for a sustained
industry leadership. Research brings to the fore how companies are turning
the tables “upside down” in that the traditional approaches to management
and planning have fallen by the way side. For example, Saturn no longer
uses the term “Human resources” to refer to its workforce because the team
spirit is deeply ingrained into the culture of the organisation. The interview
gives the impression that Saturn is a continuously improving and learning
Company. There is a deliberate effort to train and educate team members for
a minimum of 92 hours every year! It is believed that as the team players are
sharpened in the problem solving as well as people skills, then this will
subsequently lead to more satisfied customers and ultimately product loyalty
and expansion. This all talks about Total quality in all spheres of the
organisation. Saturn was initially put on the team spirit wheels and onto the
quality van by the founders who most probably read the times. The writing
on the wall is very clear for the successful company of the 21st Century. The
chief reasons why the founders saw the need to engraft teamwork and
quality was the realisation that modern success on the market demands that
the internal customer (employee) is satisfied so that they can put their full
weight behind any implementation plan. It is widely believed that if the
people who actually do the job on the ground are involved in the planing and
328
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
to some extent charting the future course of the organisation, they will fully
support the implementation stage because they feel they “own the goal”. At
Saturn, teamwork has worked very well because of the aforementioned
people,despite having a diversity of employee classes. Among the many
classes at Saturn are those who are unionised and those who are not. All the
classes are well handled and generally have one goal in mind- To make
Saturn the leader in the Motor industry.
The quest for quality products and market leadership is achieved via two
vehicles given below:
i. By including customers in teams. This helps the organisation know
exactly what the customers need and also ensure that the company is
proactively anticipating customer tastes. Furthermore, the inclusion of
customers in the planning stage helps to build loyalty. If ones` needs
are met and actually exceeded, the same will see no need to jump over
the fence to another rival company.
ii. The organisation has imbedded in its mission statement five shared
values to which all team members must adhere. These values have
been internalised very well at Saturn because the team members
actually live out these values! This is a desired position for any
strategically inclined business of the 21st century. The five values are:
1.Team work
To score any goal, there is need for people to work together, with unity of
purpose, aim and pace. Team work entails that people form a network
realising that they are interdependent and need to tow together to timeously
and qualitatively get things done. Team work, as the word itself connotes is
work in itself. It demands selflessness, commitment and resolve to work
with others. Many people prefer to operate in a clandestine solo orbit, a
commando kind of arrangement. They prefer individual recognition and will
not share the glory with others. Such rarely go far.
329
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
But team players realise the need of others to reach the mountain peak, even
if they may be outstanding among peers. When one walks into a team
environment like at Toyota, this cohesive spirit cannot be missed even by the
least discerning fellow. There is an air of community, togetherness and a
positive energy in the atmosphere. The author once worked in an
environment that was run by a proper professional, what a difference it
made! But when a “Professional” muntu took over, the atmosphere turned
sour! In a team work arrangement, people look out for each other and ensure
that the conveyor belt arrangement is not broken or interrupted.
2.Excellence
This entails giving the best ever possible out put consistent with the
expectations of the entire team. Perfection in every aspect is non-negotiable.
3.Trust
This carries the connotation of interdependence and reliance upon each other
in a given task or common goal. Without trust, you have no telling what
your neighbour will do whether burn you to ashes or defend you. Where
trust is, the bonds strengthen further. In other words, mutal trust is an
essential ingridient to the winning team.
4.Respect
Closely connected to trust is a mutual regards for each others’ opinions,
integrity, reasoning and perspectives over any matter.
330
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
5.Continuous improvement
There is no arriving once on the quality journey. There must be repeated
improvement upon something again and again far outstripping the
expectations.
All the five values highlight the fact that Saturn has a clear direction and
transparent objectives. The impression created is that customers are left to
exclaim, “ Who wouldn’t want to be associated with Saturn?”
But that is not the end of the story, Saturn also benchmarks other
organisations which are excelling. This is crucial because once the secret of
success is known, the organisation makes the correct manoeuvres so that it
maintains or ascends to the pinnacle of the market. The effects of these
values are evident in the lives and work culture of all Saturn workers.
Although Saturn has made tremendous strides towards quality leadership,
there is still more they hope to achieve. In the spirit of continuous
improvement, Saturn is not content nor rest on its laurels. They are ever
making innovations so that the customer is more than satisfied. The greatest
asset that Saturn possesses as it attempts to be more agile, is the immense
brand loyalty that has accrued over the years. The immediate plans are to put
a product- the midsize Saturn on the market. The company is confident that
the customers will love this product since they have been part of the design
process from the start. Saturn has used teamwork and managers very
effectively. They are not afraid of the future because quality is their best
weapon coupled with the best management practices.
Clearly, The company has scored many firsts including the hiring a lady
Chairperson (Cynthia Trudell). In a major car company, this is both a plus
and potentially a powerful marketing tool.
Reading about Saturn’s teams and the incredible achievement record makes
one look forward to physically visiting the plant and keenly observe TQM at
work raking in Market success through teamwork!
331
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
ones that turn round and repeatedly tear down any tangible progress
achieved. On the other hand, team building is a rewarding task because of
the elating results that it brings about the fore. In an ideal situation, there
are higher quality results, over lapping, continuity and self managing, not
dependant on one individual to get things going. A team-building model
developed in America best summarises the team building cycle or phases.
The first time people meet, they hardly know each other and
unconsciously start by sizing each other up (forming) followed by the red
cards, tussles, tip over and antagonisms as people get to know each other
in terms of their limits, temperaments and preferences (storming). At this
stage, a lot of sparks ensue and can either make or break the cycle. Once
that critical stage has been successfully crossed, people begin to settle
down, know each other, and avoid past pitfalls. At this stage, people
sufficiently know each other and can safely joke, brainstorm or tease one
another without major repercussions (Norming). Having known each
other, their attention now shifts towards achieving results, since the
preliminary hurdles have been cleared out of the way. At this stage,
people are issue based, goal and target focused and will not easily be
detracted by criticism since they view challenges as opportunities and
stepping-stones to the next level. At this stage, the team is mature and
self-managing. The petty power politics, suspicions or daggers are long
hurled away in preference for team effort and goal getting. Many so-
called teams rarely get to this mature refined stage in Zambia, though
exceptions exist.
The diagram below summarizes the team building cycle:
332
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
PERFORMING FORMING
(Start)
NORMING STORMING
American Model
Chaos stage
In this text, we have further refined this model by adding two stages prior to
the forming stage highlighted in the previous diagram. Our two stages
emphasize the point that before people ever come to the organisation, they
are outside the system which we can consider “roaming” around with no
particular aim as regards the organisation. Of course we know that they are
part of other systems, teams and so forth far from this system and have
different orientations, goals, aims and ways of functioning but when they
take a step to join the firm, they come with hind experience and disengage
from the previous attachments. As they resolve to come, they pass through
333
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
PERFORMING
ROAMING
(Start)
COMING
NORMING
STORMING FORMING
334
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
[ Chaos stage ]
Equation: Roaming-> coming-> forming->storming->norming->
performing
Once on board, the hired staff cadre join their respective departments and
areas of specialization. This constitutes a dormant stage where groups exist
and people focus on their specific work area, passing on their output to the
department head who consolidates everything to make one report. If a
functionary fails on their part, the gap is clearly spotted and incumbents are
penalised for their error. Further more, this is the raw material stage for
potential teams. As organisations realise the disadvantages of groups, they
opt for teams that are cross-functional which demolish the imaginary
departmental walls. This allows for information free flow, idea exchange
and higher quality out put and out come. To attain this fine performing stage
is not easy, much work, time and effort as earlier intimated, goes into this
maturation. Apart from hiring the right staff with the correct competencies,
you need to integrate them into one cohesive front that operates like hand in
glove. To have an organisation that works like the human body is marvellous
because it will not only respond to stimuli but also proactively position itself
at the right place. A number of team building techniques have therefore been
suggested in the ensuing section and worth serious consideration. Remember
that these are but suggestions, you are advised to think of other equally
potent ways appropriate to your context:
335
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Lwitikila falls
There could be other places that have mushroomed across the country
recent years and the various management teams must take advantage
of this. In a nutshell, the watchword is innovation and tact to make the
336
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
team glue stick. Further, the team could elect to play games such as
volleyball or tag of war. These games make people pull together.
337
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
6. Watch the ants at work! If possible, create an area where ants can
freely do their thing while you watch and interpret as a team! Proverbs
6:6; 30:6
7. Another team building aspect you could consider whilst out there is to
divide the entire team into smaller competing groups and then give the
groups one puzzle which they will have to solve as a team. The
wining team gets a prize. A suggested puzzle is to let them hang
sixteen nails on one (The seventeenth) plus a plank. The first team to
complete the task will be applauded. Watch how they feverishly get to
work as a team!
8. Boat cruise, sports (e.g. football matches), group work etc. Closely
connected to an earlier point, in a workshop or conference
environment, the work pressure is likely to be high and knock out
some. It is refreshing to have some team building activity such as
some popular sport, boat cruise group work, bus ride to some place,
visit to the zoo or any other interaction providing a resting valve. The
next day, every one will come to the meeting place exhilarated with
something to talk about and look forward to some more. Do not worry
about those aching muscles, it is part of spicing up the activity.
338
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Encyclopedia
Apollo 13 Saturn V Rocket
Although the Apollo 13 mission never achieved its objective of landing two
astronauts on the moon, it is none the less one of the most successful
voyages ever undertaken by man. Its success lies in the fact that the mission
involved the greatest amount of innovation in a real life threatening
situation. The mission started off like any other ordinary trip to the moon but
then the oxygen tanks exploded somewhere between the two terrestrial
bodies, far away from earth. The internal space craft oxygen levels begun to
drastically drop while the energy dangerously dwindled. The three
astronauts were in grave danger of either being consigned to an orbital grave
or being burnt alive on re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. To solve this
puzzle, the best brains were summoned at NASA’s Houston space station
offices where countless brain storming sessions took place, while the three
men were hazardously freely floating in space with their lives slowly but
339
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Encyclopaedia
As the vessel headed towards the earth, the little reserved power was used to
thrust the vessel in order to ration the scarcely available oxygen. This was
meticulously done to the dot or else the craft would have veered off into
deep space or re-entered the atmosphere at a dangerous angle.
340
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Courtesy of NASA
Thankfully, it approached the earth at the right velocity and angle. The last
and perhaps most deadly lap was the re-entry process. It was not clear at that
time to what extent the heat shields had been damaged but the re-entry had
to take place. The descent begun and for about five minutes, there was no
contact with Mission control at Houston. The standard time is 3 minutes
beyond which people press the panic button. As the third minute came and
went, panic enveloped the whole world. Thank fully, the capsule emerged
from the clouds with its beautiful multi coloured parachutes and majestically
splashed down! There was immense jubilation when the captain reported
that all was well.
NASA
Recovery of space probe
This mission is probably the greatest and best epitome of team work.
Both the people on the ground and on the vessel really worked as one to
ensure the capsule gently splashed down on to the Atlantic ocean, although
an aborted trip. Chances are that the people could have died in space or
341
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
perished as the craft crashed into the sea had the chutes failed to function.
What an innovative 7 day odyssey!
Certain things must be clearly laid on the table where ethnocentrism is cast
out. Peer at the recent Space Shuttle programs, all sorts of nationalities are
represented as the International Space Station (ISS) is constructed. Next will
be the moon base from where mining activities will be launched in the quest
to extract and exploit the much coveted Helium 3 from the lose moon soils
called regolith. This Helium 3 once activated on the earth could provide an
abundant source of clean nuclear energy∧, hoping this mass movement does
not bring about cosmo-disequilibrium to the delicate solar system set up.
The moon will soon be colonized, if that has not already taken place with
territories and mining rights. To reach such levels, immense amount of
human resource management is required. Thus, in the ensuing section, we
take a cursory view of the diversity management landscape.
Diversity defined
With the fast paced globalisation of business, many parameters confront the
organisation that was hither to not a big factor years ago. Among them is the
rise to prominence of the issue of diversity. Diversity has to do with having a
crop of totally different people working together in one organisation or
community. These people have different perceptions to life and issues,
orientations, preferences, are from different tribes or ethnic groups and in
some cases, some of their habits conflict with or upset others. Yet these
people, with all their differences must work together as one unit and build a
winning team. The global leader’s task is to galvanise all this diverse work
force into one cohesive whole. The current belief is that there is beauty in
diversity as each person comes along with some unique enriching work
culture ideas. Further, these diversities also make the work more fun,
interesting and in some cases bring on board some hitherto unknown
methods of best practice. Diversity does also have a fair share of the dark
side. This includes misunderstands, communication breakdown, friction as
well as endless tussles where communication has totally broken down.
Without prior orientation, the team can degenerate into a boxing ring 24/7 of
∧
Professor E. Clive Chirwa made an excellent write up on the “race to the moon” where he highlights these
ideas. Refer to the Sunday Post, March 4th 2007.
342
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
the time. That said, diversity bring about a rich blending of cultures,
personalities and in the long run reduces tensions among different peoples of
the world. For instance, a person from Eastern province of Zambia, relishes
and munches a mouse which a Northerner detests. Similarly, a Northerner
will not rest until he tastes a piece of monkey flesh that others detest. We
could extend this to polygamy perceptions, spitting in public chewing gum,
“impokeleshi” etc and yet Zambians have weaved a beautiful way of
interacting with each other bearing in mind their specific cultural
differences. With the DSTV advent, a more or less homogeneous culture has
invaded the urban settings. The tide has change and is quickly permeating
the working world. In the next twenty to thirty years hence, the corridors of
power will be handled by the new army of global minded generation. But the
present beautiful diversity must be preserved though in danger of extinction
at the globalisation grisly hands.
343
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
highly analysed to tease out the hidden meaning. That not withstanding, the
Pastor had an obligation to lead those people, regardless of what they
thought of him but how could he effectively do it, if he was not even aware
of the problems? Thus, as Bennis has aptly said, “leading people is like
herding cats”! I am sure you can imagine the confusion in that flock! If a
homogeneous set of people is a nightmare enough, what about a diverse
team? That is the challenging part of it but the good side is that a diverse
team is a rich place for learning, information exchange, best practices plat
form, idea generation forum as well as a place to for interconnections with
other cultures. For instance, a Chinese working along side a black African
can be quite an experience but at the end of the day, they get mutual benefit.
They exchange notes on how they can best go round a problem,
technological sharing as well as interpersonal appreciation. Next time the
African ventures into main land China, he will not be a totally disoriented
chap but know the basic Chinese psychology and how to get round issues.
Similarly, the Chinese fellow will have an intelligent appreciation of the
dark skinned person and not get jilted into a panic quake when s/he meets a
sea of dark faces at the Lusaka International airport. This section however
seeks to high light the fact that diversity is good and must be heralded at all
costs due to its attendant benefits. A story is told of how a Japanese and
American international team of engineers worked together over a joint
project. Initially sparks came out of that because the American was always
time conscious and broke off when it was tea break, lunch and home time.
On the other hand, the Japanese relentlessly went on and on. Methods of
doing things were different and so was the preferred working environment.
The America thought it right to open the windows while the other did not.
On and on went the small skirmishes until some prior orientation training
was arranged in the next international working session. I am sure the results
were fantastic in the latter session as opposed to spending too much time
arguing over perceived petty differences emanating from the SRC.
To maintain law and order in a diverse context none the less requires special
diligence and aptitude on the part of the supervisors. How does one retain
diversity? The next section handles this aspect.
Retaining Diversity
With the rapid re-engineering that has been sweeping across the world’s
businesses, one hardly finds it difficult to stumble across literature that deals
with the said changes. The electronic and print media are replete with reports
of company reorganizations every day. Indeed, these envitable changes are
344
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
sweeping across the world like a typhoon and there seems to be no panacea
to this traumatic tide. What is really happening? Why this seemingly
mindless closure of companies and the shift towards diverse corporate
companies? These and many other questions, this section seeks to unveil in
some detail. One aspect dealt with is that of nurturing and maintaining a
diverse workforce in this competitive environment. But why should we
bother ourselves with diversity? Why the countless studies?
Diversity retention is one of the issues of the times in the global context and
many writers have pondered over it including the famed Caela Farren and
Bob Nelson. They have stated that although recruiting a diverse workforce
can be challenging, retaining the same is even more dicey. Reading further
reveals four best practice methods to be imbibed so as to minimise the
employee turnover because retaining a diverse workforce is crucial due to
the obvious advantages that accrue to the company.
Firstly, people from different backgrounds and races come up with different
ways of carrying out a procedure as well as new and cheaper ways of
producing a product.
Closely connected to the first reason is the fact that a rich diverse company
helps the multinational corporation to sail more easily on “foreign waters”-
markets because valuable insights and connections are within the corporate
ranks.
Thirdly, in keeping with the affirmative action, where minorities are given
an equal chance of employment, advancement will ultimately bring about
more production and harmony. Hitherto, the top jobs have been the private
preserves of a few elite men. In the past, women and people of colour have
been relegated to the terraces. With the aforementioned culture, a company
risks missing out on excellent contributions from the said minorities. The
four best ways to retain diversity include:
345
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
The second suggested best practice is that of training and education. All
employees must be given some form of training to sensitise them of the
potential dangers of discrimination and also about other cultures. Gross
ignorance accounts for some of the discriminatory attitudes such as
ethnocentrism where one feels their colour, sex and race are superior to
others. Thus, training and education will go a long way to clear defective
stereotypes and prejudices. Furthermore, all staff must be given similar
opportunities and leeway to express themself. At Microsoft for example, two
programs are in place to tackle the diversity issue. The first is an awareness
program designed to limit the influence of stereotypes while the second is a
“business program to provide real-life situations, challenges, and solutions to
diversity issues”Γ. In addition to the aforementioned training, the companies
should embark on staff career development that will make them self reliant,
thus building capacity.
