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The Institute of Management Specialists is a trading name of Industrial Management Specialists (IMS) Ltd. Registered in England No: 990098
Registered Office: Highdown House, 11 Highdown Road, Sydenham, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV31 1XT, England
1
THE JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE
OF MANAGEMENT SPECIALISTS
VOLUME 1 NUMBER 5 JULY 2012
CONTENTS
Page
Editorial 2
What is a Professional Body for?
A personal view by Graham Hare, IMS President 3
IMS Hong Kong Chapter / The Society of Sales & Marketing 5
IMS Kenya Chapter 6
Institute of Professional Financial Managers 7
IMS Malaysia Chapter 8
Dual Doctorate Degree Program 10
The War for Talents: Attitude is the New Thinking of Management
Dr Samuel Lartey 11
Consortium of Professional Awarding Bodies 12
Profile of Mr Godfred Kyei, Ghana Chapter Fellow 13
Doing the Impossible Dr David B Lingiah 14
Master of E-Commerce 15
Building an effective team… Dr Christopher Oyat 16
Design, Technology and Management Society International 22
Abrahami Compliance Associates / Carayol Ltd 23
2
Editorial
A new Chapter of IMS has
been established in Hong
Kong, headed by Professor
Dr Nagar Lai as the
Founding President. We
are very grateful to Dr Lai
for his time and effort in
bringing about this new
development – please see his report on page 5 of
this E-Journal.
The Kenya Chapter is also well on its way to
establishment. Professor Dr Elias Avutia and his
assistants are recruiting new members and we are
looking forward to being able to announce the
creation of the Chapter soon. Details are given on
page 6.
Dr Samuel Tan, President of the Malaysia
Chapter, has given a report on page 8 which
includes details of the recent two day event in
Kuala Lumpur publicising the IMS/FIMC Total
Quality Management Professional Diploma and
Post Graduate Diploma programmes. Dr Tan also
introduces his Chapter Committee Members.
Professor Dr Samuel Lartey from the IMS Ghana
Chapter has kindly submitted an article, which
can be read on page 11 and we are pleased to
feature another Ghana Chapter member, Mr
Godred Kyei, on page 13 and we congratulate
him on his achievements.
Our President, Mr Graham Hare, delivers his
thoughts on the importance of professional bodies
in his second CPD (Continuous Professional
Development) article on page 3 and invites you to
share your opinions with us.
We are currently negotiating a new reciprocal
membership arrangement with The Institute of
Professional Financial Consultants (IPFC),
Nigeria, a professional body for financial
advisers and analysts. Details will be added to the
IMS website once the formalities have been
completed.
There is a lot of interest in the Swiss International
Seminars (co-sponsored by IMS) which are to be
held in Lausanne, Switzerland from 24th
September to 8th
October. Hopefully all members
received the information that was sent out by
email in May – if you require any further details,
do please contact me.
We are pleased to announce the foundation of a
new association for professional bodies, the
Consortium of Professional Awarding Bodies
(COPAB). The Institute of Management
Specialists is a Foundation Member.
Finally, please request your personal login details
to access the Members’ Section of the IMS
website and connect with me on LinkedIn to join
the Institute’s LinkedIn Group.
Mrs Lynne P Sykes Executive Administrator
Specialised Manager Award
As the professional body for Management Specialists, IMS encourages all
Associate Members, Full Members, Fellows and Companions to apply for the
Specialised Manager designation in their specialised management field. The
Specialised Management field recognition includes Administration, Education,
Engineering, Finance, Human Resources and Marketing. Please visit the IMS
website for further details.
3
What is a Professional Body for?
A personal view by Graham Hare, President of The Institute of Management Specialists
So, what is a professional
body for? Why should we
be a member of one? Good
questions that every one of
us should ask and consider
how we can best use the
services that the
professional body offers.
There are broadly three
types of professional body.
The first of these is a statutory one where
membership is compulsory to be able to practice
your profession and which also acts as both a
qualifying and disciplinary body. These also
make ongoing education (continual professional
development – CPD) mandatory as part of an
individual’s ‘license to practice’. Examples of
these within the UK include the Law Society and
General Medical Council.
A second form of professional body encompasses
education but is largely a representative of its
members lobbying legislators and acting as a
professional ‘trade union’. A UK example would
be the Police Federation.
The final part of this trilogy are professional
bodies who provide qualifications, support
ongoing professional standards and through their
recognized designations provide a recognizable
standard that members have reached within their
profession. Whilst their qualifications are not
mandatory to carry out a profession, they are
highly prized as a means of proving levels of
academic and professional ability. Such bodies
also look to offer a range of membership benefits,
primarily educational. The Institute of Management Specialists falls into this category.
At this point it is appropriate to restate the IMS
aims:
To encourage management excellence and
specialist expertise.
To help members achieve their personal
aspirations, fulfil their career ambitions and
develop their innate potential.
