Thursday, June 24, 2010

Foreign Mind - Always better?

My friend Jim Collins (Good to Great, 2001) conducted research into what eventually narrowed down to 11 companies to see what made them move from good to great organizations. Mind you, these are homegrown US companies, but what intrigued me was that 10 out of 11 of the companies had CEOs who came from inside the organization. It stands to reason therefore that if we pay attention to Steven Covey (1988) and begin with the end in mind, we would change the face of many of our organizations locally. In fact, the research by Collins (2001), the good to great companies did not have to worry about the needed change in the organization since they employed the right people.

Organization fit is not something we seem to focus on in organizations locally. We seem quite taken with charisma and therefore will always seek to retain leaders who are ‘Larger-than-life’ riding in on the proverbial ‘white charger’ to save the day. Employing the right people in the beginning is not a priority for many organizations in Jamaica. An informal survey conducted with three MBA cohorts at a local university found that the majority of participants were more concerned with earning potential than positively influencing their organizations. Why do we have these persons in our organizations in the first place? Is it then any wonder that so many of our organizations are stagnant and economic development is grinding at an exceeding slow pace?

When organizations need to make fundamental change, do we always need to look outside for leadership? If we have selected the right people, and developed them, why go outside? The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica versus Grace Kennedy? Why is quality leadership not available when needed? Yes, I know, new ideas and all that. In times of crisis, we look to someone with answers, strength and that map of the future. It can be said that the ‘home grown’ managers are too concerned with climbing the ladder and celebrating their ‘arrival’ that they do not want to confront the harsh realities and act accordingly. We do not encourage a culture of discipline (just take a drive on any of our main thoroughfares or look at the constant phone use in class!) Disciplined people do not need a bureaucracy. Change requires having unwavering faith, discipline and being able to confront reality. Our homegrown leaders do not have these adaptive qualities and since we do not employ based on organization-people fit and adaptive capacity, we continue to be "Third World and Third Rate". We will always default to the outside, we still maintain that ‘if it is from foreign it is better’.

41 comments:

  1. Succession planning in our country is limited, even the former PM Edward Seaga, didn't seem to think there was anyone suitable to take his place..hence his political party suffered greatly.One of the characteristics of a great leader, other that influencing persons to work together to achieve collective goals, is to see the scope and potential of others, encouraging, fostering and preparing them for more resposibility.If our organizations were to invest in the training and development of the right persons,the benefits would be far reaching and longer lasting.The need to have "links" to 'hold' a big position would not be the order of the day.
    Persons would not deem education as just an avenue to getting a bigger pay grade. However,
    the "right person" would be enthused about new cognitive and technical skills,greater potential for increased perfomance and advancing in the organization via hard work,commitment and dedication. This would be both a personal, as well as, professional growth. It would become much easier for our local organizations to fully utilize their human resources, if our norms and values reflect 1.Integrity and respect( choosing the most qualitied within the ranks, instead of the CEO's cousin), 2.Adaptive cultures( realizing that our managers can no longer use years of service as the only basis for promotion) 3. Discipline and dedication ( being mindful of efforts of the team to achieve greatness, shunning the negative behaviours that present themselves).

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  2. I agree with Ms. Hoosang in saying that "we will always default to the outside...if it is from foreign it is better. This may be as a spin off from the days of slavery, when our fore-parents were indoctrinated that blacks are inferior and Whites are superior and up to this present day we still haven't emancipated ourselves from this mental Slavery and therefore we still believe that once it is from overseas, it is gospel. Additionally, I believe that the Jamaican organizations do not have active succession plans, instead, outsiders are gainfully employed to these institutions because of a "link" and these outsiders may or may not be the most suitable candidate. I agree that outsiders may bring different ideas to the organization and may even bring a different culture,and of a fact,based on my own observation, most of the top executives here are of foreign origin. However, existing workers may react differently to these persons; some may see them as threats to the status quo and may be resistant to their efforts of change implementation whilst others may see them as change agents and are receptive to them. But, which ever reaction is taken by the workers, any organization that doesn't have an active succession plan has plan to fail because its employees will lack the drive to develop themselves as they do not see the need to do so as they will never fill the top positions, motivation and initiatives will be lacking and eventually, absenteeism and a high staff turn over will dominate such organization.

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  3. In my view the problem we have in our organization stems from a wider societal problem.
    It seems our nation has missed a vital step in our history coming from the development of the 60s to early 70s we have failed to make that progression in moulding our human resources with the understanding that our people is
    the most important resource any country can posess. As a consequent of the failure of our leaders to recognize the value of human resource our society has suffered tremendous decay. Therefore it is not difficult to see why organizations are not able to find the right set of skilled workers to develop into future leaders as the pool from which they can draw is inherently lacking in quality.