The fourth and last best practice is to make managers accountable. Far too
many pay lip service to the importance of diversity than they practice. Once
given a platform to present a paper, they give heart rending, tear evoking and
moving speeches but as soon as they turn round to leave, they discard
everything! There is need to put parameters in place to ensure that minorities
Γ
Retaining Diversity, Excellence magazine-May 1999 issue page 7
346
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
are not only represented but are appreciated, as Roosevelt Thomas, Jr.ϒ
would advocate. Top management must be seen to tangibly and
pragmatically support the diversity program. We learn many valuable
lessons from each other and ultimately the organisation benefits once the
right attitudes are internalised into the company culture.
Having outlined the best methods, some guidelines for a strong foundation
are in order. To build a powerful superstructure, there is need to foster
understanding on key concepts, address all representation and diversity
issues regularly. With these and other practices such as cultivating team
spirit, mutual trust, effective communication, we have no reason to believe
that a company will continue crawling in the dust of competitive
disadvantage!
ϒ
Diversity management, Excellence magazine-May 1999 issue page 8
347
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
interesting because the said cadre could be recruited from any point of the
terrestrial ball. Gone are the days when only local staff could be the ones
recruited for a job. Now, any one can take up the job as long as they have the
right qualifications, competence, profile and the acumen to feature on the
international scene. In that case, the Manager must be very versatile, active
and multitalented to fit in well in varying environments. As such, there is
also need to be multilingual by mastering more than one language as well as
the unspoken cues that go along with the local culture.
In addition to the aforementioned point, the International Manager can lead
from any country and base. By that token, International experience is crucial
for the present and future global manager having a wide mind and rich
exposure internationally so as to objectively handle staff problems of various
shades. For example, the need to empathise and understand the local
situation yet to keep a global outlook is key to the manager’s success in a
diverse work force. Closely tied to what has been mentioned is the need to
learn to motivate staff. How can one discern the aches and needs without
empathizing with the workers? Were we to use the Standard American
motivational practices only, chances are that they would probably be out of
taste with the local scenario. Thus, there is a way in which one must know
the best way to reward and motivate a diverse cultured work force, although
still keeping within the corporate culture and goals. The person who will be
an excellent international beacon must possess the following cultural skills:
348
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
6. Positive out look- having said the above, the good manager then
must cultivate and have a positive out look to whatever situation that
confronts him. Optimism should be the hallmark of a good International
Manager.
But that is not all, some further traits include:
(ii) Respect-The manager must have due regard for others and not ‘ride a
high horse’ where no one is viewed as important as the self. Many an
international manager has wrecked their potentially glittering career by
arrogance and pride, although they initially had unrivalled plans.
(iii) Tolerate ambiguity- The Manager must have a high tolerance level of
uncertainty because of the dynamic nature of the international scenario.
Some people cannot stand being in limbo for long and easily get frustrated,
but not so the good manager. Instead, s/he watches the motions of the market
349
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
and comes up with a pattern over time and yet always giving allowance for
sudden change. This calls for patient endurance and resilience. Analytical
and logical people are the most in need of this grace of patience.
(iv) Display empathy-Must be able to feel and imagine oneself in the shoes
of the person needing help. Without empathy, it is impossible to appreciate
and rightly apply the correct remedy in a given situation.
(v) Non judgmental- half the time, without our consciousness, our SRC
affects the way we judge things and situations. Our prior training,
orientation, education and culture have a more potent influence than we
realize. For instance, what we have termed as ‘moral and right’ may not
necessarily be the same elsewhere. Thus, the manager must not be dogmatic
nor condemn others for holding on to a contra opinion and practice.
(vi) Recognise and control the situation aptly and quickly. The astute
Manager’s sharp eagle eye must see things and quickly devise a solution
long before it happens. This is a rare strength but the good International
Manager possesses that discernment and uses it appropriately to handle
issues.
(vii) A good sense of humour- Laugh off things and not take things too
personal. Care of course must be taken not to trivialise even important and
critical issues.
(viii) The right business acumen and tact. This should be one of the
overriding traits for one to strike deals and get things going. Many people
have the cash, information and brains but lack this charisma to articulate
issues well. This is especially helpful in areas where a lot of prior
negotiation has to take place before striking gold.
350
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
people devote themselves to one organisation for life along side other
relatives and friends. The work relationships are more personal and founded
from culture and family while in the States, the grounds of hiring some one
is not family attachment or prior knowledge but largely on merit. We may
even add the attitude towards working hours as a difference! A Japanese
worker will toil tirelessly until the work is complete everyday without
minding the knocking off time while an American will content him/herself
with the 8 hour schedule, pack bags and go home, whether the work has
been accomplished or not! All the above attitudes influence out put and
reactions of people towards their vocation. The international businessperson
must contend with and contain all these aberrations.
351
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
knowledge s/he possesses. In the short run, this mode might seem too
costly and inconvenient but is cheaper in the long run depending on the
geographical location of the said person. The idea is to have a regional
facilitator whose overheads are apportioned among the various sub
stations. World Vision International has very successfully employed this
mode. Again, Drucker has left his footprints for us to trace.
a. Open minded/objective
b. Culturally sensitive
c. Willing to learn
d. Resilient under pressure
e. Flexible
f. Curious
g. Patient and down to earth
If you are a “home boy” then an international assignment is not ideal for you
as many of such that go out there return home frustrated, tired, disillusioned,
disoriented and many times even fail to fit in once again. The reason is
partly that they were not psychologically prepared or sufficiently exposed.
They discover that they are cut off from friends, acquaintances and family
when they are thousands of miles away, this thought cripples their minds and
eventually throw in the towel. Thus, the HR department of any organisation
352
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
must know what steps to take before, during and after an international
assignment. Further, if the person was not sent abroad by any entity from
his/her country of origin, it is prudent that you consider well your options
before you take off. One of the major things you should consider is a house
or two at home where you can fall back on in case things do not work out.
Many, while thinking working abroad will solve all their problems have
discovered too late that opportunities were actually in their countries of
origin only that they had not looked hard enough. Some humble them selves
and return home to start afresh. The majority however, stubbornly resolve to
stick it out even if it means turning out destitute. They cannot countenance
returning home empty handed. Self management is crucial.
In an international cross cultural organisation however, the manager must
know how to effectively handle matters knowing the delicate cultural
differences that exist and also that what is seen out side is but a tip in the ice
berg, many unwritten rules lie beneath the surface.
The global worker no doubt faces many challenges, which in some cases
turn out to be opportunities or stepping stones to success. Due to the rapid
changes and mixing of cultures on the global scene, there is a lot of relativity
and uncertainty that bugs the novice mind. As time goes on however, the
new person knows how to handle these matters mastering the art of
communicating across cultural barriers. Perhaps with the passage of time,
globalisation will bring about a near homogeneous setting where people will
look at things in a very similar way, although intrinsically remain different
due to hind orientation. Today’s global worker faces a number of challenges
still which include the following:
b. Different practices: The way things are done varies from place to place.
What may be done in a particular way in Zambia may be different from the
way an American can do it. In addition, some things are perceived as
benevolence in one place but dubbed “corruption” in another context. An
example is the actual definition of “corruption”. It is slightly different in
Africa and Europe. In Africa, by and large, we are benevolent and show our
appreciation by giving or sharing something, especially after you have done
353
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
some one a favour or granted some assistance. Not so in Europe who are an
individualistic society and perceive any “benevolent” act with some level of
suspicion, unless they are 100% sure it has no strings attached lest it
backfires in future. Consider for example the “business inducement’ cash
provided for in the western countries like the UK, this is somewhat
perceived ok but when FTJ provides for a “slush fund”, this is dubbed
corruption of the highest order! There are other ethical issues which are
beyond the scope of this book but suffice it to say that we need to carefully
understand our context before we pass judgement.
d. Different time zones especially if they are from a far flung country. At
one point of the world, it is day while at the other end, it is night. This makes
it nearly impossible to do things at the same time unless all parties have
deliberately agreed on this.
f. Language barriers: Some places do not take kindly if you do not speak the
local language, it is worse if you do not even make an attempt to learn.
h. The legal framework. In some cases, the local laws are against foreigners
always reminding you that you are but visiting for a season, no matter how
long you linger around.
All the challenges mentioned above cannot be handled by the faint hearted
who will quickly quit and head back home. You must be thick skinned like a
crocodile. But that is not all, when the international worker faces other set
backs whilst away from home or when they return to base. To this we turn
our attention in the next section.
354
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
355
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
1
Coined by author to emphasize the natural inward inertia and reluctance to change.
356
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
good tidings. As a result, the locals will not look at the products objectively
and not be responsive towards the marketed goods. They will, as it were,
keep an “arms’ length”. Thus, the product may turn out a dismal failure as
very few will buy or market the product to others.
Keep in touch with expatriates so that they do not feel “left out”. As was
intimated in (3) and (4) above, the expatriate families feel cut off from the
base, much like an astronaut would feel without either the lifeline or the
Space Manoeuvring backpack. They feel unsafe, unimportant, irrelevant and
without assurance as to whether what they are achieving is plausible.
Naturally, we all need some commendation or a pat on the back. Further
more, people feel encouraged when they are urged on or consulted on some
seemingly trivial matters. The fact that they know something about what is
going on will settle many a hiccup.
Having asserted the above from the perspective of the expatriate, we now
proceed to state that it is costly to maintain an international work force as
well. The following reasons come to the fore:
Π
Anonymous
357
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Like any other field of human endeavour, People management has its own
peculiar challenges which no person is master over. It demands a concerted
effort by all regardless of one’s placing. Anthropology teaches us that a
human is a complex being with various hidden facets, many times hidden to
the naked eye. What may intrigue the mind today may be boring tomorrow.
What stimulates one individual may be repulsive to the next in keeping with
that old adage “one man’s meat is another’s poison”. To a great extent,
especially in these relative global times, this saying holds true. Absolutes are
difficult to clearly strike today unlike in the past, more so in these “culture
confluence” times. To help us in this section, we crystallise some common
challenges that have vexed the people management landscape for many
generation as this evolving profession continues to mature. These facets
should help us plan better in future days:
358
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
1. Fads
These are the fiery trends that take the generation by storm and seem to be
the ultimate panacea for any given problem. A Fad is really a passing craze
that soon or later fizzles out as people discover that after all, the apparently
silver bullet was in fact brass. Usually a one off success is perceived to be
the panacea for all cases and shared far and wide with little or no regard to
the circumstances that surrounded the situation. Fads disappear as fast as
they rise but in some instances, it takes quite a while before people finally
accept the truth. The tragedy about fads is that they carry such force that
they have the potency to woe entire organisations into pouring myriad
resources to develop and strengthen some unproven practice. In some worst
case scenarios, the organisation losses so much resources to the extent they
reach the brink of bankruptcy. It is prudent then to check out facts before
being swept away by the currents of the day. But a caution is also handy in
the same breath, let us avoid analysis paralysis.
3. Autocracy
Half the time, especially in Zambia, Managers tend to be autocratic in their
management style. They tend to absorb a lot of power around themselves
resulting in a huge power distance between themselves and operatives. This
stifles communication or strangles innovation.
The total autocratic leader usually belongs to the traditional class where their
weight is derived from the office rather than personal attributes. In this
scenario, the person is given too much power by virtue of holding office and
can do as s/he pleases. The selfsame leader rides a high horse, is
untouchable, makes decisions alone and passes them down the hierarchy to
which all must bow to the “decree” or risk being chucked out. Further more,
the autocrat does not interact with the operatives closely but revolves in a
unique executive orbit, with little or no touch with reality. The autocratic is
egocentric as seen in fig 1 below. Having asserted the above, we must
359
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
hasten to say that the same autocratic leaders also do know that they need to
motivate people and thus do once in a while declare a bonus or pay rise.
Autocratic leaders differ in degree of assertion and yet do have a following
as well.
4. “Liberalcracy”1
The opposite extreme of autocracy is what we have coined to call
“Liberalcracy”, if ever such a word exists. This is the situation where the
manager has no form of control or influence over staff in the name of being
a mature team, when actually this leads to freedom rather than freedom. This
scenario happens when the head operates at a far different level of
professionalism compared to the subordinates that team coaching once in a
while. This approach is good in self-managing teams where all the members
are professional, self-starters and mature. Further, this would work well in
the virtual office where team mates interact in cyberspace.
5. Poor Communications
Poor communication eats a way at the integrity and vitality or quality of the
organisational life in that the information will either be incomplete,
piecemeal or distorted. This has a way to cause divisions in the organisation
1
Coined by the author to emphasize overly stated liberty
360
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
as people do not pull together nor have the same mind set. People feed on
rumours. Another aspect about poor communication is that it breeds tensions
in the organisation as people are unsure about their status. Feedback is
simply not there!
The Boutros Ghali case below is an excellent point of reference. Although
Ghali had excellent ideas about restructuring the UN, it seems he was either
a poor communicator or was in haste to make changes. Thus, it cost him the
top job. Take a look at this and see what you would make of it:
But what really happened? What were the root causes? What was wrong
with either the United Nations or Ghali himself? The article "Why Boutros
fell from grace" from the October 1999 New African Magazine Issue
attempts to answer these questions and gives us valuable insights into
Organisational Politics and inefficiency. Boutros stepped into office in 1991
with a clear vision to succeed and turn around the world body to a more
relevant and strategic position. Having scanned the Organisation, he noticed
that among many things, the Organisation had not changed in keeping with
the dynamic context, had elaborate bureaucratic hierarchical structures, was
largely controlled by the U.S.A, had excess staff, little or no financial
discipline and highly selective in its' operations. Worst of all, it was
financially crippled needing immediate financial injection or risk closing its'
doors. The United Nations’ operations are funded through national
subscriptions of which the U.S.A is the major contributor. Unfortunately,
the USA had defaulted to pay over a period time but after much protracted
negotiations by Ghali, the USA offered a token payment of $680 million.
This cash was far from making any significant difference to the chronic
financial doldrums. Ghali unreservedly spoke out on this and many other
issues that highly infuriated the Security Council as well as the proud
Americans.
361
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
inefficient organisation, though well meant were met with sharp criticism
prejudice, suspicion and scorn by all quarters. Objectively, the plans were
good in and of them selves but viewed subjectively by his political foes. The
game plan was to lay off excess staff, regulate travel, meticulously watch all
financial transactions, seek approval from the top and thus make the
organisation more lean agile, fluid and responsive to the mutating needs of
the world. Back in 1945, the needs were different, needing a totally different
strategy but the 1990s also needed equally different strategies to foster world
peace and development. The post cold war era needed an organisation that
was free from either the USA or Soviet influence. Sadly, it still is firmly in
the clutches of the USA to date.
What happened and what is the status today? As you will notice, there was
resistance to change basically because certain quarters felt threatened by the
potential job losses, hierarchical and bureaucratic dismantling as well as
being "ruled" by an African! As such, the change never took place and
remains pretty much the same today. Despite many token strides towards
reform, the Organisation has remained a complex, bureaucratic, inefficient,
wasteful, selective and not really focused. Koffi Anan, the man who took
over, is viewed basically as an American pawn on the chessboard with no
teeth to bite.
Closely analysing the hind incidences, one notices a number of pitfalls in the
Ghali’s approach to change. Despite having excellent ideas on paper, it
seems to me that he largely worked alone, did not consult much, and was too
quick to implement change and was largely naive at the potent venom of his
foes. His pride scratched the equally obstinate enemies in the face and so,
they hounded him out! In my view, the dismal failure at implementation
stage could have been avoided if people had been given leeway to debate,
train and made to buy into the plans. This was not done hence the "still
born" implementation. Change takes time, no matter how radical, and will
always be opposed. This is when leadership and management are put to the
test.
Today, the United Nations appears a Porsche organization from the outside
with its fine glittering buildings in New York and yet lies in a financial and
operational coma. It needs an organizational surgery with a new cash lease
into its system. Continuous change and training is a must. Unless quick
remedial action is done to realign it, the UN will remain a white elephant
with one foot in the grave while serving the interests of only a selected few
362
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
7. Dysfunctional team
The office can be a menace or a place of joy depending on how one takes it.
The environment largely depends on the leader who sets the pace. If the
leader is warped, egocentric and archaic in management style, the
organisation is headed for a show down in the negative sense of the word.
One of the early signs of problems is when certain things are frequently not
done or done wrongly. In such a scenario, the organisation witnesses a
situation where by the team is not cohesive, antagonistic, not pulling
together or not focussed on the one thing. The dysfunctional team fights
itself rather than building synergy resulting from team work.
Groups/polarization precipitate dysfunction
φ
Refer to the Post of October 28th 2004 to Confirm this thought from Anan himself
Phrase supplied by Mr Grephan Chindongo 24/06/05
363
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
connected to bureaucracy is the issue of red tape that essentially refers to the
excessive paper work before anything is done. This retards progress. For
example, at one time, one needed to fill in close to six hundred papers before
they accessed foreign exchange to undertake an international transaction.
Zambia still suffers largely from this tiring paper work problem.
9. Stress
Stress at one time was never viewed as a threat to life until people started to
drop dead one by one due to the high tension generated by the endless work
demands such as deadlines, meetings and lack of exercise. Today’s
professional is constantly thinking of how to solve this or that challenge
there by giving no rest to the body. In Large organisations such as the World
Vision International, stress is one of the problem areas that has not been
given its due attention until recently. The weakness results from inadequate
human resource leading to a situation where some people are dangerously
stressed and as such have a lower productivity level. It seems stress
management has not been given its due attention although mentioned in a
number of World Vision publications like the World Vision security
handbook.ϑ
Stress builds up as a result of someone excessively exerting them selves
without rest until the body begins to constantly feel tired all the time as there
is no avenue to vent out excessively piled loads. The first sign of stress are
dementia (forgetfulness) restlessness & failure to concentrate for long. It is
reported that in developed countries like Japan, the stress levels are so high
to the extent that it is almost a mandatory decree that people must go on
leave at least once annually. Although on paper this maybe true, the vast
majority cannot imagine abandoning their office even for a few hours. Thus,
many a worker suffers health breakdowns later in life. Many have suggested
ways to handle stress, and Maylor suggests the four P ≈s as follows:
1. Plan your way out of a situation – sit and strategise before hand.
2. Pace yourself – Don’t try to do everything alone and at the same time
or at once.