To support lifelong learning and encourage
education in management and specialist areas.
To give professional recognition to the
knowledge and skills of managers and specialists.
The IMS aims have been consistent since our
founding in 1971 and late last year the IMS re-
launched its qualification structure to support it’s
aims within a 21st century context and to ensure
that our professional offering stands scrutiny
against other bodies where the ongoing and
constant education of members has been a central
plank for some time. To this end we launched the
IMS’s own CPD program where initially
participation is voluntary but heavily encouraged
but with a conscious consideration of it becoming
mandatory at a future time in line with many
other bodies.
I thought that it would be worthwhile
reproducing the CPD overviews of another
couple of professional bodies. Whilst these two
have been chosen at random they demonstrate
many things in common with programs across
qualifying professional bodies:
According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel
and Development (CIPD) CPD should:
• be continuous – professionals should
always be looking for ways to improve
performance
• be the responsibility of the individual
learner to own and manage
• be driven by the learning needs and
development of the individual
• be evaluative rather than descriptive of
what has taken place
• be an essential component of professional
and personal life, never an optional extra
4
The Institute of Administrative Management
(IAM) requires candidates to complete the
following:
• Self-SWOT Analysis
This is intended to help the individual carry out
some initial thinking about their strengths and
weaknesses. In addition, they will need to think
about possible directions for their career
development and to highlight potential threats.
• Personal & Professional Development
Development of a PPDP is based upon the
individual’s SWOT Analysis. Its purpose is to
assist them to formulate a set of development
activities covering a period of twelve months.
Long-term career plans should cover
development activities for the next twelve months
in the light of their intentions over the next three
years.
• Implementation
Implementing of the individual’s plan does not
imply that they cannot or should not change it
once implementation is underway. Situations and
circumstances can and do change.
• Learning Diary
It is vital that the individual records their efforts
and assesses the benefits of their planned
activities. The activities that they undertake may
not always generate the results that were
intended. Time spent reflecting on how they have
tackled each activity and in assessing the
outcomes will enable the individual to adjust
their PPDP for the following year. Moreover, by
recording their activities they will be building a
complete record of their professional/personal
development that can form the basis for long-
term career progression.
• Annual Review/Summary
At the end of the twelve month period, having
reviewed the individual’s activities they are
required to complete the Summary Sheet. The
process is repeated for the second and subsequent
years by reviewing and updating the SWOT
Analysis and then drawing up a new PPDP.
Registration for CPD shows the individual’s own
commitment to learning and allows them to
consider best practice within the workplace.
Please feel free to re-examine the IMS scheme on
our website in order to contrast it with the two
other examples here. As the President of your
chosen professional body, I am totally supportive
of the principles of CPD and encourage every
working member to participate. There is still
plenty of time in 2012 to fully meet the
requirements and many members will already be
doing courses, training or reading which qualifies
for CPD recognition within their workplace.
Our scheme is still in its infancy and further
developments are under consideration for
introduction at a later time. These developments
may include a difference in designatory letters for
members completing their annual submissions.
The Management Council may in future years
require certain membership grades to complete
CPD in order to maintain certain levels of
membership and, of course, the qualifying
content will evolve.
It is all designed to help our members be
recognized as true professional specialist
managers with our membership being demanded
by employers as a means of knowing that their
staff meet the high standards demanded by a UK
professional body.
Finally, if any member has a constructive
proposal about how we can develop and promote
our CPD scheme – please contact our Executive
Administrator, Lynne Sykes, who would love to
put your thoughts and proposals forward to the
Management Council.
5
New IMS Chapter in Hong Kong
Report by Professor Dr Nagar Lai, Chapter President
The IMS Hong Kong Chapter has been formed
by a group of academics. Headed by Professor,
Sir, Nagar Lai, who is Assistant President of St
Clements Swiss Private University and Vice
Chairman Dr Henry Shiu, who is a graduate of St
Clements University.
Most of the other founding members are lecturers
and Doctorate graduates of St Clements
University.
St Clements University have their Academic
Support Centre founded in South China
University of Technology since 2009, and
support the operations of many programs of St
Clements worldwide, especially those programs
in Asia, including Hong Kong, Macau, Cambodia
and China. Over the years hundreds of students
took the courses, mainly MBA and DBA
programs, and form a strong alumni.
These graduates are from disciplines of Business,
Engineering, Technology, Operations, and more.
Now the alumni want to promote the
professionalism and therefore joined hands to
form this Institute of Management Specialists
Chapter in Hong Kong.
THE SOCIETY OF SALES & MARKETING
The Society of Sales & Marketing was founded in the United Kingdom in July 1980 to provide an organisation for all those
who work in all professional fields, including accountancy, financial management, management and others, as they all deal
with matters relating to sales, sales management, marketing, retail management, international trade and services.