    Unless we pay closer attention to the education process, values and attitude and other social ills in our country we will not be able to look within for growth and development neither at the domestic level (in the home) nor at the commercial level (in our organization) and similarly of course at the national level (in government).
    We cannot expect to get out what we did not put in, how can we offer second rate school and public facilities, poor family structures, broken homes and expect to produce first rate staff for our organization from a second rate pool of human resources.

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  4. In response to Ms. HooSang, I agree that organization fit is not something we focus on in local organizations. That, in my opinion is the root of the problem, as the success of a business can be highly attributable to this. Organization fit speaks to the suitability of potential employees for the tasks that are required to perform their jobs successfully in the organization. Companies must simply recruit the "right" people, and by "right" people I am not referring solely to educational background and work experience, but those characteristics of individuals that are in line with or best suited for the culture of the organization and its goals. If not, this will create grounds for failure.

    When organizations restructure or undergo some transformational change to increase performance, it is not always necessary to look outside. However, we must have the "right" employees within the organization from the start in order to find a suitable leader for change within the company. However, as seen in many local organizations that is really not the case. If the suitable candidates have not been employed from the ground up then there really isn't any amount of development, training or empowerment that will equip them to be effective leaders. In which case, organizations may very well tend to look outside for the best fit for a leader. If they go about finding their human resources in a better way, this would not be case. That being said we do need to change the mindset that ‘if it is from foreign it is better’, and look carefully where the problem stems from.

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  5. I agree with Fitzroy that the problem originated from the early begining of our culture. Our environment has contributed to our behavior. At the time, any "worker" who disobeyed the "Boss" was likely to get a whipping. As a result we end up with workers who mainly "Yes men", who will not venture from the beaten path.

    Therefore when it is time for meaningful change, we still look to the "Backra Massa" for solutions. When they come, they invariably ask us for the solutions to the problems and make recommendations accordingly.

    Most Jamaicans still look to foriegn as a means of escape from the harsh realities of Jamaica. We have not been successful in nuturing a culture of patriots.

    Carl

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  6. Succession planning enables an organization to identify talented employees and provide education to develop them for future higher level and broader responsibilities. It also helps management decide where people belong on the ‘bus’. I agree with Ms. Hoosang in saying that “employing the right people at the start is not a priority for many organizations today”. For this reason, many organizations are not successful, their goals and visions are not accomplished.
    Organizations need to think about attracting and hiring the “right” employee from the beginning. Who are the right employees? They are individuals that ‘fit’ organizational needs requirements. Organizations making fundamental change do not always have to look outside; sometimes the most talented individuals are not the right ‘fit’ for the job. Most employees today are trainable and since training increases knowledge and develop skills, management should provide the resources necessary to do so and then take advantage of these skills and knowledge.

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  7. I'm in agreement with Ribbons/Tanisha by saying that 'succession planning in our country is limited'. Some organizations pay less attention to the training and development of employees and focus more on making profit;the end result is that knowledge management becomes limited among employees, hence they are not the right 'fit' for a higher position within the organization.

    With succession planning, management will retain superior employees because they will appreciate the time, attention and development that is being invested in them. In order for this plan to be effective, management must identify the organization's long term goals.

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  8. It is an interesting concept, "organizational fit" and an even more interesting issue to be addressed. It may not always be clear whether a person is the right employee or not, many persons can ace interviews and manipulated tests done to gain employment, after all this is Jamaica...we are very good actors/resses. The proof of the pudding however is in the eating. It is through probational period assessments and periodical appraisals that persons can be truly evaluated for their 'rightness' as it relates to the organizational fit.
    Managers have an unwritten duty to recognize the worth and value of their team players, and aid them in directing their career/ occupational paths. This has dual function, It leads to a highly motivated,committed and loyal staff and creates a more conducive environment for increased productivity,whilst facilitating a path for upward mobility. Nurturing homegrown talent can be more profitable to an organization, as they would have already been accustom to the culture, the organization's SWOT, be in a position to operate as a change agent or Transformational leader, as is required. As identified by Jim Collins (Good to Great, 2001)This is a positive and successful approach.

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  9. Senge the theorist states that “organization learn only through individuals who learn”. Management should take care of ‘locally produced talents’; give them a chance to prove what they have learnt from their training instead of looking outside the organization. I agree with Fitzroy in saying that, “our fore-parents were indoctrinated that blacks are inferior and Whites are superior”. Today, most individuals still believe this myth. In the early 90’s, dark skin persons would never be hired as a teller at most Commercial Banks. Management thought that those of a fairer complexion would attract more customers. However, today they realize that persons of a darker complexion are as committed, experienced and educated as the fair skin individuals.
    Instead of looking outside the organization, management should develop future leaders by building training, employee commitment and creating effective teamwork from the top. This would motivate employees to adapt to the changing environment and find new ways of meeting the performance expectations.