3. Pamper yourself – reward yourself for goals accomplished or plans
completed
4. Piss yourself laughing – the healing power of laughter is enormous –
the Bible says something to the effect that laughter is good for the
heart.x
ϑ
A shield about me. World Vision International
≈
Harvey Maylor: Project Management page 172
x
Proverbs 17:22;15:15b
364
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Many an employees fall into the trap of wanting to achieve too much at the
expense of health but a balanced worker will recognise the danger and seek
to avert it. But how can a person protect him/herself against extremes? A
few ways are suggested.
1. Know yourself, limits, strengths and weaknesses.
2. Do some exercise – don’t ever convince yourself that you are too busy
to do some workouts, go to a club etc.
3. Socialise – there is time for everything under the sun. There is time to
work and time to relax. Walk around, visit friends, work mates and
just take your mind off work
4. Switch off your cell phone or buy another sim card when on leave.
Nowadays with the advent of modern technology, we can trace
someone almost at any point on the earth. If you are to “switch off”
the outside world, then give your mobile phone to another and get
another number that is restricted to a select non- business folk.
5. Effectively train others to take over your functions. An effective
leader is not afraid to delegate or teach others to do their job. This
increases the knowledge base in the organisation and gives more time
to the leader to concentrate on other things, thereby reducing the
workload.
6. Involve your family at every point. Covey’s book on highly effective
families is a handy guide on this. The goal is to have family members
empowered to do any work so that they assist in some assignments.
Half the time, spouses have no clue what the other is up to. Ironically,
we hear of situations where one is dying of stress while the other is
perpetually dead bored and on mental holiday.
7. Sometimes, stand back and relax. Take a deep breath, think through
things and then commence the work. This usually applies to managers
but leaders too do need time to relax. The best time is before
beginning the day or when the settings in the brain begin to clog up.
Disengage and then restart after some time. I have found great
refreshment and reinvigoration afterwards. Meditation is helpful to
recharge the brain cells. There are other ways of protecting your
health such as taking time to talk to people, about nothing particularly
big, attending some social gathering such as church or indeed taking a
holiday to some place for a retreat with your spouse. There is great
benefit now and henceforth health wise. Remember: Don’t break the
horse (your body) God gave you to manage.
365
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
10. Appraisals
Instead of serving to advance the organisational capacity, appraisals are used
as times to hound out the threats and foes of the people in authority. Thus, an
employee works in fear of being marked out and consigned to the streets
after that particular contract comes to an end. In that sense then, appraisals
play the unfortunate role of short-circuiting people’s life span in the
organisation as people recoil fearing victimization.
366
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
annually as this enables the appraiser to capture much more relevant and
useful objective information. In that way, some level of objectivity is
maintained.
The uses of the appraisal are basically to help ascertain the training needs as
well as the growth areas for the individual. Further, the individual is helped
to see their own blind spots and then venture to correct the situation.
Admittedly, we all are usually blind to our own defects and some times do
not even realise our greatest potential unless another hints to us. Thus, in an
ideal sense, the formal appraisal is good because it is a relaxed time when
people pause to take stock of them selves.
Sadly, in many places, appraisals are abused. This abuse shows up in many
ways especially where people are hired on contractual terms. Instead of
using it as a performance improvement tool, appraisals are used to settle old
scores as mentioned earlier on. Secondly, they are used as a whip to threaten
operatives with dismissal. That said, a right spirit as originated by the
designers is to foster objective cordial empowering relationships between the
assessor as assessed.
Types of appraisal
As hinted above, appraisals take various forms but below are some of them:
1. The Peer employee appraisal- This is the kind of appraisal where
peers appraise each other and give their thoughts about a particular
person. One of the ways is to ask team mates to comment about a
person on a standard questionnaire while maintaining anonymity. The
questionnaire touches the strengths and weaknesses of a person. This
approach is rich in that it helps the person get an idea of what others
think about them and have a 360* appraisal.
367
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
2. Rating- this is where a supervisor sits with the said staff and they
review the period together against certain benchmarks that were set at
the beginning of the period. Using that background, a person is tallied
and given marks that determine their performance.
4. Ranking- In this approach, the employer ranks staff from the best to
the worst based on what the employer perceives as the bench marks.
This approach has a way of motivating the perceived good employees
while it shatters the “bad” ones.
Pitfalls of appraisals
Each of the appraisal methods listed above has its own pitfalls but here are
the general ones:
1. Some of the appraisal methods are not objective.
2. Some superiors use appraisals to settle old scores.
3. The basis/ terms of reference for appraisal in some cases are not clear.
As a result, some come off injured rather than edified.
4. Sometimes appraisals are used to manipulate staff or are an
organisational political tool.
5. At times appraisals kill innovation, the volunteer spirit or calculated
risk taking. Staff figure that they may not get any points for going the
extra mile and content themselves keeping within bounds.
6. The appraisals are not comprehensive/holistic and as such do not
capture all the aspects of a person such as feelings, thoughts or factors
that led to a particular outcome.
Merits of appraisals
1. They are a guide and help people to keep focused.
2. They ensure that only the relevant and competent staff retained.
3. They help in assessing the staff needs.
4. They help in team building as people begin to realise their potentials.
5. They add value to the organisation in that the appraisers and appraised
are challenged to soar to higher orbs.
368
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
6. Appraisals are a contact point for the supervisor and the supervised.
Hither to, they may have been caught up in the hustle and bustle of the
workdays but at the appraisal, they as it were, cool down and reflect
together.
7. They have a way of helping people realise their strengths and
weaknesses. In this way, people take note of their growth areas and
diligently work on them.
8. They motivate. Once given audience, aggrieved staff feel fairly
treated.
The other aspect worth noting for organisation development is the operations
aspect. As people get exposed to the actual finer details, they have less
speculations and turn into advocates rather than gossip mongers. Operations
includes the actual day to day functioning of an entity be it a factory, airline,
NGO or government. The gears move to the extent that the operations
function is efficient. But apart from efficient operations, the organisation
must watch its corporate structure. Ensure that this kept lean, realistic
minimal layers, appropriate and well fitted to handle the dynamic structure.
Some structures dangerously remain static when the context has mutated a
thousand times.
11. Systemic corporate culture. This refers to the settled corporate culture of
an organisation that has been there for ages and once new trends are
introduced or suggested, they are violently rebuffed. A case in point was
what happened at the Bank of Zambia years ago where top management
attempted to introduce the employment contract arrangement. One has no
telling exactly why the employees rose up in arms against the proposal but
one thing is sure, people’s natural inertia was at play given the corruption
background Zambia has been baptised into. Granted the idea was good and
in keeping with the modern trends, but was the proposal introduced in good
faith? Perhaps the age-old slothful dust layers were disturbed for the first
369
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
i. Red tape: the extreme use of procedures, paper work and processes that
slows down progress. Some processes are repeated in certain cases but you
cannot get what you want unless all the steps are satisfactorily done.
iii. Create a position for some one and vice versa/manipulate. Some
organisations are interesting, in one breathe, they are down sizing and laying
of staff but the back door is employing some one paid equal to as many
people laid off combined! In other instances, some people are simply
untouchables in that as the reorganisation axe passes through, they simply
abandon their current position onto another spuriously created position, just
for them. One they leave, that position is phased out as well! The author has
witnessed this in almost every organisation that he has worked in and
wondered how some smart fellows kept escaping the hangman’s noose!
370
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
vii. Advertising one’s job unawares. This happens repeatedly, where the HR
and some departmental heads or even mere individuals differ over
something. Without informing the incumbent, their job is flushed in the
national press inviting people from all walks of life to apply. The current job
owner either is too shocked to apply or unaware until some time after the
dead line has passed. The advertising is designed to frustrate some one or
cripple them if they do not have the right papers. Sometimes, these cowardly
acts do not pull through as their motives are soon discovered and dispelled.
But generally, such a move injures the incumbent’s esteem and makes them
feel vulnerable.
∅
Refer to The Post editorial of 8th December titled “Nepotism”. It is and excellent write up and attacks this
vice especially those in the corridors of power e.g the Zambian President.
371
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
inferior. It also means that the race in question feels superior to others as has
been the case of the Caucasoid against either the mongoloids or the Bantu.
Nepotism on the other hand has to do with one with a tendency to favour
their own clans members to the exclusion of all others. This manifests itself
in the appointments and elevated positions one places their relations.
Sometimes, it is not direct but is discernable to the curious eye. Zambia has
suffered a great deal at the grisly hands of this vice. Suitably qualified
people are left out for jobs in preference for their relations. Sadly, each
successive president specialises in employing their relatives and friends at
the expense of national development. In Zambia, most of the relatives hide
in the missions abroad as evidenced by the Post Newspaper editorial of 8th
December 2007.
xii. Needless job evaluations. In this instance, it is meant to phase out some
people’s jobs without getting ones’ fingers burnt. This is a cowardly way of
nailing targeted individuals and in a way wasting resources. Wasteful in the
sense that the external evaluator will be brought in to either validate one’s
job or to eliminate others while using huge sums of money to do the job. In
one sense, this could be classified under white-collar crime. In an ideal
situation, the evaluators must be independent, professional, ethical and
372
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
objective. They must evaluate the organisation, generate a report giving their
recommendations. Once the recipient organisation receives the report, a
cross section panel will analyse the findings and give their feedback. In
progressive organisations, the various teams will seat and brainstorm so that
no one is left guessing. The reason why most people dread clandestine job
evaluations is that they turn out to be witch hunts. Further, most of the
people in Zambia for instance still believe in clinging to one employer for
life. Thus, they are ambushed by the evaluation without an exit strategy.
Modern Strategy suggests that one plans their way out from day one and as
such work towards that end during their tenure. Further, In most of the
developed countries, one is not expected to cling to one employer.
Exceptions exist in places like Japan though the trends are slowly shifting as
globalisation makes its maiden voyage there wards.
373
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
374
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
political structure of a country where the entity is located. For instance, if the
place is war torn, politically unstable and highly volatile, it attracts other
terms too.
375
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
prospects. It is difficult for any external force within the organisation to turn
the mental tide, the bridges would have been burnt by then-Point of no
return has been reached.
Among the reasons Branham points out in his book as to why people leave
include the following:
1. Disillusionment. When people join organisations, they come with a lot
of expectations and an agenda. For a season, most of them assume all
the common problems that bug the average organisations will have
been a thing of the past. If it is their first job out of college, they
diligently run along for some distance without noticing any flaws. But
alas, the time comes when they begin to realise that things are not as
rosy as they initially thought. Much exposure to better organisations
even worsens the situation and consequently leads them to the human
resource exit door. Others leave because their working environment,
interpersonal relations or expectations are not cordial or good enough.
Thus, when a competitor organisation comes along and dangles a
better deal, the person swiftly takes the next flight out of the
organisation.
2. Secondly, people often quit when they realise that their training and
current job do not match. Others find that they do not have the right fit
and thus by and by degenerate into frustration, antagonism, boredom
or a clear struggle where others sail plainly. Some jobs demand that
some one be technical, analytical or time bound while others are more
relational and dependant on what the day brings along. If a technical
person is put in a social/non technical job, they eventually feel caged
and quit. There are exceptions to the rule though, those with versatile
fertile minds are able to wiggle around and still tick.
3. In the third place, some people feel abandoned and unguided when
they commence the job. Where the systems are refined and working,
some organisation fall into a pitfall of assuming people will
“automatically fit in” and thus offer very little or not orientation. All
the organisation is interested in are results. Even the best self starter
often feels stranded, abandoned and alone. It is worse where the
corporate culture is too formal, impersonal and restrictive. Once
thrown into the deep end, they are expected to swim to safety and
produce wonders. There is need to have a consistent coaching
arrangement where people are helped to settle and walked with along
the way. This builds a sense of belonging and reduces staff turnover.
The other pitfall is lack of proper constructive feed back on many
376
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Directors/CEO
Top
Layers-
Middle
Layers-most people
here
5. In the fifth place, people leave the organisation because they do not
feel valued or recognised. If they do not get “at home” they will grab
the earliest place where they will be given the due dignity, support
and appreciation. Many organisational structures are bureaucratic and
377
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
laced with a thick layer of red tape. Brain storming sessions or staff
involvement are non-existent, people are ruled with an iron dictatorial
hand, from the traditional management school. Progressive
organisation however, value each team member from sweeper
upwards and consult widely from the internal customers. It is even
better where self managing teams exist as opposed to mere work
groups. As people feel the sense of community, are heard and valued,
they naturally become reluctant to quit and in turn market the
organisation to the outside world.
6. In this fast paced global world, people find themselves always on the
run. Decisions that once took a year now take seconds and by that
token speed up the work pace. Deadlines are the order of the day
coupled with a shrinking job market in places like Zambia. In a bid to
maintain their competitive jobs and make the mark on the industry,
many do it at the expense of other equally important issues such as
family life, leisure time, leave or even engaging in refreshing personal
projects such as home building. A dilemma is created that raises the
stress levels and in some cases wrecks people’s health. Prudent and
marketable people quickly quit. Sadly, the stranded stick around until
they totally break down. There is need to rest. All work and no rest
kills the horse God gave you.
7. The last reason advanced by some authors is loss of mutual trust.
When employees look at their superiors, they look at them with some
measure of cynicism and suspicion. Whatever the leaders say is taken
with a pinch of salt and never relied on. Leaders often lose their
followers’ confidence when they are insincere, unsure, inconsistent,
intimidatory or manipulative. Because of the betrayal, ill treatment or
breach of trust, a power distance is created and scarcely can be
mended. Frustrated staff instantly fly away at that point.
Having looked at the reasons advanced, I would like to add a few more
reasons that I feel significantly add to the high staff turn over.
People leave when they feel unfairly treated by their superiors. Insecure
leaders are constantly sending intimidating gestures and messages that
discourage the lower operatives who eventually quit. Secondly, staff quit
when unethical practices are tolerated by the organisation such as
window dressing of accounts or no proper documented referral policies
on file. Decisions depend on what the boss feels not policy. The third
reason could be insecurity. Traditionally, many people in Zambia have
378
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
These are but a few of the additions but we would safely conclude and
say that the global worker of the 21st century is looking for the best
possible personal deals they can get hold of. They are offering a skill and
as such need to partner with progressive companies that are relevant to
the times. In fact, many of them commence their careers with a clear
agenda in mind-to employ rather than be employed. If their goal is
elusive, they leave in search of greener pastures.
379
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Methods of best practice refer to those tried and tested ways of carrying out
a procedure compared to the previous equally good practice though less
efficient. In progressive organisations, the thirst for new innovations, ideas
and creativity never gets quenched. Thus, these entities embrace what has
come to be known as the “boundary-less organisation” because it gets and
adopts viable ideas from any where regardless of the source. This has turned
many companies into some of the most competitive entities in the world. In
this section, we crystallise some key best practices worth sucking in by any
progressive firm or entity.
380
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
6. Reading the environment and the times: A strategic trained eye is a key
component for success on the market. There is need for diligent and
meticulous watching of the trends, scenes and happenings taking place
within and without the organisation. Armed with the fresh, relevant and
timely information, the organisation easily surmounts all odds. It can also
supplant some industry leaders in some cases as Google did to Microsoft
or the Post to the State run papers.
∩
Thompson preface PP X
381
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
10. Hire known quantities: There is some power in hiring well known
people for promotional purposes. If they are engrafted into your team, be
sure to reap some benefits that follow them over to your side. Their
goodwill, clout and magnet attract some major clients to your
organisation. Further more, these people possess rich, rare experiences as
well as expertise that would be invaluable to your organisation. In that
sense then, the organisation ensures it hunts for the Known quantities that
add synergy to the organisation. The higher cost in hiring them is worth it
as this extra cost constitutes the goodwill. This value may not be
immediately visible to the naked eye akin to the marketing expenses
incurred on a product brand promotion.
⁄
As at 1998
382
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
383
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Furthermore, the Mugala led team has introduced some incentives such as
multiple salary increases in the year thus boosting the workers’ morale.
Since the battle is not yet over, there has been a deliberate move to train and
refresh staff so that they are customer-focused rather than morbidly inward
looking. The effects of these capacity – building manoeuvres are seen in the
speedy and friendly way that staff respond to customers, and when
privately asked, the majority of employees speak in glowing tribute of the
company. They say ‘we have the best products and a powerful top
management team….” waxing melodiously eloquent by the minute.
Emanating from this training is the freedom to innovate and have many
products; most of which are as ancient as the company itself while others are
new. The old ones have been refined in keeping with the times. New
products are churned out frequently. Thus as one walks into the hallway of
the Building Society, it is a pleasant hive of activity and yet intense
particular individual attention is given to every customer. Here, the customer
is king. With all these past rapid changes as well as the powerful strategic
eye to the future, the Society almost pulled out of the doldrums within a
year-now that is record time indeed!
But what type of scenario did Mugala exactly find when he first stepped into
the building society executive office in mid 1998? What hurdles has he
encountered thus far? Firstly, we note that he found a divided house that was
crippled by evil organisational politics. The Management and the union were
at daggers drawn and constantly fighting with no strength left to do any
positive work. The union spent all its time squabbling about wages, pointing
fingers and daily fuelling more animosity in the company. If a PhD could be
earned through antagonism, the union could have bagged a multiplicity of
them!
384
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Mugala stepped onto the stage. Sensing that some of their unnecessary jobs
would be slashed off with the advent of re-engineering the villains raised
their antenna akin to danger sensing police dogs. Hence the resistance.
Fourthly, the people who were previously at the helm of the organisation
were half the time not equal to the task but rather political appointees
because of their patriotism to the party in power. This trend sadly has
persisted to this very day. The lament is that these clown executives were
not original but did the bidding of the state and even more tragic was the fact
that many had no heart for the entity. Of course, many with greater
credentials than Mugala have traversed the path that he now treads but none
perhaps has been as salty as he. Having proved himself both in public and
private practice, the Government, in its usual unconventional ways, called
him to resuscitate the ailing company. By all counts, the Building Society
was headed for the company bone yard.
Time has gone by and many problems have crossed his path but he remains
focused towards the goal. Problems such as low pay, low morale, bad
attitudes, evil suspicions and resistance from the “old guard” still linger.
Happily, these green headed vices are slowly being mortified.