SSM is a reciprocal body of IMS. This means that IMS members can join SSM automatically. Special fees apply: Graduate
(GSSM) £90 instead of £110, Associate (ASSM) £100 instead of £120, Fellows (FSSM) £120 instead of £150. Incorporated
Sales & Marketing Professional (ISMP) by request.
The following programmes are also available for interested professionals:
• Diploma in Business Communication * Diploma in Consumer Behaviour
• Diploma in Accounting * Diploma in Marketing Communications
• Diploma in Financial Management * Diploma in Marketing Planning & Control
• Diploma in Sales Management * Diploma in Import & Export Management
• Diploma in Marketing * Diploma in Finance for Export
• Diploma in Retail Management * Diploma in International Trade & Services
• Diploma in Consumer Law * Diploma in Consumerism, Ethics & Social Responsibility
Any of the above Diplomas may qualify you for professional membership, according to age and experience. Further details
may be obtained from:
The Membership Secretary, Belinda Washington
The Society of Sales & Marketing
40 Archdale Road, East Dulwich, London SE22 9HJ
T: 0845 260 2900 Option 1 Fax: 0208 693 0555
W: www.ssm.org.uk E: [email protected]
6
Establishment of an IMS Chapter in Kenya
by Professor Dr Elias Avutia
FBSC, FFCSA, CCA, FIMS, FSSM, DIPFM (UK), MPRSK (Kenya)
EVANGELICAL TRAINING INSTITUTE
P.O Box 62947-00200 Nairobi, Kenya
Email: [email protected]
I am a management
consultant, born in
the year 1945. I
incorporated The
Management
Services Limited in
Uganda in the year
1976.
I was practicing as an accountant and auditor
including working as a management consultant to
the West Nile Transport Company Limited. A
public limited Transport Company, a vibrant
Public Company offering heavy transport
company services, in the country. I was also a
lecturer in Makerere University, teaching
Business Communication and Business
Economics.
In the process of my practice in Management, I
established a Sole proprietorship Institution (Yole
Polytechnic Institute) registered in the Republic
of Uganda. That was in the year 1978. The
polytechnic institute is doing very well and is
offering:
1. Full Secondary Education to the level of
Uganda National Examinations Board
Ordinary Level Certificate.
2. Full Commercial and Technical
Vocational Training Courses to the level
approved by the Uganda National
Examinations Board and the Directorate
of Industrial Training (DIT) of Uganda.
In the future, the Polytechnic will become a
University.
When I relocated to Kenya in the year 1981, I
served as Principal of the Church Army
Commercial College, preparing students for
Diplomas in Accounting and Finance, Certificate
in Secretarial Practice.
I graduated in Company Secretaryship and
Administration from the Faculty of Secretaries
and Administrators in Surrey, England.
I post graduated in Finance with the Institute of
Professional Financial Managers in the United
Kingdom (DIPFM).
I have the following professional qualifications:
• Fellow of the Faculty of Secretaries and
Administrators (UK)
• Fellow of the British Society of
Commerce (UK)
• Doctoral Fellow of the Institute of
Professional Financial Managers (UK)
• Authorized Accountant and Auditor of
Uganda
• Fellow of the Society of Sales and
Marketing (UK)
• Full Member of the Public Relations
Society of Kenya
• Fellow of The Institute of Management
Specialists (UK)
While doing the work of God, I started the
Evangelical Teacher Training Institute as a
Ministry and within the Institute I manage the
Evangelical Training Institute, where I train
students for the Graduate Diploma in Marketing.
This is the Institute which works with the St
Clements University Higher Education School –
Niue to prepare students for the notable Bachelor
of Applied Management Degree.
7
It is my desire to establish credible institutions
offering Academic and professional
qualifications up to Doctorate level.
I am also a professional Youth and Community
worker trained by the National College of the
YCMS in London.
The IMS recruitment campaign is going well and
we will soon realise the establishment of the IMS
Chapter in Kenya.
Among others in the list of founding the IMS
Chapter in Kenya, I am being assisted by:
i. Mr Meshack Mochaue Mochoge
AMIMS, FISSM (UK), Project
Management Consultant and
Treasurer with the University of
Nairobi Chuna Housing Co-operative
Society.
ii. Mr Kimiti BIB. FIMS (UK), C M E
UK Representative in Kenya.
iii. Madam Pamella Ajado FSSM (UK),
Office Manager – needy Youth Care
Non-Governmental organization in
Kenya.
iv. Charles Arson Avutia, Chartered
Institute of Marketing Post Graduate
Diploma holder and member of the
CIM; a college lecturer in Theory and
Practice of Marketing, Trainer of
Trainers in Marketing.
v. Stephen Kibet Koskei, B Educational
Management, Higher Education
Institution Manager.