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  10. People will continue on the same path, because they do not see the need to change their behaiours. Individuals habitiously focus on their strong areas and fail to address the weak ones, hence organizations are compelled to recruit from outside. These issues are of concern because with Jamaica, subsidiary companies are prevalent, with most parent companies in different international regions, it poses the question as to: who should manage and lead this organization? In most cases the leader is selected from outside of the organization. Most persons will say that leadership comes with diversity, a level of transparency and ego.

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  11. I am of the belief that the reason why we are not seeing many leaders emerging from within our ogranizations is because a priority is not been placed on fostering a collaborative team environment where persons can experiment and dissagree with their bosses without fear, many times that healthy environment that is conducive to growth is not there.

    If you see yourself as a leader and you are trying to effect change, you are victimized, and lets be reasonable who does not want to "eat a food" like the MBA coherts mentioned. Many organizations supress the creativity of their employess and reduce them to "count cow and drink milk" mentality.

    If this sounds like an excuse, it probably is, but how many persons, like Eli mentioned in class on Sunday are willing to be punish for standing up, not alot, not alot.

    I have these very same issues in my organization more specifically my department, when I speak with my colleagues, everyone is afraid to stand up, beacause of fear, and that it how many managers want it, they want to lead by fear, and these are the things that retards the growth of potential CEOs.

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  12. I agree with Fitzroy and Ribbons when they say that succession planning is limited in our local environ. I can remember when a co-worker of mine applied for a job vacancy that came up in the organization, the position was for graduate studies assistant and it was so suitable for her because she had the experience and was qualified and it was like an extension or upgrade to her present job situation, however after she did the interview she was told that “the interview went well however, they chose a more suitable candidate” and the person who was selected was from outside the organization and was still studying - doing a degree in political science, which was way out of what the qualification for the job was. So, it seals the deal when it is mentioned that “if we have selected the right people, why go outside?” Eventually this person left the job after about being there for two months, she felt it was not what she wanted and it was just to get an income. The recruiters afterwards called my friend to find out if she was still interested in the job and she turned down the offer, as she thought if she wasn’t suitable before, why call her now that the person had left. So whenever they do get a replacement for that position they would have to “re-train” again. Could this be a case of having “a link” internally why that person ended up getting the job over someone who was deemed suitable in the long run?
    Take for example the organization “Google” this example was brought out in a class presentation for Chapter 5 – Organization design and redesign, this company created an atmosphere that had succession planning in place, where employees enjoyed going to work and managers hired based on organization-people fit; i.e. the right people with the right mindset. So is it that “if it’s from foreign, it is better?” We need to shun away from the “Third World and Third Rate” mentality and pay attention to our internal people, as sometimes they do have the right mindset for a promotion. Training internally is also good as the internal persons already know the organization’s culture, it would be more cost effective and more profitable thus aid in fulfilling the company’s long term goal in the long run.

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  13. (On behalf of Elie)
    I have 3 points where I would like to mention:
    1- Is not true that many of local organizations hire expatriates for senior management positions. However, we have to consider that the foreign organizations, anywhere around the globe will prefer to bring to their organizations their own home culture. There are a number of local organizations here in Jamaica being managed successfully by local management, the best example is NCB and Nova Scotia bank where the first is Jamaican bank and managed by Jamaicans and the second is Canadian and managed by Canadian.
    2- I don’t think that it is a bad idea when sometimes local organizations look outside. I think is a very good opportunity for us as local managers get to interact with foreigners and learn from their experience. We have to remember that foreign markets such USA , Europe and Asia are wider and more competitive.
    3- Sometimes local managers are more conservative than risk takers that will force local organizations to look for outsiders to bring home some revolutionary ideas

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  14. Jim Collins (2001) in his book also made reference to the 'level 5 leaders'. These leaders he said "set up their successors for even greater success in the next generation..." How many of our managers can we really say exemplifies a true level 5 leader? As Richard pointed out most organizations do not inspire its staff to move up through the ranks. Hence, there is no real committment from these employees, so work for them just becomes a means to an end.

    I am sure most of us can remember how 'charged up' we were on completing our first degree, ready to take on the world of work with our newly acquired knowledge, ready to be change agents. But after a few years realized that we were not getting the support, we either left or just gave up trying.

    Succession planning too is important in any organization, but I am also not averse to organizations looking "overseas" to fill a vacant position. As Eli said this will enable local managers to learn from their experience. This too I believe will assist our local managers to think outside the box.

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  15. It is possible to have home growen effective managers in charge of successful local companies, the names JMMB, Jamaica Broilers and Grace readily comes to mind. what these companies have in common apart from effective management are strong board members and by extension demanding share holders who accepts nothing less than positive results. If management is not producing results then they will have to go.This is how the private sector usually operate. The demand for results however may not as strong in the public sector and non-effective managers can maintain their positions for years because of the bureaucracy involved in dismissal.
    The issue of thinking that "foreign" is always better might be partly due to our history of slavery,however thankfully I believe this view is changing as the world becomes a global village.
    Once demands are made of our local managers and repercussions are applied for failure, we will have better management.