Having painted a gloomy picture in the last section, we now proceed to show
the way forward for the said organisation. As earlier intimated, the Mugala-
led team is strategic in approach. The company is now risen from the ashes
and is now eking a unique path that will guarantee sustainability. Clement’s
long-term goals are to make the company independent, agile, and fluid as
well as be ahead of any possible new market entrants. The quest to that end
is clear as he leads the company in embarking on an ambitious US$ 1.5
million project to computerise the entire organisation. Although the initial
costs are whooping, this is powerful competitive advantage tool in the long
run that will increase efficiency across the entire company network. Since
the 17 or so branches are littered all over the country, efficiency will result
due to being online. Thus, speedy service and fewer hiccups in responding to
customer queries and orders will accrue to the company good will. Also, IT
is necessary for decision making in these turbulent times. “Ignore… IT at
your peril”θ, the common adage says. Further more, with employee capacity
enhanced, moral raised and the right “known quantities” on board to
θ
Banking world October 1990
385
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
11. Social responsibility and ethics: Social responsibility falls in the ethical
domain and by that token, is a grey area for many. The multinationals
sometimes have serious struggles with the social responsibility issues
because they have their own expectations about the host countries. The
Multinationals expect the host governments to provide the basic and
strategic infrastructure which includes Health care system, roads, town
planning and care etc because they pay tax. With respect to social
responsibility, the enterprise deliberately takes on some social cause with a
two fold bearing on the organisation: Image promotion and tax
avoidance/reduction. In this vein, the business undertakes to construct a
school or donating to an orphanage. These are seen as good kind gestures by
the community at large. This lifts the company profile, freely markets the
goods and builds brand loyalty. It is good thing to be identified with
something good.
386
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
easier in many senses which make the paperless office and virtual a
possibility. People from different parts of the world can communicate via
the internet and video conferencing for instance thereby drastically
cutting down on the over heads. There is of course the down side of this
good tool but for now, we focus on the brighter side. Get the state of the
art technology and so stay of top the heap, you will never regret.
14. Policy documents: Companies with good policies go far, have the least
litigation issues and are generally cheaper to run. A policy is a guiding
principle frame work from which the organisation operates. Usually,
these policies reflect or are derived from the corporate culture and
philosophy. If the company emphasizes accountability, this will show in
the policy. If it emphasizes self managed team work, again this will show
as one reads the policies. It is therefore imperative for the mangers to
have a deep appreciation of the organisations’ vision and mission
statement for them to properly draft and interpret the policies. Further,
the said policies must be contextual and fit in well with the extant laws.
15. High employees turn over. This refers to a frequent change of staff in a
given entity. The employees work for the said organisation and suddenly
quit for varied reasons but the bottom line is that they leave. As to what
the root cause could be, it is beyond the scope of this book to discover
but suffice it to say that when certain basic needs that people look for are
absent, they tend to look over the fence where the grass is greener. This is
especially true in the Western world unlike in the far-east where a family
kind of setting exists. In Zambia, people are increasingly shifting from
the one company loyalty, unlike the parents used to be, to various
different companies in a short time. The other reasons could be poor HR
skills by staff as well as the rapid changes in the environment.
At the close of this chapter, we note clearly that People Management is a far
more complex issue than many of us assume. It cross cuts sociology,
387
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
======================================================
Bibliography
Braham Leigh, The 7 hidden reasons why employees leave, Amacom, 2005
388
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Feay Benard, Too old and over qualified?, Management Accounting, March
1995 pp 49
389
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Justa Kopulande, ZNBS ekes a way out of the financial doldrums, Zambia
Daily Mail, March 5th 1999
Kamau John, Why Boutros fell from grace, New African October 1999
390
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Todd Benjamin, Dolle Guy, learning to be a team player, CNN, May 30th,
2005
391
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter Thirteen
Strategic Benefits
That Strategic thinking and management are beneficial goes without saying
as this, to a limited extent, guarantees present and future success of any
entity at hand. Many benefits come to mind when one considers these in
point form. This chapter, in summary, high lights some of the clearly visible
dividends emanating from strategy. In demonstrating this fact, the chapter
has been divided into two benefits with sub benefits under the heads. These
are internal and external benefits. We commence with the internal:
392
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
forestalled and the company continues. If fools take over the estate,
the best they can do is sale their stock holding and take off with the
loot, meanwhile the corporation has perpetual succession. Sadly,
many an incomplete or dilapidated structure on the Zambian
landscape has a story behind it. Most of the time, it points to the fact
that when the pioneer died, everything ground to a half due to
domestic plunderers. No wonder Zambia is a plundered nation, even
by our political leaders who prefer to mortgage this nation to
foreigners without due consideration of the implications of their
actions! Many of the mining deals were signed behind closed doors
with spurious conditions such as 10 to 15 years tax exemptions or
very low loyalties painfully come to mind. With all due regard to
unavoidable DFI⊕, some deals reek with corruption. All this folly
could have been avoided with a crystal clear strategic thinker cadre of
leaders.
2. The organisation remains healthy and strong over the long whole. It is
believed that on average, corporations survive for between 50 to 100
years. Very few prominent ones like the General Electric Corporation
(GEC) and General Motors (GM) bust that average without much ado.
Half the time, organisations struggle to defend their turf. Strategy
helps the organisation to weather the storm through different turbulent
times. Every crisis threatening to smash the organisation is spotted
from afar and avoided. Further, learning organisations foresee most of
those potholes and factor in some mitigating ‘shock absorbers’
facilitating room for continuity. Perpetual succession, in and of itself,
is good concept but hardly tenable, especially on African soils for
now. That said, the organic entity responds to stimuli, reorganises,
reinvents itself and strives to keep in as healthy a state as it possibly
could be. Remove strategy and you dig a deep grave. The organisation
simply tumbles over the precipice. Same applies to the individual.
⊕
Refer to the apt editorial comment of the Post, June 10th 2007 # 3888su288 entitled “Foreign Investors”.
A pithy write up indeed.
393
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
the air and are constantly reacting to threats rather than setting the
pace. Team players share their vision and by that token get as many
on board who relentlessly pursue the common goal. Direction is easier
seen where a potent strategy holds sway.
∏
Proverbs 22:3, Holy Bible
394
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Business moths are a rare breed but repeatedly see money every where,
identify and seize opportunities at every turn where others have no clue. This
is true in Zambia where people literary “sleep and step on money” every day
but still grope around in abject poverty all the way to the grave. For instance,
when one Japanese development expert visited Zambia years ago, he kept
wondering why on earth Zambia went around begging foreign aid when it
had everything! In his opinion, the opposite should have been true. In his
view, Zambia had so much potential to feed itself, export and dominate the
world market in certain areas such as agriculture, tourism and mining, of
course bearing in mind the distinctive competitive competence and
advantage. He recounted that as he was still mid air coming to Zambia, he
395
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
observed vast stretches of idle land with sparse populations dotted all over.
In his view, like an earlier colleague, the Zambian population could
comfortably and easily fit into one province while the rest of the provinces
were used as investment and development land. With the abundant factors of
production, Miyoshi could not comprehend why Zambia trotted around the
globe with a begging bow. Neither could he understand why people rushed
to work abroad when the actual opportunities lay in Zambia! In his view,
most of what the western world did was at a secondary level, to merely
refine the raw materials from Africa and other richly endowed nations. Why
settle for a secondary matter instead of the actual?
Therefore, there is need to open our eyes as money, wealth and riches are all
around us. What is simply needed is to reach out and grab them. We need
more than just ideas but the actual ability to turn vision into reality. One
time, we were driving from a far flung isolated project site when a thought
struck me, why couldn’t we turn the vast idle forest stretches into productive
game reserves or turf where rare plant species grew? Why not start a nursery
or some grand but low cost project that would benefit progeny? Many things
can be done within the nature ambit and derive the best benefit us wards.
The problem with our crippledly pessimistic minds is that we are quick to
think that we can’t! We always think a person from outside with lots of
money will do that for us and then we get employed reaping slave wages!
The Zambian wrongly always looks to investors to ignite everything for us
while we complain and yawn all day! Why not initiate and then later invite
other investors so that you form a consortium or partnership where you have
an equal or greater stake in the matter? Granted that the globalisation
blizzards have largely eroded our ability to competitively exploit resources,
but we can surely make a start. Further, and of prime importance, let us
garner as much land as we can because land is power. Let others come with
all their investment while we retain title to the land. The land tenure problem
continues to bug us because most of the powers are vested in a few who are
more ready to dish out land to foreigners rather than the indigenous. For a
native person to get even a small piece of land, a lot of blood has to be spilt
but not so for the foreigner! A case in point is the Mwanawasa land scandal∈
∈
What immediately comes to mind is the huge chunks of land dished out to the Libyans (though
Mwanawasa has denied dishing out the land in these latter days, perhaps to escape liability in future) in the
central parts of the country (not to mention the millennium village which probably sits on Lusaka Girls and
Boys schools play grounds) as well as the prime farming land in the central parts of Zambia to the
Zimbabwean white farmers that moved north fleeing Mugabe’s radical land reforms. Chances are that the
Zambians will be labourers reaping slave wages in the name of “employment created” What has actually
happened is that the people’s means of survival and heritage have been grabbed away. They have no option
396
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
where portions of land have been given to so-called investors while the
vulnerable and weak indigenous people are harassed, haunted and
evicted/hounded off their God given land. Why should some one walk into
State House and within a few minutes walk away with thousands of hectares
while some one whose multiple generation clans and family have lived in
that area fail to get even a few square metres of land? This is a huge
abnormality. Why should the archaic and inhibiting laws only apply to the
poor? This calls for diligence and alertness on the part of Zambians. It is
high time to awake and claim what is rightly yours, yea, your crown rights.
Go to any western world and see if they will treat you the same. Chances are
that they will not even give you a hearing unless you show that you have the
above normal cash and that you will reinvest nearly 100% of your earnings
within that country, unlike what obtains in Zambia where almost 100% of
the profits are externalised and no eyebrow is raised in the name of
“liberalisation”.
That said, the astute and keen business eye sees opportunities where others
may only see hurdles. I am always intrigued at how certain business freaks
seem to beam with delight where the rest of us see hazardous risks, and
losses. They are driven by some latent force to thrust out their hand and
appropriate the unseen. The rest of the world only sees the staggering results
and stand amazed, while beating their breasts as to why they had not seen
the point earlier!
but to enlist as farm labourers who are entirely dependant on the master’s bidding. In one sense, the land
development and utilisation will be faster and better but in another, the local people’s power is truncated
forever.
397
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Thus, strategy helps the organisation to rightly gauge itself and know
where to polish up or avoid. Further more, strategy helps the
organisation to be responsive to the times, figure out newer options as
well as what path to pursue. This in itself builds vigilance, focus and
purpose.
For now, the above mentioned points suffice though much more needs to be
brought to the fore. At this juncture, we now delve into the “external
benefits” to see much more clearly just how valuable strategy is.
398
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
create thirsts hither to unseen, mutate some cultures there by bringing about
somewhat homogenous perceptions, tastes and responses from any point of
this terrestrial ball.
3. Attracts more would be investors: Strategy, in the third place attracts more
investors, both local and international. As the world fast hurtles along to a
global economy, political boundaries give way to international trade routes
so that people can do business from any point of the world, settle or relocate
as they see best. The pervasive information technology revolution offers as
much information as one would love to have for them to make strategic
decisions in relation to international business. As for the country that desires
to rise from the ashes or get ahead in this modern world, strategy is the
search light that brightens the path ahead. Remove strategy and you instantly
become a spectator, always complaining at the world’s unfairness. A
strategic entity is a head liner rather than a spectator. For a fuller treatment
of Direct Foreign Investment (DFI), refer to Appendix 2 # 4
399
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
that is a totally new and multibillion industry! Closer to home, as body parts
are regenerated or head less bodies are cultured/cultivated and grown in labs
for business, it will be a money spinner! What about if witch craft, “African
science” (magic) and all are properly harnessed removing all the bloody
rituals and superstition, that will rake in billions if not trillions in the post
modern world. Some of the ideas mentioned in this section are presently
dangerous and breach many ethics and dare not be attempted at lest we rouse
God’s eternal wrath. That not with standing, strategy positions one to peer
into the future and go where no man has ever been before.
7. Strategy teaches us from the past: We are what we are because of the past.
This includes, our habits, tastes, perceptions and to some extent, our
aspirations. Strategy gives us a cursory view of the past, highlighting
pitfalls, lessons and danger points where others have trod. In that way, we
avoid past mistakes thus providing room for a greater and better future. The
author recalls how that many youths he interacted with in the outlying areas
of the country generally focused on two professions: Teacher & Police
officer. He often wondered why.
Upon further enquiry and research, he discovered that is the only light they
had and thus wanted to be like their visible local role models. In other
words, they were stereotyped by the world view and mould they were born
into. The tragedy is that they could not think outside the box and neither
could they critically analyse their preferences because of their weak basis of
comparison. Strategy opens the mind to the whole wide world, helps us
avoid past pitfalls and aids us in setting clear, realistic stretch goals which
we meticulously monitor as we hurtle along.
400
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Some time ago, I woke up a great while before dawn with the sole purpose
to catch up with some long outstanding assignments. As I settled to do my
work while comfortably perched on the bed room carpet, I felt something
ticklish pass between my feet, play around a little and then zoomed off. I
frantically tried to see what it was but no luck this time. I continued with my
pressing work. After a few minutes, the same thing returned and followed
the same strategic manoeuvres. I shot up in a second and noted the back
parts of the cockroach as it vanished among the carton boxes. Instinctively, I
swung into action attempting to kill it but alas, I had nothing to use!
Annoyed with my self, I got back to work but without any appropriate
weapon to annihilate the intruder in case it returned. No sooner had I settled
than my dear cockroach friend reappeared only more daring this time round.
In fury, my eagles’ eye detected its location and tried to kill it but nothing to
use once again! I learnt my lesson and got a slipper by my side as I worked
while scanning the environment. As before, the golden slippered cockroach
returned but this time received a rude shock as it was whacked to death!
Most times we do not learn from past mistakes for better and effective pro-
activeness in future rather than be retroactive as is the case with many of us.
He is a great strategist who learns from the past and avoids a repeat of past
errors. The astute strategist notices the gaps the first time, yea even before
any surprises show up and prepares for murphy’s law to rear its ugly green
head any time. In other words, the TQM world teaches that ensure you do
something once and move on. This entails doing a perfect job either having
learnt from the past or any anticipated eventualities. I always marvel at how
Zambians tend to repeat the same mistakes over and over showing no sign of
remorse! For instance, some time ago, the Senanga road had a huge pot hole
that developed right across the road near Mongu. For a long time, repeated
shoddy cosmetic momentary repairs were done on it. It is believed that
billions of kwacha (hard earned tax payer’s money) were gobbled as they
went down the drain without any tangible protest from the public. When
election year came round in 2001, the politicians, once again using tax
payer’s money rose to the occasion and did some rather extensive work on
that section to the satisfaction of the electorate. No sooner had the section
been redone and elections over than the crater reappeared! It was yawning
even more! No tangible work was done on that section for a while until
some high profile person tumbled into the ditch other wise nothing would
have been done to date perhaps only if some one mere mortal died there or
election year drew near. Now, looking at the hair raising cost implications of
401
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
repeated mediocre work, one fails to understand why we do not learn from
the past. The strategic eye would rather do a perfect job the first time and
wisely apply opportunity costing to do some other tangible thing with the
self same scarce resources.
8. Avoids wastage and prudent use of resources. With a strategic eye, the
nation or individual can drastically turn their fortunes from rags to
riches. The quick eagle’s eye converts all opportunities into what they
are supposed to be. Botswana is one country that has tried in this area.
They have made the diamonds Royalties work for them despite
harbouring many adverse circumstances militating against economic
progress. Zambia, on the other hand has wasted many opportunities
such as the stupid contracts with “Investors”. Chances are that by the
time the country attempts to renegotiate, it will be too late, the season
will have passed for ever. Once again, the Post newspapers editorials
of June 10th and 12th, 2007 have been on the mark. Honestly, Zambian
should note where it is today. Man people walk away empty handed
despite having slaved away their lives only to “bless thankless
wolves”. The rot must be stopped!
9. Preserves the environment. The long range thinking mind will always
carry out an objective Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to
determine the repercussions of intended courses of actions long before
implementation commences. They wisely weigh the options and
refuse to bow to any dangling carrot, no matter how attractive. The
Western world has hugely contributed to the destruction of most of
the world’s ecosystems and now the earth is hitting back by global
warming, disasters and many other adverse hitherto unprecedented
back lashes. Sadly, the worst will invade the poorer ill-equipped
nations in Africa. The strategic eye spots an opportunity amidst these
threats such as green business, nature preservation etc.
Thus, we have once again demonstrated that strategy has much more
benefits up its sleeves than usually perceived. If and when you work with a
strategist, you cannot help but notice just how confident they appear despite
the apparent odds arrayed against them. Strategic firms and countries too
leave a marvellous trail behind them and grow by leaps and bounds unlike
their one track minded competitors. The Botswana/Zambia case referred to
at the beginning of this text is a clear demonstration of what strategy can do.
South Korea is now probably the 8th largest economy in the world and yet in
1964, South Korea and Zambia had the same GDP, where is Zambia now?
402
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Strategy, right mindset plus the right pragmatic leadership are the only hope
for Zambia’s deliverance.
So much then for that scathing but true remark, let us fasten our seat belts as
we board the time machine to peer into the future effects, enjoy the trip up
future lane!