Professor Dr Elias Avutia
FBSC, FFCSA, CCA, FIMS, FSSM, DIPFM
(UK), MPRSK (Kenya)
Academic Dean
St. Clements University, Higher Education
School Niue, Program
Kiwan Computer College
Mitihani House 1st Floor
Mfangano Street, Nairobi
Technician
• This grade is for those who have passed our Ordinary Diploma course in Financial Management.
Associate
• This grade is for those who have passed our Advanced Diploma course in Financial Management or have been Technicians for at least three years.
Fellow
• This grade is for those who have passed our Post-Graduate Diploma course in Financial Management or have been Associates for at least five years.
Doctoral Fellow • This grade is for those who have passed our Post-Graduate Diploma course in Financial Management and hold a
PhD/DBA from a recognised university.
Members of The Institute of Management Specialists can join IPFM on a reciprocal arrangement basis
without having to complete a further application form.
Institute of Professional Financial Managers (IPFM) (Registered as Professional UK Institute)
219 Bow Road, London E3 2SJ www.ipfm.org [email protected]
8
Report of the IMS Malaysia Chapter
by Dr Samuel T M Tan
BSc.(Hon). Ind.Eng., MBA-TQM., DBA, Comp.IMS., C.Prof.BTM., Comp.IManf.,
DIPFM., CDBA., FCMI., MCGI., FInstLM., MCQI CQP., CMC®
A message from the President of the Malaysia Chapter of
The Institute of Management Specialists
Greetings – from Malaysia. Once again, I would
like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Lynne
Sykes, our Executive Administrator for inviting
me to present this article in this column of our E-
Journal. In my last article in the IMS E-Journal of
July 2011, I reported the Malaysia Prime
Minister’s One Malaysia (1M) Concept and the
Malaysia new Economic Transformation
Programmes (ETP). These programmes are about
high income and total development for all
Malaysians. The entire transformation
programme is anchored on one over-riding aim –
to be a high income and developed nation by the
year 2020.
Quote: Sir Winston Churchill – “The empires of
the future are the empires of the mind”. It has
been said that a man is no greater than his dream
and his plan. Likewise a nation is no greater than
its vision and its plan. Occasionally, a nation is
blessed with a leader who is able to excite and
inspire its people to actively seek to achieve its
aspired status in the international ranking.
Personally, I consider Malaysia as one of the
lucky nations in this world to possess such a
magical inspiration. The One Malaysia (1M)
concept is already in place. The year 2020 is less
than eight years away, to speed up the various
processes in order to achieve the set goal,
Malaysia will need many more highly skilled and
knowledgeable professionals in its workforce.
This can only be achieved through Human
Capital development. The public at large has
shown great interest in assessing their respective
roles in moving towards this vision.
With this concept and drive, similar to Total
Quality Management philosophy, these
transformation programmes have begun from the
top and everybody, every function, every activity
and every sector gets involved. The Malaysia
Economic Transformation Programme is a
continuous improvement programme (so to say)
aimed towards a Total Development Concept and
ultimately raise the living standard and quality of
life for all her citizens. It is the enhancement to
the 1991 National Vision introduced by our
outspoken former Prime Minister – Tun Dr
Mahathir Mohamad. In our National Language
this vision is known as “WAWASAN 2020” or
“Vision 2020” in English. If you are a visitor to
Malaysia, I am sure you will notice this iconic
sign throughout Malaysia.
In line with the National Vision, Future Industrial
Management Consultancy, FIMC in short, which
proudly and prominently houses the Malaysia
Chapter of The Institute of Management
Specialists – United Kingdom, has pledged its
full support and is very much committed to this
noble cause. The IMS/FIMC Total Quality
Management Professional Diploma and Post
Graduate Diploma programmes, which have
already been effected in the first quarter of 2011,
The Institute of Management Specialists – United
Kingdom has achieved its mission in providing
individual recognition through its Certification
and Continuous Professional Development
programmes in Malaysia.
The IMS/FIMC TQM programme is a Vocational
Training and Life Long Learning programme
especially designed for adults and working
professionals. All its five training modules are
approved as public training programmes and are
registered with the Malaysia Ministry of Human
Resource. These programmes are Human
Resource Development Fund, (HRDF) claimable.
The HRDF is a national fund provided by the
Malaysian Government.
9
FIMC has planned to set up at least one training
centre in all major cities in the country. For more
information about these TQM programmes,
please visit our website at: http://cammgnt.com
or email to us at [email protected] or
[email protected]. All interested parties and
individuals are welcome to register on-line or
visit us at the following training centres to sign
up and enrol into this programme first hand.
FIMC Management Edu Sdn. Bhd. (Co. No. 952188 – H)
02-05 (BLOCK A), Jalan Permas Utara, Bandar Baru Permas Jaya,
81750 Johore Bahru, Johore Darul Takzim, Malaysia
Tel No: +607 2896389, H/P: +6016 7186389
Cambridge Training Sdn. Bhd. (Co. No. 802080 – M)
33-3A-1, Jalan Metro Perdana Barat 1,
Taman Usahawan Kepong Utara,
52100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel No: 603 6241 5211, Fax No: 603 6259 5455
The IMS Malaysia Chapter currently is managed
by five appointed committee members with the
undersigned as the Chairman of the committee.