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  16. Insiders who have stayed with companies long enough to rise to the top are products of culture that have been targeted for change. A change in business fortunes requires a change in top leadership which in turns means injecting the top of the organization with new blood. I agree with Fitzroy and Ribbons when they stated that succession planning is limited to our local environ. Succession planning is what companies and boards of directors do to ensure smooth transitions for top management. Many companies face what Towers Watson’s Ilene Gochman describes as a “triple whammy” succession planning challenge: rapidly graying leadership ranks; unique, industry-specific requirements for technical skills; and an imposing set of looming changes that will reshape the industry carbon legislation, surging demand for alternative energy, and more.
    Its proven managers have a flawed view of their employees' performance and potential for success. Managers tend to measure the success of their employees on what gets done. They measure skills, performance, and accomplishments according to established metrics. That's not enough. True success requires understanding what gets done along with how it gets done. The best succession planning and development processes use multiple assessments to provide supervisors a clear view of employee potential. If we focus on “planning” instead of “development,” we end up promoting smart, technical people who can’t motivate, inspire and empower people. These leaders have business sense but hardly a clue about how to influence others and get results. Hence the need for seeking professional who have the know how outside of the scope of the organization and into other regions.
    After years of watching leaders succeed and fail, I’ve noticed that the missing link for most of them is what is often called “executive presence.” It’s often described as the impact you have when you walk into a room, engage in a conversation; it’s also how you listen, treat other people, behave in work and social situations. Executive presence is much broader. It’s the knowing your leadership view, being able to speak your mind and articulate a big idea that excites others. Even the strongest business mind will not be able to build a collaborative, innovative, progressive organization if they don’t know how to influence others and move them to act. What too many companies are doing is sending their high potential leaders to a few courses and calling it development. What they need to do is provide a structured, long term learning environment where leaders can learn and apply these communication skills in real time and real life situations. Thus alleviating the 360 degree turnover where it is essential to hire outside professionals to create the correct job fit in not only designing and planning but developing the company growth potential. If Human Resources groups charged with “succession planning” could get their companies to focus on the long term development of communication skills as an essential part of the leadership package, they would be pleasantly surprised at how these high potential leaders could quickly assimilate into new roles. Too often, leaders are told they need to improve their communication without being given a structured, long-term plan and resources for doing so.

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  18. We don't have to look outside for great leadership. But to many, it is the most economical way to get the job done. They are not forward thinkers so they hire a foreigner to solve the immediate problem with no concern of culture or staff resisting the change. They fail to realize that Jamaica has some pretty amazing leaders. Take Douglas Orane for example, he has been the name and face for GraceKennedy leadership. A man who displays charisma, along with the systemic and analytical skills that aid in the development of the amazing culture that the company exemplifies. He is not just a leader because he keeps the profit level up for most of the subsidiaries despite the economic situation but simply because he leads by example. As Albert Schweitzer puts it, "Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing."

    Quality leadership is not available because many companies fail to see the importance of succession planning. Everyone is so busy ensuring that they are not being replaced by a younger smarter worker that they fail to promote cross training. No one is thinking about what if the leader should leave or what if he is not able to handle the challenge, then what? They think that one person has been driving the company for years so why bother to come up with a contingency plan (train someone else to take over). We need to start being more proactive and pay more attention to training and embedding a culture of knowledge transfer.

    Some companies concentrate more on person-fit rather than organization-fit simply because they have a short term plan and hiring x person with a certain level of qualification will solve the immediate issue. They fail to see how much it will cost the company to fit the person into the culture of the organization. They fail to factor in motivating staff to do more than their required tasks. Or simply looking at the psychological effects on staff of hiring someone outside of the organization. Management needs to stop being complacent and start realizing that we can create great leaders. We do not need to import leadership. We have the brains, charisma and potential internally; it is just for us to train and manage effectively. Elaine Agather has a clever way of looking at it. She stated that "the leadership instinct you are born with is the backbone. You develop the funny bone and the wishbone that go with it."

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  19. We as individuals need to demand more from our government and the private sector. Too many of us are afraid to demonstrate our dissatisfaction and are only prepared to have "verandah talk", as Richard commented we are afraid.
    Jamaicans are known to obey the rules when they are abroad because there are consequences and the same can happen locally whether on the roads or in the classroom. The appropriate sanctions needs to be applied and people will eventually comply.
    We need to realize that the change we all want begins with ourselves, when we point fingers we should examine ourselves and ask how we can make a difference. We all need to stand up for what we want.

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  20. I totally agree with Keisha Weston,Malesha alluded to it as well, many orgnization focus mainly on the technical aspect of an individual when they are recruiting and pay little or no attention to organizational fit, and what contiunes to happen like Miss HooSang mentioned in class Sunday, is the spinning of the chair at the top.