======================================================
Bibliography
403
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Houghton S.M. Sketches from Church History, Banner of truth trust, 1980
Schapera I, Government in tribal societies, C.A Watts & Co. Ltd, 1956,
Sutclifffe Bob & Owen Roger (editors), Studies in the theory of imperialism,
Longman Group Limited, 1972
404
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Winfield R.G. and Curry S.J., success in Investment, 3rd edition, 1987, John
Murray Publishers
405
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter Fourteen
ZAMBIA
Strategic effects
406
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Positive effects
a. Forward looking. If an entity has a vision, clear goal and destiny, it then
has the fertile ground to hurtle to higher orbs. This is because the
organisation is able to project the future with a reasonable degree of
accuracy and then marshal all its resources towards the set target. A target-
less life does not take anyone one anywhere, after all, they are not able to
know whether they are making headway or retarding. A strategy helps to set
benchmarks, verifiable indicators and a basis of comparison in a given time
frame as enshrined in a particular implementation schedule. Granted, it is
possible to have all the beautiful plans neatly tacked away and yet still
lamentably flounder on the field as success, to a greater extent, depends on
attitude and inward heart disposition of some one as well as prior plans
critical to success, without which, one runs the risk of aimlessly beating the
air, indeed exerting more needless energy than required. Strategic entities
are always forward looking, appear in a mad hurry to achieve and have no
idle time to while away. Where you find a healthy strategic company, there
you find a hive of regulated and efficient effective activity.
b. Clear path. The second, but connected to the first effect, is the idea of
direction and a clear path. A strategy not only gives the desired end but also
opens avenues to explore other paths towards a given destination. In other
words, strategy is as much a means to an end as path finder. Clear minded
people or entities are not necessarily more intelligent but simply smart, more
exposed and having cleared the path before hand. Strategy-less entities are
never in charge of their destinies and spend all their life spans merely
reacting rather than charting the course so that others react. Strategists are
trend setters in many instances.
407
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
helm. That explains why many parastatals collapsed in the years 1991-1996
as the Zambian economy opened up to liberalisation and privatisation.
However, the strategic entities confidently entered the 1990s with an
opportunistic eye and indeed reaped the benefits. The turbulent years of the
early 90s were eventful times for super profits to the swift, lean and
progressive entities. In the same breathe, these self same dates were horrible
night mares for the archaic, rigid and non-progressive entities. To date,
opportunity abounds in Zambia, if only we looked harder and ventured out
of our boxed lives. Too many of us mistakenly wait for the Government to
wave the magic wand or give some super solution. We are just wasting our
time, better wake up and work!
The positive effects only come about when there is conscious timely self
application of the right strategy. Note also that not all strategies have the
same effect or degree of success but generally, the positive effects bring
about stable systematic progressive increase. The pitfalls resulting from lack
of strategy now follow.
408
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
As intimated at the beginning of this text, some entities seem to scale from
height to height due to their strategy. Equally true is the situation for those
that either trivialise or fail to strategise. What exactly will happen when
people fail to strategise? A number of adverse things definitely will. The
following immediately rear their ugly green heads:
409
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
down, down the drain also goes the momentum, which once lost is near
impossible to recover to the same degree. Our Church at Mongu started off
with a very high evangelistic thrust and momentum. For a number of years,
the church was on fire and invaded Mongu with the gospel but some
unexplainable circumstance killed the momentum. The church is yet to
recover its former pulse.
410
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
complain and wonder how the foreigners progress from rags to riches. One
cannot understand how that Zambia, 40 years after independence is still
squabbling about the constitution adoption mode while the foreigners are
making a killing! In the same land, people are seeing abundant opportunities
while others are crying to flee the country as economic refugees. Once one
travels out, they soon realise that in fact, the opportunities are back home!
Those that are realistic, wise and prudent venture back with a clear agenda
while the proud will stick it out. The statement above is by no means the
situation for all that work abroad. In some instances, it works out better
abroad but these cases are few and far between.∇
∇
Renowned Zambian athlete, Samuel Matete seems to affirm this thought when he states that it is cheaper
to live in Zambia than in the States. Check his profile in the Post newspaper of 23rd April 2006. Another,
Exhildah Siame was even more explicit in her article “ America is not the beauty and splendour seen in
movies” that appeared in the Sunday Times of Zambia dated May 12, 2000, an extremely insightful write
up.
411
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
412
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
413
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
consuming all the grain in the present, whatever the hunger threats.
Though farsightedness is possessed in larger measure by some, it is luckily
an acquirable virtue.
If long-term thinking is to take root in our society, it may have to be
incorporated in the regular parental inculcations to children. Educators, be
they secular or religious, have a duty to also emphasis the merits of this
outlook. National leaders have little choice but to provide the example.
A nation dominated by short-term thinkers is bound to be engrossed in fire-
fighting, the consequence of which will be squandering of both its resources
and opportunities for advancement. Both short-term and long-term planning
are vital. But the desperate need is for long-term thinkers and planners.
Cholwe Mweetwa
h. Poor quality out put that is not time or customer focused. Ignorance is
expensive in that the people seek to stick to the obsolete but comfort zones.
They will not venture to try out new ways nor take any calculated strategic
risks. In the long run, the organisation becomes bureaucratic, rigid and
unlearning. The organisation does not willingly learn and assumes the world
will want to buy their products no matter how mediocre. Where a proper
strategy exists, the organisation imbibes TQM within its processes and
ensures they remain agile, fluid, flexible, lean and vigilant. In fact, the
organisation moves from a crisis reactive mode to a proactive and prudent
mode. In addition, the organisation ensures that quality is internalised in all
aspects of the organisational life so as to remain buoyant.
i. The organisation will not know its core competencies and as such will
either take on too much or too little on itself. The net effect is that the
organisation will either be over trading or under utilising its capacity. It runs
the risk of corporate obesity. Strategy on the other hand, ensures there is a
consistent self-evaluation and audit and constant realignment of the
organisation so that it can keep ahead of competitors. Further, the
organisation will have the ability to formulate emergent strategies and also
have alternative plans in the event of failure of plan A. One case in point is
the situation that confronts Zambia today. Scanning the country reveals that
the nation is stronger in the service industry rather than the mining and
manufacturing. Since it is endowed with vast natural resources such as land
and animals, Zambia would probably do much better to strategically shift
from mining to tourism and agriculture, which resources other nations may
414
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
415
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
416
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
than a trend setter. In that situation, many projects are abandoned midway in
preference for the latest strategic bullet. As a general rule, due care must be
taken to ensure change does not take place just for the sake of it but it must
be necessary. Neither should change be delayed to the point where the
situation dictates (coercion) but rather, mutation must take place when the
entity voluntarily elects to.
b. Focusing too much on the short term rather than the long term goals
If the strategies are predominantly short term, corrective and myopic, there
will always be fire fighting and reactive manoeuvres to save face rather than
proactive. As mentioned in an earlier point, frequent strategy changes result
from too meticulous monitoring of other market players and repeatedly
reactionary strategies to counter opponents. In the end, the organisation
spends all its time merely reacting and myopic in outlook. The entity, as it
were, spends time solving daily operational issues rather than casting the eye
beyond the horizon. The short term mind set is both unstable and indecisive.
d. Obsolesce of strategies
Strategy potencies wither and die whilst in use and many times, the users do
not even realise it! They carry on using the same old worn out strategies that
carried the day years ago. When new suggestions or innovations are
suggested, they are violently thrust out as inappropriate, unorthodox and
simplistic when in reality, that could be the silver bullet. When Jack Welch
took up the CEO position at General Electric in 1981, he found the
legendary company too obese and suggested radical changes to make it more
agile, lean and competitive. He faced a lot of opposition because the old
guards and the outside world thought the company was intact, secure,
417
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
admirable and in perfect shape. With time, as new ideas were reluctantly
implemented and infused into the mammoth organisation, people began to
see the past pitfalls and bought into his perceptive view. The well beaten out
ancient paths are good and need to be preserved if useful but must be laid
aside if they hinder further progress. Another dimension worth critically
looking at is why many incumbent market leaders lose out and eventually
fizzle out. Large multinationals such as the IBM and Compaq come to mind
that have been on their knees for many years as a result of under cuttings by
new industry and market entrants. Christensen £ has done fine research and
asserts that some of these market leaders some time pay too much attention
to their current corporate clients at the expense of critical Research and
Development (R & D). They focus on the present good cash flows, refined
systems and present product quality and look no further. In the mean time,
the other new entrants are busy developing and innovating new products that
eventually invade the main industry leading to a complete industry overhaul.
By that token, the clients suddenly abandon their suppliers and switch to
new technology and leave the incumbents stranded. From the foregoing, it is
there fore important to ensure that the organisation does not only stick to the
ancient paths but is constantly innovating on new products which are
eventually commercialised, although this move has its own attendant
problems.
£
Clayton Christensen as quoted by Hill & Jones in their book “ Strategic Management theory” pp2
418
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
The dividing line between benefits and effects is indeed thin but we hope our
attempt has helped to tease out the salient points leading to greater strategy
awareness and use. The Strategic effects can act as an attractive tonic to
strategy formulation in one’s life, church, community and nation at large.
This consideration also highlights some often neglected but key concepts as
relates to time. The disruptive technologies and emotional intelligences are
worth further exploration as they will bring about higher strategic returns.
Our attention fittingly now turns to the challenges surrounding this golden
word. The down side of strategy, though difficult, is attempted at. Read on,
we are almost done!
======================================================
Bibliography
Mweetwa Cholwe, The short term mindset, The Post news paper, May 2005
Siame Exhilda, America is not the beauty and splendour seen in movies:
Travelogue, Sunday Times of Zambia, May 12, 2000
Trump Donald, HOW TO GET RICH: The secrets of business success from
the star of THE APPRENTICE, BBC books, 2004, London
419
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter Fifteen
Strategy challenges
To begin the ball rolling, we must state from the outset that challenges exist
as highlighted above. We highlight some of them in the ensuing points:
420
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
quo but ensures that the entity is kept buoyantly alive through the changing
seasons of life. Strategic leadership is the one main need of the times that
boosts the organisation or individual output to higher orbs where it becomes
agile, multiple reinvented and empowered to be a profitable perpetual going
concern. As the author has looked at the multitudes of Zambians, he has
painfully observed that Zambians do more talking than acting. They would
rather complain, condemn and gossip all day but rarely take a step to chart
the course in the right direction. Some how, they expect that the neighbour
will do the miraculous for them (communal good) and when some one uses
their heads to generate wealth or get ahead, the lazy people are the first to
complain or raise the flag in protest that some unfair dealing or competition
has taken place. If they do not complain publicly, then they spread
destructive rumours about that person linking them to Satanism and the rest.
But the author thinks any person in Zambia is a potential winner, if only they
more than just strategise but pragmatically go full throttle to hit the target, in
the same breath thinking further ahead. It is true that a good portion of the
Zambian tycoons have questionable CVs as to how they ascended to such
heights but that does not stop you and I from using resources at our disposal
to make the difference. I think, a person, to a larger extent, fails or succeeds
in the mind long before they implement, of course subject to the providence
of God. That said, we should refuse to settle for less until we have tried our
level best. Furthermore, it seems the colonialised mind set still holds sway of
many of us that were there at independence and shortly after wards. Many
dread risk taking and would rather hide in the crowds and complain all day.
We need a paradigm shift. Although I assert this point, I wonder how nations
that were equally colonised like India and Botswana are making headway.
There is a problem somewhere which strategic leadership alone can solve.
∅
They claim that they only enter a country on invitation with the sole purpose to correct the ailing
economy. Further, the institutions claim not to charge commercial/economic interest on all their loans in
keeping with their “economic correction assistance” stance. Source:
421
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
always fit into the different contexts∠. Perhaps what may be needed is the
promotion of refined home grown strategies. Another school of thought
thinks it could be a matter attitude of the donor aid receivers. If a mental
paradigm shift could be activated, that would change the world! On an
individual level, the same issues come to the fore and must be given
appropriate attention as the case might be.
Too many threats and risks. Among the elements to be considered in strategy
crafting are the threats, risks or challenges. These usually hem in against a
set objective and militate against any progress. The best strategists anticipate
these threats and factor potent parameters into their strategy to adequately
handle the threats. In some instances however, the risks involved overwhelm
the would-be strategist. Examples would be the Iraq, North Korea and Iran
stand offs where there is eminent danger from invading foreign allied forces.
In a world where the “Big brother” nations dominate and bully anyone, its
may be difficult to plan. Other threats would be extremist terrorist activities
that detonate at any point of the globe.
Divide and rule manoeuvres from within and without. This reminds us of the
Bismarck’s policy that thrived on divide and rule tactics. In a sense, the
various strategies amount to divide and rule gymnastics where the various
market players are confused or generate disruptive tendencies that take time
to handle by others. For instance, the Dell computers has sent many ripples
in the industry that even the former incumbent giants like IBM or Compaq
are still recovering from despite having had all the financial muscle. The
politicians like employing this approach to win that extra vote from the poor
∠
Refer to the Evangelical Times, International edition December 06 edition. It attests to the wrong donor
solutions. The nations in question should be given leverage to choose the type of aid.
422
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
pauper citizens littered across the country. The strategic eye reads the times
from afar and wisely position one self.
Crippling debt burden. The debt has really been crippling to the entire nation
as evidenced by the low living standards in Zambia where close to 80% live
in abject poverty. On an individual level, many of these poor people are
trapped in the poverty cycle and find it practically impossible to think
outside the box. Sustainable development is mere theory at that stage since
their basic needs have not yet been met. Despite reaching the HIPC
completion point, and therefore freeing more resources for development,
As at 2002 there about
423
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Zambia is rapidly and senselessly plunging into the ravaging debt cycle with
practically no clue on how to liquidate the unsustainable loans. It’s a shame.
Half baked or information dearth. In this age, correct information and not
finance alone makes the difference between success and failure. To garner
the right timely information, an entity must ensure it has access to state of
the art technology & information system, a well developed market
intelligence network and a close customer relationship as well as an
adequately funded forward looking research and development wing. Short of
this results in losses all the way unless the world stands still.
424
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
“The sacrifice road is indeed a lonely path with few adherents but the
popular prosperous and easy going high way has a myriad comrades” Many
people in Zambia tend to place comfort above security, with little foresight
into the future what a little more sacrifice can yield. Naturally, we all abhor
suffering but in the Zambian context, the tolerance level is rather extreme.
We are increasingly and predominantly a pleasure driven society as ably
taught by the Marketer. The Apostle Paul caught something of his days’
general tenor of life when he stated, “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we
die”! The Corinthians lived for their day and ensured they maximized their
pleasure centres. Granted, we ought to enjoy every single day that comes
and passes by, but not at the expense of personal development. The early
Protestants and Puritans knew better, me thinks!
Bibliography
425
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Mweetwa Cholwe, The short term mindset, The Post newspaper, May 2005
426
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Chapter Sixteen
Looking ahead…
Strategy in future
The turbulent and dynamic post modern times in which we live cast little
light as to what will exactly happen in the future. One thing however is
clear: the world will accelerate as the years unfold. The advent of a
combination of factors such as globalisation∧, international workforce and
the inundating pervasive Technology (e.g. IT) revolution dictate the need for
proactive strategic thinking, planning and management. What may be the
perfect plan today may not necessarily be so the next day. Things that once
took many years to materialise or implement will take a far shorter time,
hence the need for perceptive strategic thinking. For instance, before the
clock was invented, events entirely depended on the suns’ angle in the sky
relative to the horizon but today, the high paced life can scarcely wait for
any one. What once was unimaginable yesterday is a reality and far much
more. As the author peers into the future, he sees greater and radical changes
in the way people will live, work, interact and think. New industries,
inventions, customer tastes, aspirations, environmental issues and backlash
(green revolution, all kinds of pollution, degradation, climatic changes etc)
will radically differ from what obtains today. Only three to four decades ago,
it was near impossible for one to aim to pursue a career as an astronaut, but
∧
Refer to write up on factors propelling globalization in appendix 2
Refer also to Bradford Delong’s article “Kenyesian cure” in the Post edition of 29/03/2008 where he lists
drivers of glabalisation as Technology, Real estate (especially in the USA) and Production (in and outside
the USA)
427
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
today, space tourism is fast taking shape as another unique potential service
industry. Consider the Technology explosion with its attendant off shoots.
Who could have thought a cell phone would one day become as mundane as
it is today? Back then, it belonged to the epic movies such as Star Trek,
Space 1999 and the rest.
Internet
Star ship encountering yet another planet in its epic voyages among the stars
428
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Internet
Moon base (as depicted in the motion picture: Space 1999)
It is therefore critical that strategy and tomorrow’s strategist adequately be
armed with an avalanche of flexible options to handle the proliferated and
nebulous volatile turbulent times of tomorrow. No doubt, speed and
accuracy will be core killer instincts for tomorrow’s successful business
person. Market intelligence, business sense coupled with a swift perceptive
trained eye will be non-negotiable traits, far outstripping what obtains today.
In that day, right strategy, mutual trust and strategic leadership will
immensely assist. In terms of corporate business, the gigantic multinationals
will probably give way to lean virtual entities, outsourcing, refined quality
chains and franchising. The e-commerce, video conferencing advent entails
that cheaper business transactions can be done online in the comfort of the
home. Physical international travel, though critical, may be affected or
changed to cater more for holidaymakers rather than formal business travel.
Net works will undercut traditional working and interactive habits as the
paperless office enables multi billion dollar empires operate at minimum
cost, and hopefully translate benefits to the customer as opposed to what
obtains now in many parts of the world. In addition, the strategist will have
to consider the economic, political, religious and social changes on the
international scene. For example, imagine the USA turning into a declined≠
≠
From a personal private opinion, this author seriously suspects and postulates that the USA is a fast
declining economic and military power because it has taken on far too much than it can handle. At present,
it acts as the world’s police and provider resulting in its resources literary thinly spread all over the world
making it too expensive, bureaucratic and complex to sustain for long. Ultimately, it will end up like an old
tired harmless barking dog. How possible is it to appease every nation on earth? How can one nation feed
the whole world? What about the civil spates instigated by the USA all over the world? Can the USA
simultaneously wage two wars? Consider Iraq, North Korea, Russia, China, Iran or India among many that
are near super powers today. Imagine if all these led by China, revolted at the same time, would the USA
manage to cage them all? Further, look at disasters that have lately hit the USA: The Katrina disaster, the
429
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
world power while China mutates into the foremost global economic and
cultural giantΘ, expansion of underground/sea cities as well as the anti
electromagnetic wave crusades. In business, the failure rate will rise while
the success duration is likely to shorten depending on what industry one is
in, the uncharted industry being the best bet.
various cyclones, the September 11 bombing, and the continuous high security alert around the nation for
over five years. An average American has more than two jobs and many live on credit for the good part of
their lives. Granted, they have immediate gratification unlike the rest of us mortals but what if the economy
continues to plummet or grow at a small pace of 4-5% GDP as has been the case for some time now?