All the five Committee Members are Business
Partners and Shareholders of FIMC. I would like
to take this opportunity to introduce the IMS
Malaysia Chapter’s Committee Members here in
this publication.
1. Mr Joseph Ong Tian You – Life Fellow, FIMS
2. Mr Teh Kim Guan – Life Fellow, FIMS
3. Mr Tony Cheah Cheng Hup – Life Fellow,
FIManf
4. Mr Gobalan A/L Kanaran – Fellow, FIMS
In mid June dated 16th
and 17th
2012, with one of
its partners’ training centre, Cambridge Training
Sdn. Bhd., FIMC has officially launched the
IMS/FIMC TQM Professional Diploma and Post
Graduate Diploma programmes. Incorporating
the IMS Membership initiative and a free
preview, the two day event was held in a 5 Star
Hotel in the Malaysian Capital City – Kuala
Lumpur.
In the coming months, many more launches will
be organized in major cities in Malaysia. FIMC is
looking beyond this, and plans of possible
cooperation with interested parties in Indonesian
and Vietnam have taken place and is currently
on-going. The recent event has drawn some 400
individuals and companies’ representatives. The
launch was a success though the turnout was not
high. Apparently, from our observation, it has
become evident that the recent launch of our
programmes has raised The Institute of
Management Specialists and the Malaysia
Chapter’s image to a greater height. It is indeed a
big leap forward. At the time of writing this
article, the FIMC database has registered more
than one thousand new enquiries. I am very
10
optimistic, the IMS membership initiative and the
IMS/FIMC TQM programmes will prevail and
will be commercially accepted in this part of the
world.
Last but not least, I would again like to thank our
Executive Administrator, Mrs Lynne Sykes for
her support and encouragement. I wish all at The
Institute of Management Specialists and its
Group Institutions many many more good years
to come. May I offer my service to you. Thank
you very much. Cheers.
Yours sincerely
Dr Samuel T M Tan
President, IMS – Malaysia Chapter
Dual Doctorate Degree Program
St Clements Private Swiss University and the Entrepreneurial University of Costa Rica have agreed to a joint
Doctorate Degree Program.
The program is based on an in depth researched study in any field of endeavour in business, management,
administration, commerce and many more areas. Students must prepare a dissertation in the usual style and format of
not less than 90,000 words (200 to 250 pages). However, before work starts, students must present a rationale of the
proposed work and the literature and research methods planned to cover the field completely.
The Doctor of Business Management focuses on the implementation, improvement and development of systems,
methods or means of using the knowledge in particular areas.
Study Area: The areas below are included into the student’s research area and are assignment based areas to cover the research
topic of the student. Each area requires a mini thesis of 8,000 words and each study area must have a bearing on the
topic of the dissertation of the DBM program.
• Strategic Management: Formulation, Implementation and Control
• Operations Management: Producing Goods and Services
• Research Methodology: Data Collection and Related Numerical Analysis
• Research Methods
• Statistical Probability and Related Analysis
• Quality Planning and Analysis
Dissertation – 90,000 words.
On the successful completion of this program graduates will receive two Doctorates, one from St Clements Private
Swiss University (Université Suisse Privée St Cléments) and one from Entrepreneurial University of Costa Rica
(Universidad Empresarial de Costa Rica).
Université Suisse Privée St Cléments is a private Swiss University registered in the Canton of Vaud. It is a candidate
for accreditation with the American Association of Higher Education and Accreditation.
Universidad Empresarial de Costa Rica is a private Costa Rica University licensed by the Costa Rica Ministry of
Higher Education and listed on the UNESCO list of international universities.
If you are interested and require further details please contact [email protected]
Doctor of Business Management Doctor of Business Administration in Management
11
The War for Talents: Attitude is the New Thinking of Management
by Dr Samuel Lartey, DLitt. www.carayolgh.com
The world of global
recruitment is changing
forever. For far too many
years the leading global
organizations have been
obsessed with academic
qualifications, leading to a
world where the top teams
are long on qualifications
but short on talents with the
right attitude, culture and experience.
This approach is fast becoming outdated and the
best of the best global businesses have been
making insightful changes to the way they recruit
and develop their new generation of talents. Gone
are the “job for life” days, where people would
learn a skill, or graduate from school, get a job,
fixate on the job, get promoted through the ranks
and stay loyal to one employer throughout their
career. This practice led to talents exaggerating
the financial success of the organization. They
saw the destiny of the organization hinged on its
financial performance.