    For me I think is it totally remarkable that this continues to happen especially in large organziations. The question I am asking again though, is it that they do not have information about organizational development or is it that they choose not to exercise their knowledge. I am hoping it is the former, because what does it say about someone who has the knowledge, and is in a position but chooses not to use it ultimately for the betterment (for lack of a better word) of the organization.

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  21. Tanisha, I completely support your point on organizational-fit. There are too many people in jobs and/or companies that do not fit their personality, goals, or even their educational background. I am tired of the science major in the marketing department with no clue as to how to draft a marketing plan. I am annoyed at so-called managers hiring based on connection. She is your friend Steve’s niece and you owe him a favour so she gets the job over the person who has the qualification and the passion and drive to excel within the company. Not until these so-called managers decide to take a stand and do what is right for the company will this “link saga” end. Philip Armour puts it nicely “No general can fight his battles alone. He must depend upon his lieutenants, and his success depends upon his ability to select the right man for the right place.”

    Richard you made a very good point about managers leading by fear and as a result stifling staff. I too share the same sentiments. A lot of these managers do not want to empower their staff for the simple fact that they do not want to be replaced by someone younger and smarter. With that mindset, there will never be a leader emerging from within. Everyone is looking out for number one and not thinking about the company as a whole. Until then, we will have the future Danny Williams, Marcus Garveys and Michael Manleys sitting around a desk thinking what if I were given a chance to prove my worth and show how greatness can be achieved.

    Fellow classmates as future leaders I implore you to make mental notes and for some of us with short term memory, make jottings. We are the ones that will have to start the change. We have been equipped with the knowledge and now is the time to act. When Ms. HooSang asked me why I am doing my MBA and I said to take over the world. I know a lot of you were thinking I am crazy. I refuse to be a follower. I know one day I WILL be a great leader; one that can inspire like President Obama; one that has heart like Mother Teresa and one that fosters teamwork like Douglas Orane. So I leave you with this quote: Great work is done by people who are not afraid to be great.

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  22. Tanisha, I completely support your point on organizational-fit. There are too many people in jobs and/or companies that do not fit their personality, goals, or even their educational background. I am tired of the science major in the marketing department with no clue as to how to draft a marketing plan. I am annoyed at so-called managers hiring based on connection. She is your friend Steve’s niece and you owe him a favour so she gets the job over the person who has the qualification and the passion and drive to excel within the company. Not until these so-called managers decide to take a stand and do what is right for the company will this “link saga” end. Philip Armour puts it nicely “No general can fight his battles alone. He must depend upon his lieutenants, and his success depends upon his ability to select the right man for the right place.”

    Richard you made a very good point about managers leading by fear and as a result stifling staff. I too share the same sentiments. A lot of these managers do not want to empower their staff for the simple fact that they do not want to be replaced by someone younger and smarter. With that mindset, there will never be a leader emerging from within. Everyone is looking out for number one and not thinking about the company as a whole. Until then, we will have the future Danny Williams, Marcus Garveys and Michael Manleys sitting around a desk thinking what if I were given a chance to prove my worth and show how greatness can be achieved.

    Fellow classmates as future leaders I implore you to make mental notes and for some of us with short term memory, make jottings. We are the ones that will have to start the change. We have been equipped with the knowledge and now is the time to act. When Ms. HooSang asked me why I am doing my MBA and I said to take over the world. I know a lot of you were thinking I am crazy. I refuse to be a follower. I know one day I WILL be a great leader; one that can inspire like President Obama; one that has heart like Mother Teresa and one that fosters teamwork like Douglas Orane. So I leave you with this quote: Great work is done by people who are not afraid to be great.

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  23. Why mention that Grace Company! Anyway, the article makes sense. We tend to believe in this Country that” anything from foreign is better”, but with reason. The track record of Jamaican Leaders has been dismal over the many decades, whether in politics, business and religion. Leaders in many instance only lead by words not actions, they speak of integrity, honor, commitment and sacrifice for ones country. But they never do it, why they never do the right things? Right now, I am crying out for someone in this country to say what they mean and do what they say. I am of tired being inspired; I now want to be led. No more listening to pretty speeches or enjoying the vibes at meetings. I have realized that talk alone is worth nothing, actions are the foundations that great organizations, great countries are built upon.
    It might seem that I have strayed away from the topic, but after reading the article this is the way I feel. I have all about great leaders from other countries and I have also read about the leaders of my country. I have lived through there mistakes and trust I am not impressed.

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  24. Why mention that Grace Company! Anyway, the article makes sense. We tend to believe in this Country that” anything from foreign is better”, but with reason. The track record of Jamaican Leaders has been dismal over the many decades, whether in politics, business and religion. Leaders in many instance only lead by words not actions, they speak of integrity, honor, commitment and sacrifice for ones country. But they never do it, why they never do the right things? Right now, I am crying out for someone in this country to say what they mean and do what they say. I am tired of being inspired; I now want to be led. No more listening to pretty speeches or enjoying the vibes at meetings. I have realized that talk alone is worth nothing, actions are the foundations that great organizations, great countries are built upon.
    It might seem that I have strayed away from the topic, but after reading the article this is the way I feel. I have read all about great leaders from other countries and I have also read about the leaders of my country. I have lived through there mistakes and trust me I am not impressed.

