January, 2008

If the internet service went down..Do we have a back-up plan?

What we do if the internet went down…I don’t mean the internet at your work place or at your home or even in your neighborhood, but in an entire region.

This week undersea communication cables were severed, the cables run under the Mediterranean between Egypt and Italy. Internet users in Egypt, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia and in India experienced slow internet speed.

What we do when the internet is not working? What alternatives do we have to keep our work flowing? I use the net for about 8-10 hours a day and not having internet access or limited access means big productivity loss for me.

As I write this article, I am sitting in India and yahoo e-mail seems to be super slow.
How would you work without internet? What backup plans companies or individuals could make to prepare for internet downtime?

Knowledge sharing culture

Have you ever worked at a company where you felt your peers are not sharing certain work related knowledge with you? I personally have. Does the employee have the ethical responsibility of sharing knowledge with his/her co-workers? How much information an organization can make available to its employees? Do employees have the right to hold knowledge they think is gained through their own individual efforts?

How can we define knowledge sharing? David Gurteen on his site, The Gurteen Knowledge Website, defines knowledge management and knowledge sharing as “Knowledge Management is a business philosophy. It is an emerging set of principles; processes, organisational structures, and technology applications that help people share and leverage their knowledge to meet their business objectives.”

What will motivate people to share knowledge? Many workers feel their competitive advantage lies on the knowledge they possess, why would they share it?
Again back to David Gurteen article, “The real answer is to help people see for themselves that knowledge sharing is in their personal interest. The old paradigm was “knowledge is power”. Today it needs to be explicitly understood that “sharing knowledge is power”. If people understand that sharing their knowledge helps them do their jobs more effectively; helps them retain their jobs; helps them in their personal development and career progression; rewards them for getting things done (not for blind sharing); and brings more personal recognition, then knowledge sharing will become a reality.”

I personally believe that in today’s knowledge based economy and the internet being at the forefront of this economy, knowledge is still means “power”, but this power is not confined to the few, but it’s available to those who are willing to dig for it.

Tata and Jaguar

Tata, the biggest auto manufacture in India, showed its interest in buying Jaguar, the British auto maker. Officials at Jaguar were alarmed and they expressed their discontent with the offer, they said it clearly that Tata, being an Indian firm, may not be able to show the true brand of the luxurious Jaguar. Basically the officials at Jaguar were not convinced that a company, Tata, from a developing world will be able to live up to the promise Jaguar offers its customers.

Leaving the racial and cultural issues a side, can we take the concerns of the officials at Jaguar seriously? Will the new owner be able to keep the image of Jaguar shining? Will the new owner provide the same level of service and support to Jaguar customers?

The level of quality and the perception of quality among various cultures are interesting things to notice. People, as I have seen them in few countries, don’t look at quality with the same standards. Countries like China and India may be on the fast track of development and modernization, but did these countries reached the level of development where they can compete in the luxury brands market?

Is the world ready to accept India, China and other developing countries as major players in the luxury brands market? Are these developing countries ready to set new standards for quality? I personally think the answer is no. Quality is not only about a product or service, but it’s about a culture that must be developed with in the country, it’s about the mindsets of the people who must believe in higher standards of living as a way of life. Do you agree with me?

Social Entrepreneurship………The Business of volunteering

As usual, I start my day by reading some news websites from around the world. My main focus is the economical and the political conditions around the world, but I also try to fetch for good articles on other subjects as I browse the sites for news.

In the daily asharq-alawsat, one of the leading Arabic newspapers, I read an interesting article on the virtue of social work and the innovative ways entrepreneurs, especially the young, are using to solve the global poverty and social problems. The article is in Arabic, you can find at this link: http://www.asharqalawsat.com/leader.asp?section=3&article=456164&issue=10654

Young minds from prestigious schools such as Harvard and Princeton went out of their usual studies to start up projects to help the poor and the disadvantaged around the world.

Andrew form Harvard business school started his project “Orphans against Aids”, after he saw how young girls in Thailand were forced into prostitution and eventually acquired Aids; his project is helping kids with Aids in poor countries pay for school.

Another student, Jenifer, founded the project “Unite for vision”, very innovative and smart project. The idea is very simple: collect old reading glasses from the US and ship them to Africa. The project expanded and was able to provide eyes treatments for about 200 thousands people.

These type of work is called “Social Entrepreneurship”, these are young people full of energy and ambitions, they see social problems and try to solve them with the most innovative and unusual ways.

Another example is Thuraia from Jordan, she founded a project called “Enjaz”, the project is to prepare thousands of students start their own small business; she says “the only way to change the future is to change the mind of the young people.” You can see her website at: http://www.injaz.org.jo

These social workers got innovative ideas, courage and energy, they could have gone for a profit generating business, but instead they chose to help the other with their ideas.

Learn how to live in the global market

We are living in an unprecedented ear of global interaction among the people of the world. The cultural and language barriers are slowly starting to diminish, which are causing the rise of national moments in some countries, the world market is wide open for the takers.