Decision makers and managers in our businesses
and public institutions on this old road used to
look at CVs with five jobs on them in ten years
and immediately label the candidates
“butterflies”. But times have changed. More often
than not, the finest careers are now a series of
related and unrelated roles that show off the
previously unvalued qualities of being willing to
try things out, take risks and call upon as many
different experiences as possible. These new
talents serve as new blood to blend the old
talents. They have experienced different cultures
and are flexible at blending old and new cultures.
The aspect that has slowly dawned on the
business world is that the hungriest to succeed are
almost certainly not “lifers” anymore. Whereas in
the old days we hired mainly on skills, the
companies that now keep their noses ahead of the
chasing pack hire attitude.
Truth be told, the pendulum has started to swing
so much that it is becoming more and more
apparent that it’s harder to “unlearn” individuals
that have been in jobs for 20 years than it is to
develop new skills in those that have the fire and
the desire to be the best. After all, a person with a
bad attitude and lazy work ethic will always be
like that – regardless of how many skills and
qualifications they have. How many times have
you heard the expression, “hired for skills, fired
for attitude”?
Corporate skills can always be learnt afterwards
if the person “fits” your culture. The trick
contemporary leaders have adopted is to employ
people that are better than themselves. But to do
this means having the necessary confidence and
self-belief that are integral traits of any great
talent. On the old road, B grade managers will
hire C level talents and C grade managers will
hire D level employees. They make sure that the
managers always appear to be better than
everyone else.
The real difference comes with A grade
organizations. They employ the very best A+
candidates – the ones that will go the extra mile
to do better than them and take their business up
another level in the future. Dynamic
organizations are in dire need of talents. Not
talents entangled in academic qualifications but
talents fired with passion and with the right
attitude.
It is a common truth and clear to know that a
number of successful entrepreneurs and
employers have no trail of qualifications or letters
attached to their names. They are either school
drop outs or did not get to the University.
12
In a research I undertook recently, I posed a
question to an odd selection of stakeholders to
our business. The question was: “Who would you
want to lead our business?” The reactions were
rather worrying. They were all asking what our
college and university drop ins are adding to the
financial destiny of our organization. And that
they would prefer talents with attitude. The
majority of the responses I received from a
research I conducted revealed that our graduates
are embedding the legacy of our intellectual
fathers and producing either at par or below their
teachers.
But hey, don’t mess your organization up, you
need talents with education, you need the
brightest and best of talents. Let’s catch talents
with attitude. Be bold. Become the talent that will
make your employers proud.
About the Author: Samuel Lartey is a Turn-Around Expert, Business Development Consultant, accomplished
Chartered Project Director and an Expert in Financial Information and Management Systems. He is familiar with
multi-million dollar country-wide projects. He is a people’s coach, with a passion for implementing best practice
in corporate governance and operational leadership. He has a high sense of process efficiency in operational
improvement. He specializes in fine tuning business performance and increasing profitability.
Samuel is a Professor in Financial Information and Management Systems. This appointment came in view of his
business and professional acumen and extensive academic research. Plus, his excellent achievements with
international exposure experiences.
Samuel holds a Doctor of Letters (DLitt.) in Financial Information and Management Systems. He also holds a PhD
in Financial Management, M.B.A. in Management Information Systems, and a B.A. in Social Science. Samuel
specializes in corporate culture and career development. He picks his lessons from his learnings, experiences and
mentoring experiences gained from the very many organizations he worked in and the voard experiences gained
over time. He picked up his mentoring guidance from the world’s renowned business guru René Carayol, MBE.
CONSORTIUM OF PROFESSIONAL AWARDING BODIES (COPAB)
COPAB is the brainchild of a few internationally distinguished academics and professionals who agreed to set up
an umbrella professional body to set professional standards for professional awarding bodies not only in the
United Kingdom but also internationally.
COPAB is for professional awarding bodies representing educational, vocational, technical and
scientific fields world-wide. COPAB will work in partnership with colleges, universities, consultancies and all types
of businesses and industries to provide a coherent business and professional education to fulfil identified needs.
For further details and a Membership Pack please contact:
Professor Herbert Blankson, Secretary
Consortium of Professional Awarding Bodies
40 Archdale Road, East Dulwich, London SE22 9HJ, United Kingdom
Tel: 0845 260 2900 (Option 3); Fax: 0208 693 0555
Email: [email protected]
Website: Under construction
13
Profile of IMS Ghana Chapter Member:
Mr Godfred Kyei
CFM, FIPFM, FIMS (Dip.IMS), ECBA,
EMCBA, Intl. Dip in Fin, Acct & Mgt
Mr Godfred Kyei is the Manager, Operations of
Amanano Rural Bank Limited. He is an
accomplished Chartered Financial Manager
(CFM) from The Chartered Institute of
Professional Financial Managers, USA, a Fellow
of the Institute of Professional Financial
Managers (FIPFM), UK, and a Fellow of The
Institute of Management Specialists (FIMS), UK.