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  25. Sasha please stop repeating what you here people say. People are not the most important resource that a country can have.If you can tell me one country that is successful with having human resources has its most important resource I will pay you!Human resources can be imported, they need not be developed locally in today's world. It's not that I am bashing your response but I have heard that phrase too often. Human Resources are our best assets blah blah blah!!!!!
    You cannot focus on Human Development when you cannot even pay your bills as a country. Anytime Jamaica finds oil or gold we will be better.I am just being practical; in words of a former Prime Minister it takes cash to care, no cash no human development lets be very real.

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  26. Sasha please stop repeating what you hear people say. People are not the most important resource that a country can have.If you can tell me one country that is successful with having human resources has its most important resource I will pay you!Human resources can be imported, they need not be developed locally in today's world. It's not that I am bashing your response but I have heard that phrase too often. Human Resources are our best assets blah blah blah!!!!!
    You cannot focus on Human Development when you cannot even pay your bills as a country. Anytime Jamaica finds oil or gold we will be better.I am just being practical; in words of a former Prime Minister it takes cash to care, no cash no human development lets be very real.

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  28. Finding the right people to run a business is one of the greatest challenges organisations face. I don’t believe you only hire people based on their resume and an interview. There needs to be a series of interviews to bring out the individual’s personality and ambition. Companies need to find people that also believe in what the organisation is trying to accomplish. Every employee is critical to the organisation and recruiters need to understand the importance of finding the potential employee who is a best fit for the company. Jim Collins (2001) said, “People are not your most important asset, the right people are”. Great success of a company is based on the quality of people behind it. Companies need to get employees to reach their maximum potential. If you don’t have the right staff, you’re not going to get the right production the organisation requires. Organisations have to be smart about the hiring decisions in order to build a great company. It is through this process that an organisation will foster impressive leaders which will in turn lead to a great company. I believe hiring the right people that best fit the position along with appropriate incentives for staff, encourages them to give there best and gets them passionate about their performance.

    Great leaders are born within the organisation when companies find the “best fit” from day one. There is no need to outsource once this is done. It is unfortunate however that not many companies in Jamaica practice this. From my experience, there have been situations where a company will hire the person that is good enough/is trainable to cut cost. Instantly the company is satisfies with mediocrity. No great organisation comes from this. As a result they have to outsource talent because “a start was not born”. To be great you have to want great and to want great you have to discover great and to discover great you have to hire the right person for the job from day one.

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  29. I completely agree with larcep. We do have companies in Jamaica that is leading by example when it comes to recruiting the right person for the job without having to look across the waters. As you said JMMB is a model of this. The hiring possess at JMMB is vigorous but their end result is finding an individual who has passion and ambition. Fining the person who has the company’s goal in mind is key. JMMB has been around for over ten years I believe, and the rate at which they have grown in that time is tremendous. This is because they put a lot of pride and enthusiasm into everything they seek to accomplish. This company has proven to us all that Jamaica has some of the most brilliant people in the world. We just need to be challenged. We need encouragement. We need companies to harvest the great talent that exist HERE!

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  30. Ribbons, I understand that succession planning is important but I strongly feel that this type of planning opens the door for biases. It often seems that in organizations when this type of planning is used the most qualified individual does not get the job. In most cases it is person whom is favored by the president or leader who gains the position over the most competent and suitable candidate.

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  31. I was having a conversation with a colleague of mine, I was telling her that I have a friend that has just completed his Masters degree in Computer Science with UWI and he had told me that most of his teachers were from overseas. I was telling her that whilst I don't disagree with importing talent I feel it should only be done when the requisite competencies cannot be found locally.

    Dispite our indiscipline, and everyting else that is wrong with us, I still feel that the talent is here locally to fill most of the voids that may arise.

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  32. We all agree that employing the persons with the "right fit" is the way to go based on the various comments eg. views expressed by Brendalee.I believe local companies will be forced to increasingly engage in recruitement process involving techniques such as behavioral simulation inorder to select the "right fit". If local companies refuse they will remain uncompetitive and eventually will die.
    I now realize that the last interview that I did had a behavioral simulation component to it.

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  34. So you see all that glitters is not gold. Still, while companies are injecting organizations with new blood because they think these persons are the only ones that can think outside effectively, it is still good to use insiders from the company or local talent because they understand the existing culture and are able to connect in order to enable the transformation of business strategies and organization culture.