Θ
Apart from GDP, a country’s prowess is measured by the amount of energy consumed. Presently (2006),
China ranks the second to the USA. By 2009, China should be the leading internet user outstripping the
USA’s 200 million (2006)
Ξ
“Click generation” See a short write up attempting to define this in appendix 2
430
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Epilogue…
======================================================
Bibliography
431
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Wisconsin New York, New York San Francisco, California St. Louis,
Missouri
432
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Martin A Carolyn & Pulgan Bruce, Managing the generation mix: from
Collision to collaboration, Jaico publishing house, 2003
Rodney A. Brooks, Flesh and Machines: How Robots will change us,
Pantheon Books, New York, 2002
Symes, F.R, Rocks & Minerals: Discover the story of the earth’s rocks &
Minerals-their creation, variety, and uses in everyday life. Dorling
Kinderley, 1998, London, New York, Auckland, Delhi, Johannesburg,
Munich, Paris & Sydney
433
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
434
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Appendices
Appendix 1
Case studies
2
Not real name. Actual with held for security reasons.
435
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
By 2005, the Cross Roads boasted of two other lodges that had been built up from
scratch with the same brand name, though now located in superior and porsh
places befitting people’s status. Cross Roads 1 was the start up giving birth to
Cross Roads 2 &3 which eventually gave birth to Cross Road 4, the best of them
all, targeted only for the chief executives. It was the natural choice for senior
brass of society and one needed cash in their pockets to patronize that place. The
interesting thing is that whilst other formerly well established hotels and guest
houses were struggling to offer even the basic necessities like warm bathing water
or a decent meal, the Cross Roads grew from strength to strength!
Having established the brand name strongly in Mongu, practically the corner of
Zambia, it was time to expand to the major cities of Zambia. That would be a hard
shot and risked serious failure and waste of resources but the Kalonge’s were
determined to make their mark. In 2006, they ventured into the heart of Lusaka,
bought a plot in Olympia/Roma area, built from scratch and personally supervised
the work. Mr. Kalonge, being meticulous and particular about detail literally
camped on site and ensured things were on track while his wife managed their
properties in Mongu. She occasionally visited the project site to check on the
progress and quickly headed back. Thus went the progress such that by the end of
2006, the place was basically ready for official opening to the public. This latter
stately Cross Roads structure was even more sophisticated, beautiful, spacious,
high standard and about everything was exotic, imported from the far flung places
of the world. The atmosphere was homely, fresh, calming and very inviting to any
visitor. As is the practice of many organizations, they rushed to try out this new
“joint” by having endless workshops, lodging there as well as hanging out with
colleagues. The Cross Roads is now a house hold name in Lusaka, with its
unique, high quality service offerings, far outstripping the earlier rivals back in
Mongu.
One would ask, what has made this once little known Cross Roads brand such a
house hold name in such a short time? A number of reasons can be summoned
attempting to explain this but the following clearly radiate as one interviews the
proprietor or tracks the business development.
Firstly, Mr. & Mrs. Kalonge are serious entrepreneurs who know what they want
in life, to make abit more money! At every turn, they look for opportunities to
make an extra buck.
Secondly, the entrepreneurs are focused and serious with what they do. They are
of one mind and deal in cash only, no credit is allowed and ensures everyone pays
up on time. Thus, their cash flow has been sound most of the time.
Thirdly, the Cross Roads are a high quality class chain of guest houses offering
nearly everything a traveler would look for, comfort, courtesy, space, good
speedy service and security. Others fall far short on that score.
Fourthly, the management are very innovative, reading the times and able to
respond to the seasons. Bureaucracy is yet to be the Cross Roads’ lot . Many old
incumbents suffer from red tape, bureaucracy or rigidity. Other smaller entities
suffer from the founders’ syndrome effects and cannot possibly innovate unless
the owner sanctions that move.
436
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Fifthly, the Cross Roads chain has a clear strategy, goal and direction, to be the
best of the best! Others are buried in personal scuffles, in fighting or witch
hunting merely reacting to what is around the environment to the extent that they
do not have the muscle to chart the course.
Sixthly, The Cross Roads have a class, standard and high quality services which
others do not have. The Cross Road owners will not settle for mediocre standards
or anything less than the best. Rising from obscurity around 2000, the Cross
Roads brand competes favorably with any international service provider currently
in the country. Gone are the days when the best was only synonymous with the
multinationals!
Lastly, the Cross Roads has been consistent in its development, expansion and
evolution. Its networks are good and has high good will from the banks,
customers and others who not only offer it credit facilities but market it to the rest
of the world.
Indeed, you get quality for money at any Cross Roads lodge. Where the lodge
chain goes from here is hard to tell but one thing is sure, the sky is the limit!
3
Note real name. Actual names withheld for security reasons except the Shoprite Checkers
437
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
hired more staff while sending his heirs to work in the corporate world and later sending
them abroad to study. They were thus detached from the business for many years. That
notwithstanding, the Shantumbu enterprise blossomed in the 1980s and into the early
nineties. Those were high points.
As the years rolled on, Mr. Kabonda snr became too comfortable, influential, powerful,
married many women and was generally a philanthropic man. By 1994, the man was
growing old and started recalling his well established children to return home to run his
businesses while he gave expert advices from behind the scenes. Naturally, the children,
particularly the sons had moved on, established families and were thus reluctant to return
to the relatively rural Mongu. One son (Monko) however agreed to quit his full time job
and returned to take over the running of the business while others supported from the
terraces, as far away as the UK and USA. No sooner had Monko taken over the reins than
the old man died. That was a serious blow to the business but thankfully, the old man had
left a lot of money in reserve which could allow the young mind to explore new business
plans as well as expand the extant business. He straight away got busy reshaping the
business amidst family tussles over property disputes. He weathered the wind out of the
quagmires and slowly expanded the empire to its peak levels around 1997. The business
was pretty comfortable with a positive book balance, high asset base, good flawless
liquidity, highly diversified, a work force of 40, well connected to the powers that be,
enjoyed preferential treatment in contract bids and above all ran the best and only
supermarket in the whole province. No other competitor could match the business
quality, availability of goods and timely service. In a sense, all other smaller traders
shriveled into insignificance leaving the Shantumbu holding a monopoly in the district.
As a result, the enterprise staff became proud, obstinate, boastful and cared less for
customers having enjoyed government support. The organization ceased to learn and
became unresponsive although it still raked in super profits at the end of the day. But
things were about to change. The 1992 privatization act and liberalized economic policies
had begun to make inroads into the country allowing the multinationals to have free reign
into the country spreading their tentacles as they pleased.
Thus, in early 1998, the Shoprite Checkers chain store announced its intention to open up
an outlet in Mongu. At first, people were excited because this advent would mean the
district would now be regarded as a developed place and thus attract further investment.
Consumers interviewed in the marketing survey indicated a longing to have the shop set
up camp as soon as possible.
As the shop was setting up camp, something shocking happened. The first shock was that
the shoprite received a lot of resistance from the local business community, especially the
retail traders. The second shock is that the company was denied access to land or shop
premises in the main business trading centre but were instead directed to some old
dilapidated, abandoned, filthy structures far out of town near the grave yard! The
premises had formerly been a ware house for the state owned NIEC stores but had been
idle for over a decade. The third shock was the attempted arson by unknown people
buttressed by warning letters from anonymous local individuals, probably business
people. On four occasions, the shop stock was saved from destruction just in the nick of
time but eventually, with intensified security, the place was secured and finally opened its
doors in mid 1998. As is the manner of curious shoppers, the place was jammed with
438
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
buyers on the first few days but business sharply declined thereafter. The chain store had
to craft another strategy to overcome this. Despite being a one stop shop, it did not attract
as many consumers as was anticipated and struggled along for a while.
The shop carried out a market research and concluded that a number of things needed to
be done to remain afloat. Among the recommendations, the following were the action
points:
1. The shop was to maximize in stocking relevant product ranges such as mealie
meal, bread, soap etc
2. Closely connected to the above, the entity was to ensure that as much as possible
was available in one shop at a reasonable price.
3. The shop was to ensure the pricing was good, fair and reasonable to attract
demand.
4. The shop was to maintain a high quality and clean environment. In addition, the
shop was to be careful with its product quality such as expiry dates, regular
checks and proper storage.
5. The shop was to run frequent promotions that would attract people to come over.
6. A free bus ride was to be offered to shoppers for a period of time so that the
distance factor would be narrowed.
7. The customer was to be king and highly valued. Thus, the customer would be held
in high regard and always considered right all the time.
These and many other innovations were diligently effected and slowly begun to pay
dividends.
On the other end of town, the Shantumbu still felt safe, secure and in charge of the
business. The arrival of the Shoperite checkers raised a bit of concern to Monko and team
but they were very optimistic that the empire would weather the storm and once the
“Shopy shopy” craze was over, his loyal clients would return to his super market. If that
did not happen, his large real estate investments would cushion the impact and thus allow
his empire to continue unabated. Besides, his brothers and sisters abroad would come in
to the rescue if need be. Surprisingly, the “Shopy” craze went on for far too long, his
supermarket had fewer patronages, less demand and therefore less income. His clients
begun to ask things they never generally unwilling to wait for him to deliver ordered
goods from Lusaka and beyond. Others just simply snubbed him or drove past his shop
and never set foot there again. Consequently, he begun to record losses, his damages
increased and staff pilferage went up. Because of poor pay or delayed remuneration,
439
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
some of his best staff quit to join the shoprite checkers. Things looked bad but as usual,
the empire was in denial. Looking across the fence to other entrepreneurs, they were
equally complaining and withering fast. The die was cast; it was time to change strategy.
To mitigate further loss, Shantumbu enterprises did the following:
1. The supermarket diversified further to include a bar in one section.
2. Real estates were improved upon to increase value so as to attract the NGOs and
wealthy individuals.
3. Monko was to explore the lucrative timber business at Senanga and beyond.
4. For a season, prices were to be slashed in a bid to win back the local customers
although the price slash was not for long lest the company went under.
5. The bakery which had been closed was to be revived but let out to some other
entrepreneur. The shoprite bread was not very good at the time as it tasted abit
odd, rather too salty and thus that was an opportunity.
The Shantumbu enterprise immediately effected these strategies with some periodic
modest success but it appears the plans came too late to win back the product loyalty.
By 2001, the Shantumbu Empire had had most of its market share eroded and was a
generally deserted place. The little that was raised could scarcely meet operational costs
while the real estate business had declined as the number of superior housing units came
up from about 1992. With time, the shop closed down, most of the real estate sold and
workers laid off. That was the end of the empire.
But the shoprite checkers lives on today, growing from strength to strength. Will another
appear to dislodge this giant? Let us wait and see.
Questions
1. What do you think caused the Shantumbu Empire to decline?
2. What were the success factors for the Shoprite checkers in Mongu?
3. What are some of the dangers any business should watch out for in a market
economy?
440
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Ans: I know several but I will give some that immediately come to mind. I must state first
of all that management styles depending on the context as well as the team/hierarchical
structure is framed. Now as for the styles, I know the following:
a) Coaching management
b) Autocratic management
c) Laissez faire and lastly
d) Team building management.
I must also state that in Africa, management is quite different from that which you find
elsewhere. It is a power distant type of management so that there is fear instilled instead
of friendship in relations between supervisors and subordinates. As I have mentioned, this
differs from the Western world where people are addressed by their first names, showing
that they are colleagues and comrades.
Ans: Management is based on team building these days and to succeed, we need to
depend on each other. Therefore, I prefer and practice this type of management.
Ans: It has worked in the lodges that I am Director of. All our managers meet quarterly to
441
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
discuss and create friendship by working together. When we meet, we have fun together
and ensure we create a conducive environment where we are all at liberty. Every meeting,
we begin in prayer which has helped unite us. In order to spice or enrich our meetings,
we visit tourist attractions, engage in recreational team building activities like swimming
which in effect create dependability on one another. After refreshing, we meet once again
to brain storm and focus on one thing, ensuring there is a shared vision in common as
well as buy in. As the leader, I ensure they all see the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ akin to what
the Magi of old did.
5. How is the management today different from that of long ago? (What are the
trends in management circles you have observed?)
Ans: Traditional Management wasted time on fighting each other and standards as such
would start to decline. This cannot be tolerated now due to increase in marketing and
competition. Furthermore, in a traditional management setting, new ideas are not
encouraged or let to blossom but in the current context, you must continuously be coming
up with new ideas which will be generated by different people contributing from within
the team.
As for the trends, Management in Zambia is changing at a slow pace as top management
still tend to hide information from subordinates that would enlighten and build them up.
Information is still the private preserve of the few thus curtailing anyone one from
effectively contributing. Furthermore, in Zambia, the power distance between supervisor
and supervised is still large although some modifications exist in pockets here and there
but by and large, things are still pretty much the same. In addition, management does not
come with one mind but different individuals are busy pursuing their own things at the
expense of organizational development indicating very little buy in and no shared vision.
That’s the picture in Zambia as I see it. But the good news is that we are changing the
picture in the Lodges and I am sure we are far ahead of the others although admittedly we
have our own challenges along the way.
Ans: It hasn’t been easy admittedly but there have been pockets of resistance here and
there as people dread to leave the comfort zone. If we are to be successful, there must be
willingness to change, though change is not an easy undertaking.
8. What about in the Hotel industry how long have you worked there?
Ans: Like I mentioned, I have been in the hotel industry as far back as 1989 where I have
442
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Ans: It is a very delicate exercise I must admit because every move, decision or act that
you do is meticulously watched but I am pleased to let you know that we do not run
like bureaucratic Government. In as much as we have some bureaucracy but
Government has graciously allowed the Lodges to somewhat operate independently
by and large. This has enabled the lodges to make significant headway because this is
viewed as a strategic institution to the Government as well. A balance must be struck
in relying on the Government and at the same time implementing modern
management principles.
As for the balancing act that you mention, so far we have no problem emanating from
political interference, in fact, the Government has been very supportive, desiring that
the lodges improve and become self sustaining.
We have challenges in running the lodges one of them being the delayed payments which
makes it difficult for us to raise the lodge standards where they can effectively
compete with others in the same industry. However we have put some strategies in
place to ensure we get where we want to go.
10. How much interference from Government is there and how do you handle it?
Ans: An amount of interference is there but not so much and can be handled with some
tact and wisdom by all of us. It is all about knowing who is who and what is at stake
as well as how to respond. Strategic thinking is key.
11. Talking about survival of Hotel industry, just how do you survive, being a
parastatal?
Ans: We have taken a number of steps to ensure we remain competitive. Here are some
of them.
The first is that we have embarked on rehabilitating all our lodges around the country, I
am sure you have seen the Belvedere and Long acres lodges, these are master pieces. For
lack of resources, we are doing this piecemeal and in stages as we generate resources as
well as funding from Government. Since we are 100% Government owned, originally all
the money generated used to go into Government Treasury. This brought its own
dimensions and challenges. However, now the lodges have their own account which they
use for operations and reinvestment. This is a very positive step in the right direction.
The second is to plan at National level but ‘Think local’. We take all the variables into
consideration such as place, target market and so on then set our pricing.
Our aim is to improve our service quality to world standards, if possible.
443
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Therefore, in response to the survive question in the hotel industry, we must note that few
lodges in our chain actually make losses at the moment (2004).In the event of a loss,
other profit making entities offset that loss. Further, because of the Team work culture we
have cultivated, it is paying dividends for us. In fact, we are actually making profits.
12. Hmmmm… this sounds good I am tempted to ask what place marketing takes in
your organization since it is quasi Government.
Ans: Marketing is important in this economic set up we find ourselves in. We have been
aggressive and use personalized marketing to satisfy our customers. For instance, we
know our clients’ birthdays, send cards when it comes around periodically call them
and keep the lines “warm”. In addition, our staff ensure they master people’s names
that have lodged with us before and that has a bonding effect and fosters loyalty.
Ans: We can safely say that many people prefer lodges to hotels because they are far
more ‘homely’ and for the moment, the lodges in Zambia collectively place it at
about 65-70% of the lodge market while others hold the rest. We are correctly
positioned for the moment and one hopes we can improve on that record. To capture
market, many use different strategies but we focus more on quality because it is the
best competitive weapon rather than price. Treat customers well, provide for them
and I am sure they will come round again!
14. I note you use the word “Strategy” quite often, what is strategy to you and what
does it mean?
Ans: Strategy cannot be applied once and then you forget about it. You must keep in
mind what the competitor’s strategy is. Know how and when they are to apply their
strategy and ensure you craft a better strategy that will outwit them. In other words,
strategy should be kept fresh and organic so that it can remain relevant and effective as
we know that competition is constantly rising. One such strategy that we have utilised in
quality ensuring that everything that we do is as perfect as possible to more than please
the customer.
16. Before I ask about TQM let me ask how your organization has used this weapon
to survive the tough economic times in competition to other new industry entrants
and other industry incumbents.
Ans: We have used it very effectively especially that we are a government entity. Our
444
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
strategy is that they give a lifespan of assets by having a plan as well as lobbying for
items we require in advance. In that way, we have beaten the bureaucracy and emerged
victors in a ferociously competitive industry.
TQM! That concept entails having high quality throughout the organisation and tends to
have a lot of advantages for the organisation that practices that. In the hospitality
industry, one cannot evade quality because we just have to be the best at all times. At our
lodges, we emphasize that every employee must put quality first in whatever they do
because if we serve our customers well, then our business improves too. They will go out
there and tell many others to come and lodge with us. We may not be TQM certified but
we strive to be the best of the best among the lodges.
Ans: Our survival plan is to always read the times and proactively respond before others
do.
Ans: It has not been easy at the lodges because the personal incomes are low but then,
monitory gain is not the only motivator. To beat this, we make sure we recognise staff
that are outstanding in their work as well as ensure that all members feel part and parcel
of the organisational success.
19. I note you read a lot and have a lot of management concepts up your sleeve, can
you recommend just one book for one to read so that they become as astute as you
are?
Ans: I would definitely give you many titles but I highly recommend one...have you
heard of or read a book called “The Seven Habits of Highly effective people” by Stephen
Covey? Oh it is a marvellous book and deals with about everything any manager would
like to know. It has impacted and changed my life a lot.