Mr Godfred Kyei started his banking career in
1999 with Weto Rural Bank Ltd in the Volta
Region and later served as an Assistant Banking
Officer for Akoti Rural Bank Limited for a period
of four years. Mr Godfred Kyei joined Amanano
Rural Bank Limited in 2004 as an Assistant
Manager and rose to the position of Manager,
Operations and currently the Deputy General
Manager.
Mr Kyei is a people’s coach with a passion for
implementing best practices in corporate
governance and operational leadership. As a
Professional Financial Manager, Mr Kyei
believes in establishing good practice and
relevant policies, procedures and good quality
standards in internal controls system in financial
organizations. Mr Kyei is an experienced banker
with expertise in Operations, Corporate Audit,
Controls, Credit Administration, Governance and
Business Leadership. He has a high level
knowledge, skills, tools and techniques in
managing operational process efficiency gained
from his training in Six Sigma to fine tune
business performances.
Mr Kyei has contributed immensely to the
success story of Amanano Rural Bank since 2004
with a total Asset increase of 1 million dollars to
over 8.3 million dollars. Mr Kyei has also helped
to improve the Bank’s performance in the
prestigious Ghana Best 100 Companies Ladder,
thus from 72nd
position in 2007 to 53rd
position in
2008 to 40th
position in 2009 to 25th
position in
2010 which is the latest. Finally, Mr Kyei has
improved the Bank’s operational performance
efficiency from 50% to 70% in year 2011 April
as per the onsite examinations conducted by the
Banking Supervision Department of the Central
Bank.
He also holds an Executive Certificate in
Business Administration, an Executive Mastery
Certificate in Business Administration and a
Certified Associate in Business Administration,
all from the Graduate School of Governance and
Leadership. Mr Kyei also holds an International
Diploma in Finance, Accounting and Business
Management from Cambridge International
College, UK. Mr Godfred Kyei is currently
pursuing his Master’s Degree in Financial
Management and has recently been approved by
IMS as a Specialised Financial Manager and is
mentored by Prof Dr Samuel Lartey.
14
Doing the Impossible
An extract from the book What Moves You: Are you inspirational?
by David B Lingiah, PhD, CompIMS
“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis is making three key points for
successful living, for goal achievement: What’s
necessary, what’s possible, doing the impossible.
But unless you START to take the first step you
will never achieve the impossible, let alone doing
what’s necessary. Everything is in our grasp.
ACTION is the requirement. Dreaming will not
achieve the goal; praying will only prepare one
for action but not for achieving anything in the
end. ONLY by being up and doing will one
accomplish even that which at first appears
impossible. “I find that the harder I work the
more luck I seem to have,” Thomas Jefferson.
Dr Laura De Giorgio, in an article, Doing the Impossible, pointed out the requirements to
achieve the impossible: “The first requirement is
that YOU MUST WANT IT. It has to be YOUR
DREAM, not someone else’s dream. The idea of
accomplishing this “impossible” dream has to be
EXCITING to you. It is not enough that you
merely wish you had that experience, you must
DESIRE it with your entire being. You have to
FEEL the FIRE of that DESIRE burning within
you, consuming your entire being. It is this fire
that will BURN AWAY and consume all the
obstacles in your way.”
She added: “Take some time EVERY DAY to
DO SOMETHING that seems a bit “impossible”
for you. You can only develop your powers and
abilities through practice and application. You
will not just wake up one morning and become
something or somebody else. The world belongs
to those who dare – to follow their own hearts, to
give all they’ve got to bring about their own
dreams. That is also the secret of happiness.”
“Every accomplishment starts with the decision
to try.” Don’t wait until everything is just right. It
will never be perfect. There will always be
challenges, obstacles and less than perfect
conditions. So what? Get started now. With each
step you take, you will grow stronger and
stronger, more and more skilled, more and more
self-confident and more successful. The decision
is to try. Rabindranath Tagore was right when he
wrote: “You can’t cross the sea merely by
standing and staring at the water.” Cross now!
After reading these quotes one can understand
what St Francis is really saying about achieving
the impossible. So, let’s start by DOING!
About the Author: David B Lingiah, BA (Hons) graduated from Glasgow Caledonian University and later obtained his MA
in Counselling Studies, Knightsbridge University. He holds a PhD in psychology from Ansted University and was awarded a
dual degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) Health Psychology from both Ansted University and Universidad Empresarial de
Costa Rica (UNESCO listed). David was appointed external professor in psychotherapy and psychology for Ansted University
where he serves as an Honorary Council member of the Board. He is a Fellow and Diploma holder of ABMPP (American
Board of Medical Psychotherapists), member of COSCA (Scottish Counselling & Psychotherapy Association) and overseas
member of the SPP (Society of Psychologists & Psychotherapists of Mauritius). David is a prolific writer and has contributed
to several papers, magazines and websites, both in the United Kingdom and Mauritius. He has published books on health,
counselling/psychology; he has also edited/proofread a number of papers and books/manuscripts on counselling/social work.