    I agree with keisha in her example with Mark Shields when we say “Foreign mind”, as some of these individuals at times tend to bring with them a robust culture that does not align with the organization and this tend to clash with the existing organizational culture because they try to change the existing values and norms to suite their own and this doesn’t always work. This is like attacking the local organizational culture and they are going to end up being resisted. As Keisha also mentioned Highway 2000 (Portmore Leg), where in Jamaica do we see a highway or road being constructed and then dug up totally to be reconstructed AGAIN!! If these contractors knew much about jamaica’s roads and soil, and what they should have done when they were layering the road, and using watertrucks to moist these layers, then this wouldn’t have affected the road when there was shifting of the earth and maybe if the local contractors were given the job to do this, who already have the knowledge, insight and skill to deal with that type of soil layering, they wouldn’t have to dig the road up and doing the job all over again. Is the foreign mind always better when it comes to this type of job.

    Its good to encourage our local talent in a lot of instance and stop being looked at as a default to the outside or foreign society, we need to look out our people for them to be able to say we are good enough for the job too.

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  35. Devon, succession planning is not simply about choosing who you would like to replace you..No,its a more objective process. Managers and Great Leaders must be able to see the potential abilities in their subordinates and encourage it, through formal and informal development.In doing so they equip the organization with future managers and leaders. Promotion of a staff member becomes a worry-less task, if one is certain that they have capable, skilled, reliable junior staff that can step up to the plate.
    When a favorite is selected for a post without the right credentials, over a 'right person', this is not succession planning, it is hogwash! Please Devon, do not substitute one for the other.

    The concern as mainly been about HIRING of the 'right person'. I think it is equally important to have proper FIRING of the not-so-right person. My experience of having a knowledgeable worker, with a bad attitude and work ethic, but was only being slapped on the wrist as punishment for those flaws, has taught me that harboring the wrong person within your organization is even worst that hiring a not-so-suitable one!

    Whether home grown or expatriate, the importance really is the quality of work, expertise, commitment level and interpersonal skills that is taken in to the organization, as well as,their comparability to organizational culture.Until we start recognizing the talents and strengths of our own people we will forever be looking for 'farin tings' and consultants. This can only change if we are passion driven enough to reset the course of our country's path."Trigger events often lead to strategic renewal" Implementing Organizational Change pg 193

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  36. In 1995 I entered the culinary profession through formal training at HEART Runaway Bay Hotel and Training Institute, at that time is was a requirement for trainees to visit and work in at least five local properties, as I started I found that on each property the executive chef was an expatriate, I questioned the motive of Operations managers and resident managers. I found out that over locals have developed more confidence in expatiates. Reason being- I am yet to find out.
    Today, I have completed a culinary programme from Culinary Institute of America (CIA); this is not an isolated case. There are at least five (5) executive chefs that graduate each year with international certifications and professionalism through Runaway HEART Hotel and training Institute in collaborating with Culinary Institute of America.
    Some time ago Jamaica was the number one Caribbean destination. Today we are very much playing ‘number 2’. We have lost our vision, by a number of ill practices such as placing premium on guests that we serve or simply discriminating because of guests potential to pay.
    Nevertheless, the fundamental principles must be clearly understood and practiced. Those that require an organization to identify the “right people” do these persons still exist? The selection and recruitment phases are of great importance in identifying such person. Ask Ritz- how they conduct interview indeed they start with the end in mind.
    I strongly believe that as a third world country there was and perhaps still is limitation or shadow visions syndrome that had held us captive for a long time. ‘Foreign mind always better?’I dear to double disagree.

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  37. Even though faces differ as personalities differ there has to be a system that supports common goals of organizations. I agree with my colleges that suggest that succession planning and starting with the end in mind supports a system that promotes continuity based on company objectives coupled with efficiency in production and professional service both internally and externally. Our government and private sectors need to firstly align organizations with facilities that foster growth and development then purposefully structure recruitment and selection phases to identify ‘right people’ who will put organizational interests over personal interest so that the organization will strive to grow and development.

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  38. Ms. HooSang,

    I think part of the problem is that as organization go through product cycle stage, All organization will eventually end up at the Saturation and decline stage of the organization during this period it demands individual creative thinking/ideas, usual at this time the following is happening within the organization, costs become counter-optimal
    ,sales volume decline or stabilize, prices, profitability diminish, profit becomes more a challenge of production/distribution efficiency than increased sales, as such the need to go outside as it is felt that the our present business climate in Jamaica does not facilitate creative thinking. Based on observation in general it is my belief that we do not consider change if it has not been done anywhere before. In Jamaica, we benchmark our standards based on the US and European culture as such the joy to employ someone who as been to Harvard or the so called Ivy League university or Cambridge or Oxford etc.

    As it relates to the informal survey on three MBA cohorts the truth of the matter is that a lot of the MBA graduate based on my observation in class are lower level staff how are not currently in the position to utilize there MBA knowledge unless they are in family business or receive accelerated promotion. As such in another 10-15 years when they received their opportunity the knowledge would be considered stale in line with the then management theories. According to Maslow hierarchy needs most of us are still in the Self Esteem stage which would account for why we are focused on the salary thing and to obtain respect from our peers. The self actualisation part usual kicks in when we have settled our self esteem issues as our need to make our mark on the organization.