Ans: It certainly has contributed! Covey brings out very important concepts such as
having the end in mind as well as being proactive which concepts I have sought to
integrate in my management. Every day before I start work, I sit still in my office chair
and just relax while I think through issues. When I arise, I will have sorted out a lot of
things. So, for sure, Covey has been a mentor and coach to me.
21. Finally, what have you studied and where? And what is the way forward for the
lodges?
Ans: I have studied some hotel management at NIPA as well as other studies in house.
Lord willing, I hope to pursue further studies in future in the same discipline. As for the
445
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
way forward, we would like to be the best, far mush better than we were yesterday.
People always want to see innovators and as such, innovation is very vital for success.
Secondly, we want to embrace change and be never content for the dynamic times in
which live will not permit us to sit still. We must constantly be improving. This is the
silver bullet to success. Thirdly, we want to embrace technology as fighting competitors
is more than just having cash but mental. We need to be thinking all the time as we
exploit cutting edge technology in the industry. Lastly, we want our customers to be able
to book without being physically present. In other words, technology will help us as we
install online book services. In that way, we shall get ahead of the pack and be a
resounding success.
Thank you so much Mr Mwendafilumba for according me this special interview realising
that you are a very busy executive.
You are very welcome and I wish you well! Watch us in the press as we make inroads!!!
4. ZCCM
Data:
Source: Kazumba Arthur Msimuko.
1996 BBA Thesis Copperbelt University School of Business
Profile
Formation date: 1981
Purpose: Consolidate all the copper mining activities in the Country.
Constituent elements: Roan consolidated mines and Nchanga Consolidated Copper
Mines ltd.
Core business: Copper mining, refining, sales.
Dissolution date: 1996/97
Reason: Privatization due to losses e.g. 1994/1995 posted a ____________ loss.
Historical performance.
446
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
FY Number of employees
1994/95 45 024
Reason: Top heavy, bureaucracy, too high quality products thus costly, inefficiency, too
many non-core businesses, diversification, monopoly, overtrading (too much: extraction,
processing, market distribution e.t.c); Price fall for ore e.g. 1993/95 fell to 72% per
pound, kwacha instability/devaluation e.g. March 1993 US$1 = K551 to US$1 = K344
by September thus reducing revenues by US$ 90 for the year.
1986 – 87 FY Bought spares/materials away from SA
“The performance of ZCCM since its formation in 1981 as measured against its level of
production has been poor as the decline in the copper production shows” pp 4, 5
“This study does not attempt to establish empirically what these factors are. However,
some of the factors which may have contributed to this decline will be identified.” pp 5.
Thesis title:
“Corporate planning in Zambia, the case of the ZCCM”
447
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Appendix 2
Many of us wonder what Foreign Direct Investment (FDI or DFI for short)
is. What is it, where is it found and how does it affect all of us? For many a
Zambian, FDI sounds a totally distant concept far out there with no direct
bearing over our lives at all. Thus, many ignore it but suddenly wake up in a
mad frenzy when it touches their pockets and then return to sleep shortly
afterwards. In recent days however, especially after controversial
privatization process and sudden discovery of China, many of us are quickly
coming out of our wood works trying to get to grips with things so that the
new dealers’ government should not out wit us once again after “swindling”
the nation of the mineral royalties, senseless tax holidays and the apparently
clandestine sale of the ever vibrant ZANACO in the name of “investment”.
Indeed, the 1992 Zambian privatization act # 21 triggered a spiral that we
shall live to grapple with for many generations hence. The ZPA website
(www.zpa.zm) offers deeper insight into this animal called “Privatisation”
and to some extent, DFI.
448
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
When we consider foreign direct investment, our focus shifts slightly to the
international plane where we talk about multi national investments from
individuals or concerns that would like to reap from or change the face of a
particular place, people or landscape by pumping in resources (usually
finance) from abroad. This is direct foreign investment in the simplest terms.
In other words, we can say that direct foreign investment refers to the direct
infusion of resources from one country to another by an entity or concern
usually with a profit motive. Roger Bennet does not specifically define it in
capsule form but does a good job highlighting that DFI has been around for
over 150 years but interest grew when the large US multinationals begun to
cross the Atlantic into western Europe after 1946. Charles Hill on the other
hand defines it in passing in his book “International Business” when he
states “FDI occurs when a firm invests directly in facilities to produce and/or
market a product in a foreign country”. Hills’ brisk definition broadens the
investment scope beyond just the financial aspects that most of us are
accustomed to but includes investing in (1) a foreign country (2) in facilities
(3) direct investment and (4) production/service with a profit motive. Thus,
when the crippled Zambian economy finally ground to a halt as far back as
1985, the only recommended option was change the laws that paved way for
DFI as well as privatisation. As we all know, this did not actually take place
until the turn of the next decade when the Dr Chiluba led team bravely and
radically turned the tide by unblocking all the valves that had hitherto kept
449
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
450
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
What are the benefits of DFI to the country, individual and investor? This is
a broad and deep question but we shall answer it in general terms as relates
to the three entities mentioned above. The first benefit of FDI is that it
brings about development in a given locality. The much-needed massive
investment from abroad brings with it the necessary capacities that
accelerate development. Check any place where genuine investment has
taken root, what do you see? The place has changed record short time!
Imagine if that investment had not come, things would pretty much be the
same despite our boasting of having huge latent potential of untapped
resources. Apart from the financial muscle, DFI brings with it new
technologies, skills, competencies and in the process, these trickle down to
the natives, if they are wise to appropriate these and improve on them. That
is partly how the Japanese changed their fortunes from rags to riches in less
than fifty years.
451
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
the laissez faire mentality. For far too long, the Zambian Government
literally spoon fed the citizens but the third republic suddenly removed that
golden spoon, and guess what, the children mourned! To date many are still
lamenting and are yet to recover. The sooner they get themselves together
and settle to some real hard work, the better. This resolve (to work hard) will
by and large terminate the much murmuring that characterizes many
Zambians against any foreign investor today. Compare Zambia with our
neighbour Tanzania, what a vast difference! I am sure Nyerere avoided
spoon feeding, knowing its backlashes. The only way to take charge of our
destiny is hard work period! But fourthly, DFI changes the working culture,
mindsets and attitude towards life. Although closely connected to the
previous point, the point here is that the average lazy Zambian soon realizes
that they must work with their hands to generate wealth. They read the
times, yea, redeem the time and know how to or what to act on. The high
urbanization trend in Zambia would be reversed in record time as people
realize that the major factor of production, land is abundantly at their
disposal (assuming corruption and other vices do not interfere!). As I move
around Zambia, I often wonder why we rush to live in the city to be packed
like sardines when the large landscape goes begging from generation to
generation. When an investor buys large tracks of land for investment,
everyone is up in arms, what a paradox! Granted, the strategic eye sees the
future implications once our people realize. A land crisis might ensue in the
not too distant future. Another school of thought positively propagates that
as much land as possible be given out to people serious to productively
develop the land regardless of where they come from. This is a plausible
idea, provided the right safe guards are taken care of to avoid serious
blunders that Zambia has faced with respect to the mining and trading
companies thus far.
We have spent much time around this hill, let us consider the fifth benefit of
DFI and it is this: DFI contributes to Gross Domestic Product, GDP for
short. Among many things, GDP refers to the sum of all the transactions
relating to the income and expenditures of a country in a given time period
say one year. If the country received more income than it spent, then that
country is said to be developing or experiencing a growing economy. Any
positive GDP is desirable and indicates that the productive capacities are
being effectively and efficiently utilized to generate wealth. The goal is to
achieve as high GDP as possible, say 10-12% as China has been
experiencing lately. Other more mature and developed economies such as
the USA have a 4 to 5% GDP which is fine but not good enough for pauper
452
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
countries like Zambia. You will recall that as late as 2000, Zambia’s
economy was in negative growth but this turned around 2003 when the
Mwanawasa regime sacrificially applied the World Bank recommended
remedial measures. Where Kaunda reluctantly tread, Mwanawasa shut his
eyes and ‘heartlessly held the bull by the horns’, though only for a season.
Although politicians trumpet their achievements, the tangible results are yet
to be seen and felt by the common man on the ground. Be that as it may, DFI
is changing the tide. As we speak, inflation is down to around 8%◊, interest
rates are down, the kwacha relatively stable (though sometimes suspected
politically manipulated e.g. before the 2006 elections, look at where it is
now, barely 5 months later!).
In the sixth place, DFI means more development, resources, higher standard
of living and an opportunity for Zambians to invest freely in their own
country and abroad. As foreign investors carry out their businesses, making
their work easier, some of them are cognizant of the social responsibility that
goes along with their resource exploitation. In other words, investors, in
addition to their marketing ploy, wish to thank the community in one way or
the other by paying back in kind or cash. That explains why some companies
like Celtel would go out of their way to promote the famous “Star Search”
because they are essentially saying, “Thank you Zambia for what you have
done by making us rich, we pay back some how by promoting this contest”.
Or take for example, KCM paying the national soccer team coach. These are
but examples. In the cases mentioned above, the corporate image is built as
well as lengthening the “acceptability of the product/service/company”.
Eighthly, if prudently handled, DFI brings about job creation and economic
expansion. As more investors pour in resources into a country, different
industries, traditional and new, cause an expansion in the economy thereby
◊
As at Oct/Nov 2006
453
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
creating more jobs for the natives. This significantly contributes to the
reduction in unemployment levels.
Tenthly, the perceived job creation expands the tax base for the government
that in turn translates into better social amenities and services.
Eleventh, in a perfect world, DFI and privatisation allows more of the locals
to be serious stakeholders in many resources provided they have the money
as opposed to a command (e.g. socialist or communist etc) setting. In
addition, a free investment climate fosters entrepreneurial ship among the
natives, having opened their eyes to exploit the available resources and
markets at home and abroad. Twelfth and lastly for our purposes, DFI brings
about efficiency, raises competition thereby improving product and service
delivery quality. Thus, people have a wider choice, higher consumer power
and in time, make it cheaper to do business in that country.
That said, the glowing picture painted above seems to show a near
impeccable ideal world which presupposes that every factor will be in place,
static and maximize good for all concerned. For a moment, it looks like a
“win-win” scenario but sadly, DFI does have the down side as well,
especially if the playing field is not level. If one side is desperately poor
while the other is filthy rich, exploitation of man by man results. The
different development paces and levels between the nations also play a
major role as those from developed nations will have refined systems that
cheaply “grab” the raw materials from the less developed, process them and
return them to those countries at double or triple the value. Value added
goods are good but the inequalities rub off the benefits and it becomes a
unidirectional affair. It is like a “rat versus elephant” tag of war or a “speed
boat versus canoe” race. At times, the stakeholder /trading nations are
worlds apart. What are the real tangible negatives of DFI as experienced in
countries like Zambia? Many come to mind but a few will suffice and we
rest our case there after.
Firstly, the DFI advent often results in massive job cuts (or losses)
depending on what economic philosophy is being changed from. If, as was
the case for Zambia, the economy mutates from a command to a pure
454
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Secondly, the hard earned and developed companies are surrendered into
foreign hands that seem to “reap where they did not sow”. Many times, it
appears a rip off. Take the painful example of the ZANACO privatisation, a
profitable indigenous multinational company sold off by the stroke of the
pen! This transaction makes one feel hot under the collar. Consider the
ZCCM arrangement (although initially nationalized in 1981 from private
hands). The massive government investment, though not profitable at the
time, was sold off at ridiculous prices!
Thirdly, DFI withdraws services from places where the Government once
serviced. If a place or investment area is not profitable to the investor, they
swiftly close off their investment and relocate to a place where they think
they will benefit. For instance, many Banks closed their branches from the
rural areas and only concentrated in the profitable urban centres. The UBZ
serviced all the routes, no matter how bad but the modern investor shuns
these and cannot be compelled to go there. Though it is an opportunity, it is
not attractive enough.
455
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
mistakes for generations to come. The new dealers are not any better,
especially after the ZANACO and mineral royalty scams. Corruption is now
more entrenched, complex, invisible but highly present, deep-rooted than
ever before. At face value, the corruption fight by the government of Zambia
seems to be but a smokescreen or at best, a political gimmick. In the mean
time, spurious transactions continue to take place in the back ground, leaving
no fingerprints or audit trail! In a nutshell, in many deeply corruption
infested countries, all the grand perceived benefits of DFI do more harm
than good because the rich and powerful grab almost everything to
themselves leaving the vulnerable poor (who are in the majority)
permanently wedded to poverty.
But in the sixth place, DFI defies local rules and regulations once the
investors are entrenched and in control of all the key productive assets. The
powerful multinationals call the shots in many countries and get away with
many atrocities ranging from breach of labour laws, pollution, unfair
competition, clandestine dealings and out right disregard for the powers that
be. We see that in Zambia repeatedly, such as the BGRIMM explosion and
KCM pollution sagas of 2005 and 2006 respectively.
Seventhly, DFI does not really bring about home grown sustainable
development but rather what is visible are but crumbs falling from the
masters’ table. If those are but tips in the iceberg, then what about the huge
hidden mass from public view, under the water? Presently, an investor can
456
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
bring in and take out 100% of their investment. Further, it appears that when
they invest say $ 100,000, they reap a million times more and quickly siphon
it away to their off shore accounts or develop their home countries (which is
reasonable any way!). Once they donate a paltry $ 100,000 as social
responsibility, every body goes into a celebration frenzy, but what is $
100,000 compared to a billion dollars they have remitted abroad? What is
250 housing units built compared to $ 1 million equivalent of cash siphoned
out?
Ninthly, DFI, leaves poor people poorer as the rich-poor gap widens. The
state is more interested in over taxing the already squeezed citizens while the
foreigners go scot-free for many years, yea, they go laughing all the way to
the bank. In a capitalist arrangement, the rich and famous are powerful often
having the law on their side. I am yet to see a poor person easily get solid
and expeditious justice in our land compared to the rich. “Money talks”, as
they say. Look at the KCM pollution saga of 2006, had it been a local
company which had polluted the Kafue river, all the government organs and
powers could have clamped down on them.
Eleventh, if not well handled, DFI destroys the spirit of national hood,
aspirations and loyalty. People lose their unique identity and have no real
patriotic spirit to their country.
457
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Twelfth, if the laws are bad, expect continued exploitation of man by man as
in the case of the privatisation laws of Zambia. They give the investor too
much bargaining and leverage power compared to the citizens. Unless and
until it is changed, DFI will continually appear a terrible monster.
Fourteenth and probably lastly for now, DFI promotes wanton exploitation
of natural resources. The Foreigners have a clear head start and advantage
compared to their counterparts. The archaic laws promote exotic investment
as it easily facilitates their paper work and builds their cartel network. Look
at the Lake Kariba arrangement, who exploits the Kapenta business the
most? Further than that, DFI promotes pollution too. The multinationals
sometimes flee their countries to invest at places where weaker pollution
laws exist. While the desperate poor countries rejoice that a Saviour has
come to town, in actual fact the enterprise could just be transferring the
pollution point and get away with it for many years hence. Once confronted,
they revert to the porous, ambiguous agreements or threaten to leave. At that
point, the pauper country’s hands are tied and thus stand aloof helpless but
painfully watching like a statue while exploitation continues. Cheap labour
is another area worth pursuing and looking at.
We have thus crystallized only twelve of the many evils connected to DFI,
we leave it to others to delve into other details but for now we run to a
conclusion.
It is now clear from the above point that DFI does have pros and cons which
every entity should carefully consider before any firm commitments can be
entered into. One would ask, do the benefits outweigh the demerits of DFI?
458
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
McIntyre Chris, Zambia: The Bradt travel guide, 2nd edition, Bradt
publications, UK, 1999
∑
Xenophobia= strong dislike of foreigners, intolerance, racism etc
459
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Winfield R.G & Curry S.J., Success in Investment, 3rd edition, John Murray
Publishers ltd, 1987
Post script.
Talents
Cognitive, creative talents
When I was growing up, we were taught that the best place to be was in the
classroom and eventually in the office. Anything outside the classroom spelt
doom e.g. art. There is a grain of truth in this but the times demand that we
learn from everywhere, whether the TV, internet, church, on the street, from
the electronic media etc. In other words, the tree of knowledge is found
everywhere along our path. There is life outside the classroom provided we
have the learning strategic eye in the right place.
460
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
“The trouble with much of the advice business gets today about the need to
be more vigorously creative is that its advocates often fail to distinguish
between creativity and innovation. Creativity is thinking up new things….A
powerful new idea can kick around unused in a company for years, not
because its merits are not recognized, but because no body has assumed the
responsibility for converting it from words into action. Ideas are useless
unless used. The proof of their value is only in their implementation. Until
then, they are in limbo…..The scarce people are the ones who have the know
how, energy, daring, and staying power to implement ideas…” Peters T J,
Waterman R H Jr. In search of excellence, lessons from America’s best run
companies Warner books pp 206, 07
Consortiums
The greatest weakness Zambia suffers from is “Chimuntu management”.
Viewed from another angle, the same chimuntu strategic alliances would
reap enormous benefit for all…Zambians need to build miniature
consortiums so that they get ahead. One will provide the skills/technical
know how or indeed the technology. Presently, most just want to employ
others rather than be equal partners -Billy Sichone 14/11/2005
461
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Global thinking
Globalization and standards
In this global world, the genius will come from any point rather than the
renowned world’s Universities and institutions. Examples abound, for
instance the Woman Commander of the Space shuttle Discovery scheduled
to have soared to the skies (13th July 2005) after almost 2.5 years after the
last catastrophe of Feb 2003 (The Columbia Space shuttle disintegration on
re-entry of the earth’s atmosphere) Eileen Collins, 48, is from some obscure
Syracuse University, USA. Others to be added to this unique list are our own
world class Kalusha Bwalya, Collins Mbesuma, Samuel Matete and a whole
host of other athletes.
It is reported that some of the leading scientists at NASA are from UNZA.
From the foregoing, it is therefore folly to believe that only the World’s elite
universities¬ will produce the all stars team. Take a look at the Real Madrid
team. This team, by all standards is the dream team but look at their dismal
performance season after season. I am convinced it is not a question of
capacity as much as pride. After all, they all have made it!