If your eyes are on the global market, than you need to ask yourself how much are you ready to penetrate the market. Many people are not ready to accept other cultures, I personally had difficult times trying to understand the cultures of the few countries I have visited lately.
People are consumers every where you go, they will buy your product as long as you are willing to adjust it to fit their local taste. I have been always amazed by McDonalds style of management, the fast chain restaurant is one of the most successful global companies.

Although MacDonald’s brand is recognized world wide, the company always adapts itself to the local market customs and norms. I have visited Macdonald’s restaurants in US, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirate and in India. In all these various locations of Macdonald I have noticed the same thing, great American service with the emphasis on the local customs.

In Saudi Arabia, Macdonald doesn’t serve ham sandwiches, the religion of Islam forbid the eating of pork. In India, the menu consists mostly of vegetarian items since most of the population of India is Hindus who don’t eat meat.
MacDonald is the most visible example of how global corporation are trying to adapt to the local culture without losing their business identity. As a global manager, to successfully penetrate the global market you must be willing to see the world through the eyes of your customers.

Enterprise 2.0

My filed of study at the University was Management Information Systems. I knew little about the the degree program, I chose the filed only because it was “hot”, and everyone was talking about it. As years passed, I feel grateful that I actually majored in the field of Management Information Systems.

Management Information Systems is what Enterprise 2.0 is all about. Management Information Systems main objective is to produce managers who have good understanding of IT and its benefits to the Enterprise. At any business there is always a conflict between the business department and the IT department, the IT people don’t seem to understand the needs of the business department and the business department can not understand the limitation or the complexity of the IT solutions.

If you search the web, you would find many definitions for “Enterprise 2.0”, but the simplest and most focused definition I found was at: http://www.thecontenteconomy.com/2007/10/enterprise-20-and-shrinking-it.html

As businesses really more and more on technology to conduct their daily activities, managers will have a greater responsibility of understanding various IT solutions available to the company. As the article on the above link suggests, the need for people who combine business skills with deep understanding of IT will increase.

I have mentioned in some previous articles the difficulty I have faced as business development manager when I worked at firms where top decisions makers didn’t have the right business skills, I always knew the importance of combining both IT and business skills to run a successful business.

How quality measures differ from culture to culture

Do all people measure and perceive quality with the same standards worldwide? Do the words “excellent, clean, great, hardworking, etc”, have the same level of standards worldwide? I have been travelling for the last six months through several countries for business and pleasure. At each new place I visit, I like to observe how people really measure quality, can the world agree on one standard for quality? Do we all have the same comfort levels? Does the phrase “clean and quite”; has the same level of expectation in Houston, in Dubai and in Mumbai?

The world came to agreement on certain standard levels in manufacturing, science, medicine and engineering. While traveling, I also noticed that most airlines are adopting global standards for for service and comfort for their passengers.
But at more cultural and local levels, people still differ widely on their definition of quality. It was hard for me to explain to my guide in India what I meant when I said I want “clean and quite hotel”. He assured me several times that the hotel he booked for me is very clean and in nice and quite area. Big surprise was waiting for me when I arrived in Mumbai and saw the so called “quite and clean hotel.” The hotel was located in one of the most crowded and noisy part of the city, no phone in the room, no amenities in the bathroom,…etc.

This experience got me thinking really hard about the cross-cultural communication issues, my host was genuine when he said he booked me nice and clean hotel, but he was not able to envision my idea of “clean and quite.”
I think it’s impossible to create global quality standards where people from various cultures and backgrounds can agree on one standard of “quality”, we can always create standards in manufacturing, science and engineering, but when it comes to more personal standards and preferences, it’s almost impossible to create one standard or several standards of what people would perceive as “quality.”

So how we tackle this issue? How global managers travelling the world can create awareness within themselves and within their staff about the importance of understanding other cultures.
I have gone over this issue in several of my articles, its very crucial to understand the cultural sensitivity involved when you work abroad, it may lead to smooth business relation or it can end your business relation.
What are the best business and personal practices to use when working abroad? I started to think now…….

Living in a global village part 2

As I continue my trip, my next stop was the city of Sharjah in United Arab Emirates. Although my trip was very short, I could tell the country is well on its way to become a regional hub for trade and tourism. I have heard so much about Dubai, but I knew very little about the city of Sharjah which is only 20-30km from Dubai. The city airport is a hub for German Airlines “Lufthansa” cargo operation in the Middle East and Africa, the airlines is using the airport as a link of its cargo operation between Europe and Middle East and Africa. The city also had a free-trade zone where foreign companies can setup operation with relatively simple setup procedures.

I was expecting driving in the city would be an adventure, but I was pleased by my driving experience, yes the traffic was heavy, but the flow of traffic was systematic and orderly. The city is also a host of a very large expatriate community from Asia, Middle East and Europe. My first impression of the city was positive and as a global manager, the city is worth another visit to explore business opportunities further.