    However, sometimes we need a complete change of culture when things get stagnant and a new Harvard thinker is need, someone with creative idea, who has no friends as such no emotions if your friend may lose his job but focuses on the interest of the company. Hence, the need to look outside the box. However, there is also the thinking that you were part of a failed organization as such have nothing further to contribute.

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  39. It is true that if we begin with the end in mind we would change the face of many of our organizations locally. Hiring the right people will ensure a continuous pool of talent within the organization which will result in adaptability and sustainable growth. In his October 1994 article entitled "Companies Need Not Hire outside CEOs to Stimulate Fundamental Change" Jim Collins speaks to the fact that in order to achieve and maintain long term sustainability, a company “must have the ability to attract, select, retain, train, develop, and promote superb managerial talent from within”. Vision, however, seems to sadly lacking in our society in general. Our country budgets annually, but with no long term plan in place. Even our businesses practice this kind of short term planning. A very good example of the lack of foresight on the part of our local organizations is the recent “knee jerk” reaction of some of the major financial houses in the country to the JDX programme. Did no one consider the consequences of a possible (and I might dare to say inevitable) reduction in interest rates? But we digress…

    This lack of vision is also evident in our hiring processes. Job fit (such as it is) is the main criteria for selection, ignoring the admittedly more time consuming and costly exercise of determining organization fit. Certainly, if the selection, retention, training, development and promotion of the right people were priority (long term visionary approach) then hiring Tom because he’s the CEO’s nephew would have no place in our organizations.

    To say that quality leadership is not available when needed is not quite accurate. I would dare to argue that quality leadership is available, but that the persons responsible for the selection/appointment of leaders are at fault. What are their aims and objectives? What are the criteria being used for the appointment of these positions? (again, it’s Tom’s cousin or Mary’s brother’s daughter)...

    It is fair to say that if an organization’s goal is to make $15B in profit this financial year (and every year the goal is communicated in a similar fashion), then succession planning would not be at the top of it’s agenda…

    Vision is lacking, objectivity is lacking, selflessness (Richard – Sunday’s class) is lacking, courage is lacking…

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  40. I know that to mention our educational system will be opening several cans of worms, but I must… It is very difficult to expect first world thinking, adaptability and responsiveness from individuals being "processed" in a (largely) third world educational system. The people in our organizations (from top to bottom) are persons from our society, products of our society, and so to expect greater would not be very sensible. Sounds plausible, doesn’t it? But what does first or third world have to do with characteristics such as discipline, honesty, integrity and perseverance? For it seems that honesty and integrity were patently lacking in the leadership of the PCJ, while to date, no one has grounds to doubt the presence of those very characteristics in the leadership of Grace Kennedy & Co Ltd.

    Devon, no amount of gold or oil will help this country if, and I repeat if the people of this country do not transform their thinking to reflect discipline, honesty and integrity. As a matter of fact, things would only get worse because now there would be more to fight over, more to claim ownership and rights to, more to fuel corruption…

    Jason, you may very well be right in your observations that the majority of the MBA class may be in lower level positions, but that does not prevent them from benefiting from a mental reorientation; we all have influence in our spheres of life, and we ought to exploit that influence to foster a new way of thinking, a new way of being…

    According to the words of the New Testament “Be ye transformed through the renewing of your minds…”

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  41. Do you really to Change?

    One of the main problems with the management of Jamaica is that we continue to respond to various situations; rather than providing ongoing education, support, and consistently providing the systems that are required to support the infrastructure of the country. The lack of transparency as well as mixed motives for performing legitimate duties has led to mistrust in our processes. Jamaicans view our leaders as persons lacking in integrity, and without the political will to find real solutions, and commitment to the improve Jamaica.

    The recommendation for change must be establish best practices for the various situations and have successive governments comply with these best practices. A quarterly review sitting will conduct audits for consistency with best practices; and the results published.

    Foreign Mind- Always better?
    While foreign policies and practices are not always better; the weaknesses that are embedded in our management make it necessary for a contact review process of all levels of management.
    This review would also include mechanism to motivate and empower staff. Internal; promotions to top management positions must be based measureable objectives. CEO will have to get the job done by facilitating the change that is necessary to achieve organizational effectiveness. Each CEO must be accountable for the overall performance of each entity. This position is only retained based on meeting efficiency objectives.
    Where the best option for the organization is to adopt a management model that propels the company forward, this is recommended. Positions should not be retained or assigned unless the business model that is being used is achieving the desired objectives.

    Change is the only constant
    The matter of complacency remains rampant in Jamaican businesses; hence change management is typically not embraced. Recommendations for changing this culture are to publicize and reinforce the results of organizations that are achieving excellence; based on the fact that they are constantly changing.

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