In this global world then, people must learn to think outside the box of
course whilst meticulously maintaining the standards. Like once successful
but obsolete strategies, standards may also stifle initiative, creativity and
development of thought. With all due respect to those upon whose shoulders
we now stand, there is an urgent need to constantly re-examine the changes
in the environment. This should be a universal principle to operate with.
ℜ
Source: “Cursed by wealth” World now program aired on e-channel 24/10/2005.
¬
Although if you can get to the best Universities of the day, why not pursue your studies from there?
Brand names do half the work in job hunting game.
462
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Care however must be taken not to hurl out time tasted principles but the
methods and approaches are the ones that are variable. The same goes for
many once popular churches in Europe that are by and large deserted today.
What about the Cinemas, Post offices and Discos? With the human eye, all
these failed to mutate with the times and have thus remained white
elephants. That does not mean in and of themselves these are useless, far
from it! But rather, they needed to read the times, anticipate environmental
changes and proactively position themselves at places where the target
populations are.
We could therefore safely assert that in future, all travel (Local, international, inter
planetary and galactic) will be far less rigorous than it is today. Space travel will be a
piece of cake than at present. International travel will be shorter and to some extent, more
or less exciting as people will have more options to choose from, whether the 8-10 hour
in-atmosphere travel or simply take a leap vector into space and back into the atmosphere
in a matter of minutes. The choice will entirely be yours. The conventional long range
tedious trip will be more costly, more polluting, riskier and time consuming while the
new way will be cheaper, quicker, less polluting (noise and other wise), and
comparatively more exciting and rigorous but far safer. Jet lag will by and large be a
thing of the past. Undoubtedly, video conferencing via the pervasive technology
revolution will have a huge impact on international travel, people will still want to
physically travel places to get a different feel, far away from home. In a nutshell, air
travel will depend on angles relative to the destination as illustrated below:
Space station/orbiter
Earth Earth
463
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
On another plane, interplanetary and inter galactic travel will be faster, efficient and more
endurable for manned as well as unmanned flights. The humans will hardly be travel torn
at their destinations. The space probes & ships will either use nuclear power (the slower
probes although faster and more efficient than the present crafts), solar sails (using solar
winds or energy-photons etc) or internally generate energy to move at faster than light
speeds literally going against present conventional scientific thinking. This will make the
spaceships invisible when at hyper speed and enable the ships easily penetrate any body
mass. People will develop hibernation chips fitted in the brain to minimize energy use
and loss during the light year journeys. Reduced energy use will result in oxygen
conservation and lighten the payload. In addition, the shuttles will have inbuilt oxygen
making machines, gardens and crew residences for periodic refreshment.
Presently however, all that seems untenable and far fetched but the Star Trek-like
technology will develop sooner than we realize. Remember the cell phone and computer,
once thought practically beyond reach are now more than basic things today. Long rang
strategic thinking and acting will take us places, if only we have the right mindsets.
We have thus successfully run the race from the first chapter till now. What ground we
have covered! What waters we have raffled! You will do well to take heed to these
pertinent injunctions or else pass through life defeated, disoriented, disillusioned feeling
cheated. The writer will feel a measure of success if you choose the proactive road to
success.
NB: The angles will determine the travel cost, the bigger the angle, the higher the cost….
Today’s Space shuttle will look really primitive, already, it looks ancient in comparison
to the Aires, the more versatile future shuttle. The Space stations will also have to need
frequent and regular update using Solar power largely for energy. The moon base will be
busier than the Heathrow or Chicago airport. Tourist destinations and other
anthropogenic activities will be developed on the delicate lunar landscape and people will
also need travel documents or identity chips on the moon as it will be fully colonized,
mapped and functional.
464
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
service they enjoy. In short, they will tell ten others who will in turn tell ten others each.
The opposite is equally true where the customers vow not to have anything with that
product or entity. They as it were, deal with the product at arms length. I always find
Zambian carpenters and builders rather interesting because they seem to carry the same
defective gene in them. They are usually not always poor at estimations even after a life
time of doing the same thing. Another negative trait is that they rarely stick to their word
or keep promises. If you ask them to do a chair for you, they will summon all the best
words to convince you that they can deliver the next day but once you pay them, at times
it is even cheaper to buy a finished product from the shop than continue following up the
chair progress! In other words, a job which could have been done in a day will take over
a year instead because of the circus surrounding the chair. At one time, as an
organisation, we ordered a filing cabinet which took over a year and a half to be delivered
to us, and that amidst police threats! The good news is that the quality that finally comes
out is of high international standards but then, you are uncertain just when you actually
collect the product. These people, like any other business person slowly, effectively
strangle their businesses as word gets round about their unreliability. How is your
customer service?
What I notice about Zambian carpenters and builders is that they do not care about the
time frame agreement but whether they ultimately deliver or not. When talking to them
about their failure to deliver on time, their insistence is that they will deliver the quality
good at some indefinite point in future. Now that kind of reasoning is very defective
because the ones who ordered the products have a specific time plan for those goods. For
instance, we ordered a dining suit three weeks before a special set of visitors came. As
usual, the carpenter promised to deliver the next week but alas, it took over a month
before even the first piece of the dining set became visible. Our visitors came and left
without using the product. On the carpenters’ side, quality not timely product delivery
was the issue. We vowed never to order unfinished goods again.
465
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Index
A H
Acumen .......................................................... 436 HIV 10, 64, 67, 74, 86, 96, 97, 98, 100, 198, 209,
AIDS.... 10, 98, 99, 100, 198, 209, 436, 440, 442, 213, 437
451 Human resource management.........................437
Allies .............................................................. 436
ARV ......................................................... 97, 436 I
Autocracy ............................................... 344, 437 Ideology ..........................................................437
International relations .....................................437
B
Intuition .................................. 139, 166, 246, 437
Ba Tamanga .................................................... 437
J
Bachelor of Arts (BA) .................................... 437
Bible .. 96, 99, 172, 175, 188, 210, 230, 243, 274, Jettison ............................................................437
350, 379, 437
Blind spots ...................................................... 437 L
Brain storming ................................ 358, 362, 437 Leadership ... 16, 82, 92, 139, 144, 154, 164, 437,
Bureaucracy ........ 93, 99, 120, 264, 349, 366, 437 442
Business ..... 14, 28, 41, 48, 51, 68, 70, 72, 86, 98, Linkages .........................................................437
100, 105, 121, 143, 164, 206, 207, 210, 216,
232, 276, 277, 373, 374, 380, 404, 416, 419, M
421, 431, 432, 437, 438, 441, 443, 447, 449, Management buy out ......................................437
451 Management by exception (MBE) ..................437
Management by objective (MBO) ..................437
C
Management by walking around (MBWA) ....438
Case study....................................................... 437 Management guru .............................33, 291, 438
Comfort zone .................................................. 437 Marketing .... 10, 17, 18, 48, 49, 70, 98, 103, 110,
Concept................................................... 119, 437 207, 221, 222, 223, 225, 228, 235, 237, 238,
Coordination ................................................... 437 276, 277, 373, 416, 438, 440, 441, 445
Cue ................................................................. 437 Master of Arts (MA) .......................................438
Culture ............................ 191, 198, 234, 339, 437 Mitigation .......................................................438
D N
Definition ................................... 29, 90, 113, 437 National domestic product ..............................438
Democracy................................................ 10, 437 Network ...................................... 10, 11, 230, 438
Development . 10, 13, 16, 63, 69, 70, 84, 94, 184, Niche ........................................................90, 438
207, 240, 390, 403, 404, 416, 417, 431, 432,
437, 440, 450, 452 O
Disease ........................................................... 437 Operations Management ................. 103, 438, 450
Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) ...................... 437 Organisational behaviour ................................438
Doctrine .......................................................... 437 Organisational development ...........................438
E P
Esteem .................................................... 300, 437 Paradigm .........................................................438
Event............................................................... 437 Pathogen .........................................................438
F Perception .......................................................438
Plans .........................................................47, 438
Fellow of X institute ....................................... 437 Politics .................................... 156, 196, 346, 438
Football........................................................... 437 Power .............................................. 271, 326, 438
Production Management .................................438
G
Program ........ 10, 13, 77, 147, 219, 331, 438, 452
Globalisation ............ 17, 193, 208, 422, 430, 437 Project ............................................. 147, 350, 438
Governance............................................. 227, 437 Projection........................................................438
Gross Domestic product ................................. 437 Proposal ..........................................................438
466
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
R T
Renaissance .................................................... 438 Tactical level ............................................41, 438
Rigging ........................................................... 438 Target......................................................231, 438
Team ...... 10, 43, 47, 87, 146, 159, 243, 247, 284,
S
295, 296, 313, 315, 317, 318, 379, 438
Scandal ........................................................... 438 Technology ...... 61, 116, 121, 193, 196, 227, 237,
Self managing teams....................................... 438 257, 284, 314, 371, 412, 431, 438
Silver bullet .................................................... 438 Terrorism ........................................................439
Soccer ............................................................. 438 The Monitor Newspaper .................................439
Sport ............................................................... 438 The Post News paper ..................................2, 439
SRC .................. 10, 148, 222, 329, 334, 335, 438 The Times of Zambia .....................................439
Strategy.. 9, 14, 17, 20, 29, 30, 31, 32, 36, 40, 43, The Zambia Daily mail ...................................439
53, 71, 90, 102, 103, 106, 121, 128, 132, 169, Theo centric ....................................................439
201, 222, 358, 378, 379, 380, 383, 384, 385, Theory ..............................................28, 100, 439
386, 388, 392, 393, 399, 402, 405, 412, 438, Total quality management (TQM) ..................439
449 Tuntemba ..........................................83, 415, 439
Survival .......................................... 247, 438, 445
V
SWOT.. 22, 42, 46, 104, 178, 179, 180, 187, 200,
201, 202, 203, 438 Values .............................................................439
System ............................................................ 438
467
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Acumen
AIDS
Allies
ARV
Autocracy
Ba Tamanga
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Bible
Blind spots
Brain storming
Bureaucracy
Business
Case study
Comfort zone
Concept
Coordination
Cue
Culture
Definition
Democracy
Development
Disease
Doctor of X (discipline)
Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD)
Doctrine
Esteem
Event
Fellow of X institute
Football
Globalisation
Governance
Gross Domestic product
HIV
Human resource management/people management
Ideology
International relations
Intuition
Jettison
468
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Leadership
Linkages
Management
Management buy out
Management by exception (MBE)
Management by objective (MBO)
Management by walking around (MBWA)
Management guru
Marketing
Master of Arts (MA)
Master of Business Administration
Master of Business leadership (MBL)
Mitigation
National domestic product
Network
Niche
Operations Management
Organisational behaviour
Organisational development
Paradigm
Pathogen
Perception
Plans
Politics
Power
Production Management
Program
Project
Projection
Proposal
Renaissance
Rigging
Scandal
Self managing teams
Silver bullet
Soccer
Sport
SRC
Strategy
Survival
469
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
SWOT
System
Tactical level
Target
Team
Technology
Terrorism
The Monitor Newspaper
The Post News paper
The Times of Zambia
The Zambia Daily mail
Theo centric
Theory
Total quality management (TQM)
Tuntemba
Values
470
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Brief Glossary
Anthropology: The study of man, activities, beliefs and attitudes. In Christian
theological circles, this refers to the study of man prior to and after the fall including sin.
Aspiration: This is a strong desired end by a person or entity, usually intangible but
latent within one’s core values and system.
Bureaucracy: The insistence on and use of pre set standard procedures, systems and
processes in organisational transactions based on hierarchy, status and position. This
entails following laid down rules and regulations in carrying out any transaction with due
regard to the powers that be in a given entity.
Business: The organised activity with a view to make profit or material gain. This
includes having a common goal, agreement, goal congruence and entrepreneurial risk
taking so yield maximum benefit and profit.
Christian: A regenerate person who believes in Jesus Christ as the only deliverer from
sin and walks as Jesus did in holiness, righteousness and justice.
Economics: The study of wealth creation and distribution in a given nation, state or
country. First introduced by Scotts man, Adam Smith in his legendary work, “The wealth
of the nations”
Effectiveness: This is the outcome or effectual result of an input. This is the observable
change that has resulted from a given prior activity
Efficiency: This is the rate of doing activity or performing a given task. In the
strategic context, it boils down to the ability to proactively do something in order to get to
the next level ahead of others. Once agreement is passed, all concerned parties consider
the action as good as done.
Energy intelligence: This is having the knowledge on what to do, the implications and
where the power source and uses are at any given time e.g. when BP closed its Alaska oil
field in August 2006, the cost of oil per barrow shot from US $ 74 to $ 77.
471
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): This is the total products and services generated by all
people in a given country in a period of one year. This is the presently used international
standard as it is easier to compare country to country GDP on a global scale.
Implode:
Intuition: The unique ability to discern by gut feeling into a veiled situation and come up
with the solution. Intuition is generally intrinsic but can be developed to a certain extent
as a result of experience.
Jettison: This is to eject, get rid of, throw away, throw over board or abandon. This word
is universally used but more specially in the aeronautic circles to refer to the ejecting or
separation of something from the mother space ship.
Leadership: This is the ability to inspire, influence, motivate and persuade people
towards a position that they would otherwise move to without the said influence.
National Domestic Product (NDP): The total amount of products and services produced
by citizens of a given country in the period of one year. This is regardless of where the
citizens are position on the globe (Oxford Ref. PP 654)
Plagiarism: The illegal use of some one else’s writings or intellectual property without
giving due credit, in effect claiming to be the originator of that creation or writing.
472
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Sarcophagus- This is a stone coffin used in ancient times to quarantine bodies or any
substances that must not be exposed. In recent times, the most famous is the Chernobyl
sarcophagus that has entombed the nuclear debris that resulted from the disaster on 26th
April 1986.
Shrapnel: This refers to the lethal sharp debris that fly out wildly after an object
explodes sending metal pieces flying in all sorts of directions injuring or
destroying anything it each piece finds in its path. Some bombs have deadly
shrapnel once they detonate. (24/07/2006)
Strategic awareness: “Is the understanding of managers within the organisation about (a)
the strategies being followed by the organisation and its competitors, (b) how the
effectiveness of these strategies might be improved and (c) the need for, and suitability
of, opportunities for change.”∝
Strategic change: “Concerns changes which take place over time to the strategies and
objectives. Change can be gradual or evolutionary; or more dramatic, even evolutionary.”
⁄
Syndrome: This is a combination of differing elements that combine to make up one big
whole. In the case of AIDS, many different diseases invade the body and make one lethal
illness by weakening the immune system. A syndrome could also be a predominant
mindset, cultural value or disposition.
Tactics: This refers to “the means by which day by day, you turn your thinking and broad
intentions into action that makes sense, and by which you respond to the detailed events
that surround you”- Patrick Forsyth
∝
Thompson PP
⁄
Thompson
473
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
General Bibliography
Allen R Cohen, The Portable MBA in Management, 2nd edition, John Wiley
Blanchard Ken, The leadership Pill, Marc Muchnick Free Press New York,
Blyth Mike, Garland Jean, AIDS is real and its in our Church, African
Bob Norton Testing for excellence in a week, 2000, Hodder & Stoughton
474
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
London, New York, Sydney, Delhi, Paris, Munich and Johannesburg 2000
Wisconsin New York, New York San Francisco, California St. Louis,
Missouri
Certo C. Samuel & Peter J. Paul, The strategic Management process, 3rd
Chirwa E Clive, The Desk top factory, The Post, May 20, 2007
475
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Cole Robert & Mishler Lon, Credit Management, 11th edition, McGraw-Hill,
July 1987
Crainer Stuart, THE JACK WELCH WAY: Ten secrets of the world’s
Curry S.J., Winfield R.G., Success in investment, 3rd edition, John Murray
476
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Dixon Patrick, THE TRUTH ABOUT AIDS: What you must know, what
New York
477
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Greewald Gerald & Madigan Charles, Lessons from the heart of American
Business: A road map for Managers in the 21st century, Warner books, 2001
1976
478
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
IUCN, UNEP & WWF, CARING FOR THE EARTH:A strategy for
San Francisco.
Krames Jeffrey A, The Welch way: 24 lessons from the world’s greatest
CEO. Tata McGraw-Hill publishing company limited, New Delhi.
Kate Beatty and Rich Hugh, Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your
organisation’s enduring success, CCL publications, USA March 2005
Iverson Ken & Tom Varian, Plain talk, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, New York,
1998.
479
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Martin Walter, The Kingdom of the Cults, 2003, Bethany house publishers,
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Ltd
Mitroff I. Ian, Why some companies emerge stronger and better a crisis,
Sound view executive book summaries, 2005
480
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
1994
1980
project Mecury, Results of the third U.S manned orbital space flight October
3, 1962, Washington DC
(June 2003)
481
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston and New York, 6th Edition, 1999
inc., 1993
September 1985
Roux Andre, South African Economy, 6th edition, Zebra Press, 1990
Schapera I, Government in tribal societies, C.A Watts & Co. Ltd, 1956
Schaeffer A. Francis, Pollution and the Death of Man: The Christian view of
Ecology, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois, 1970
482
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
1992
Sheffer Earle Agusti, International Business law & its environment, 5th
Siame Exhilda, America is not the beauty and splendour seen in movies,
Silwamba Chibaula, Phiri Gweny & Katasefa Zumani, I am a hired gun for
483
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
Smit P. J & Du plessis A. P, Management principles, Juta & Co, Ltd, 1994
Pretoria
Sutclifffe Bob & Owen Roger (editors), Studies in the theory of imperialism,
484
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
change, Chapman and Hall, 1990, London, New York, Tokyo, Melbourne,
Madras
Winfield R.G. and Curry S.J., success in Investment, 3rd edition, 1987, John
Murray Publishers
Whitcomb C. John, The early earth, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids,
Michigan, 1972
Willis Richard, The AIDS Pandemic, The stanborough Press Ltd, ist edition,
2002
Young Steve, Great failures & the extremely successful, Jaico Publishing
house, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bhopal, 2007.
485
The Strategic Horizon Billy Chilongo Sichone
486