My next stop was the city of Dubai, due to the official visit of President George Bush to the city; most of the roads were blocked. The next day, very heavy rain hit the city where again the roads were flooded and closed. I wasn’t able to see much of Dubai unfortunately, but again the city is worth a visit for it offers ample business opportunities.

Now I am in India, the country with many cultures, languages and religions. All that we hear about the economic awakening of India is mainly true, although the country has a long way to go; it’s moving rather rapidly with its modernization plans. I have visited India more than 20 years ago; today’s India is much different than what I saw 20 years ago. Someone my suggest that any country would change in 20 years time, that’s not always true, I have been to places where nothing changed dramatically over 20 years. India is not unique in its plans for modernizations, the real challenge is, how many countries will realize their modernizations plans.

Living in a global village part 1

About a week ago, I have finished my consulting assignment in Saudi Arabia, although I am still working with them remotely, and I am on the road again on this global village. My trip started on the city of Sharjah in United Arab Emirates, than the city of Dubai and currently I am in India.

Although travelling, at times, can be a daunting task, for global managers, it can be a source of great experience. Travelling will expose you to new cultures, new management styles, new business opportunities and some great sightseeing if you plan your trip well.

As I am a quality conscious, I always look for new management styles that improve quality. It’s very interesting to see how people in various cultures perceive quality. I have heard and read a great deal about India, Saudi Arabia and Dubai before I leave the US. I read how these countries, especially India and the city of Dubai, were adopting ambitious reform plans to transfer their economies and offer more to their citizens and visitors.

In India, the phrase “state of the art” is widely used to describe a building, or an office, or an airport that has, supposedly, excellent facilities, but that not usually the case, the phrase is liberally used and you should expect less. Quality levels vary from culture to culture and what is considered excellent in one culture maybe considered moderate in another culture.

In Saudi Arabia, my reactions were mixed, the country is investing heavily in education, infrastructures and public services but the quality of service in various sectors leave so much to be desired.

Personally and as a manager, I believe strongly in giving “a great customer service”, great customer service by a government or an organization leads to many happy citizens. In Saudi Arabia, heavy spending by the government in various sectors is having little impact in improving the lives of its citizens since the concept of “Great customer service” seems alien to most government agencies and to the majority of private companies.

Although Saudi Arabia has a moderate roads and highways system, the country’s death toll from traffic accidents is the highest in the world. Throughout my stay there I have noticed little police intervention in directing the traffic, the police would turn a blind eye on traffic violations or in many instances the police is even not present at many main road intersections.

I have used the traffic woes in Saudi Arabia as an example to illustrate how business is conducted at government agencies and at many private firms. A citizen may walk into a government agency requesting a service only to be disappointed and confused by various answers to the same questions by various employees who are not well trained to do their jobs.

As I said, my reaction to what I have experienced in Saudi Arabia was mixed, on one hand I felt the need for improvement in customer service in its various forms is urgently needed, but on other hand there are positive factors worth considering when living in Saudi Arabia such as” low cost of living, no taxes of any type, moderate infrastructure and very low crime rate.”

Read more on part 2 of this article

Things will never happen on time…time management skills

Although in a pervious article I have talked about the importance of keeping things on schedule, I must admit the difficulties managers face trying to meet deadlines. As a manager, meeting deadlines seem to me like trying to aim at a moving target, either you hit it or miss it.

While gathering my thoughts for this article, I remembered the phrase “time can kill you”; I heard it in a western movie. Most of us are aware of the importance of time management, it doesn’t only touches our professional lives but also have a significant impact on our personal lives.

Working hard to keep things on schedule, I found out that “things will never happen on time”, the harder I try the more disappointed I get. So what we do, how do we keep things on time? What time management skills to use in order to save time and meet deadlines?

People will disappoint you most of the time:
1- You have purchased your flight ticket and planned to be at the airport on time.
2- You have placed the new parts order and called your supplier to ensure on time delivery.
3- You have instructed your secretary to e-mail you the tracking number for the express mail you left at the office to be sent out.
4- You have scheduled an important meeting thinking all parties involved will attend on time.
5- You have planned well in advance for your two days trip making sure each minute of your time will be well spent.
6- You have filed all the necessary paper work for your new permit in order to start your new project.

What percentage of the above tasks will happen on time? I am sure some people can claim that they can get all the above tasks accomplished on time, but can you be sure each task will be done on time each time? In my experience, on the average, 30% of the time things fail to happen on time, either for human negligence or otherwise.

I have developed the 30% rule for myself, if a task is accepted to be completed in 10 hours, I will add 30% to that to make it 13hours, if a project is accepted to be finished in thirty days, I would give the client delivery date after 39 days and so on.

A client once told me “deliver more than your promise”; someone may say “how I am going to be on time if I add 30% to my accepted completion time?” My answer is, make the 30% extra time your time management rule, if you were able to deliver without using the 30% extra time than you have “delivered more than your promised”, and your customer or yourself will feel the satisfaction of not missing a deadline.