He is a member of the International Writers and Artists Association (IWA), USA. He serves as counsellor/advisor to Victim
Support Mauritius, and a counsellor to Addiction Recovery Centre, Glasgow. He is 68 years old. He has lived in Glasgow for
over 40 years, is married and has two sons.
WHAT MOVES YOU: Are you inspirational? David B. Lingiah, PhD (ISBN: 078-0-9511450-1-2)
can be obtained from: Dr D B Lingiah, 7 Glenwood Gardens, Lenzie, Glasgow, G66 4JP
Email: [email protected] Telephone: 0141 5784168
15
Web Site: www.scusuisse.ch Email: [email protected]
Master of E-Commerce St Clements Private Swiss University offers a Master of E-Commerce in co-operation with the Faculty
of Professional Business and Technical Management (FPBTM). It is tutored by St Clements University
Academic Support Centre in South China University of Technology – School of Commerce, Guangzhou –
China.
Most MBA graduates would be given exemptions for most of the elective course work to complete the four
core subjects. They would also gain an Executive Diploma in Technology from the Faculty of Professional
Business and Technical Management (UK).
Compulsory Subjects:
E-Commerce Business Operations E-Commerce Business Management
Information Systems designed for Business Computer Networks and Internet Marketing
Plus 5 subjects from the list below:
Marketing Management Management Information Systems Economic Models and Policy
Organizational Behavior Financial Accounting Corporate Finance
Technology Management Total Quality Management Operations Management
Project Management Research Methodology Database Systems
Business Data Communications Applied Computing II Programming in Java
Software Engineering Multimedia Systems Foundations of Finance
Management for Managers Strategic Management Advanced Accounting
Managerial Control Management for Design Manufacturing Management
Production Management Quantitative Methods Programming in Visual C++
Business System Development Applied Computing I Visual Computing
E-Commerce Object-Oriented Analysis & Design IT Management
Computer Integrated Manufacturing Management
Plus any other subject approved by the Course Director.
Course Completion: Four (4) of the topics must be examined by the writing of an 8000–12000 word
thesis relating the subject material to an applied situation. The other subjects can be assessed by invigilated
examination, open book examination, assignments or thesis projects as per what is set by the subject
Course Director.
Cost USD$8500 – IMS members receive a 50% Scholarship
������������� ����������������� ����������������� ����������������� ����������� ������������� ������������� ������������� ����������
16
Building an effective team to ensure the realization of organizational goals
and objectives: Issues for reflection by non governmental organizations
by Dr Oyat Christopher (D. Litt, CDBA, CompIMS, FIBR)
1.0 General Introduction
1.1 Background The impetus for preparing this article has been
provided in part by my recent examination of
existing conceptualizations of the challenges
facing organizations in developing economies
like Uganda, that are working towards building
effective and efficient organizations. It is a fact
that realizing organizational goals and specific
objectives can only be guaranteed when effective
teams are built through deliberate top
management proactive efforts (Francis W.
Mulwa, 2007).
It should be noted that today several
organizations have gradually come to the
realization that effective teams represent a proven
means by which productivity and performance
can be assured. Various Industry surveys,
particularly in the manufacturing and non-
governmental organizations seem to suggest that
over two-thirds of all organizations’ activity
encourage teams. The actual nature of teams is of
prime importance, and their creation is of
particular relevance to human resources
management (Jonathan Sutherland and Diana
Canwell, 2006). Essentially, it is noted that there
are different types of teams as emphasized by
Jonathan and Dianne. They note that all teams
have a degree of authority, autonomy or
empowerment.
We should appreciate that empowered teams are
usually given the authority to plan and implement
improvements. Self directed teams are virtually
autonomous and are mainly responsible for
supervisory issues. While cross-functional teams
are more complex as they involve various
individuals from different departments and/or
levels of management, who are working towards
a common end (Ibid).
It is vital that once teams have been created in
organizations, with a degree of authority
delegated to them, management and human
resources departments need to step back and
allow them to develop and learn how the new
working practices will operate. The management
and the human resources departments should
retain the responsibility of monitoring and
motivating the teams and their members to
succeed. This then requires effective
communication skills and a feedback system to
enable teams to request additional assistance
should it be required.
1.2 The Problem It is clear from these brief conceptualizations that
the task of building effective teams is a multi-
dimensional one that demands for multifactor
solutions and approaches. In the context of NGOs
and/or CBOs operating in developing economies,
reports have indicated that such organizations fail
to effectively and efficiently realize their
attendant goals and specific objectives mainly
because of limited efforts and attachment of
value placed in building strong and robust teams
in organizations. There appears to be a lot of
unnecessary effort and resources placed on the
hard end results and outcomes of development
interventions rather than on creating effective
teams. Francis W. Mulwa (2007) notes, for
example, that in the case of the directive
approach to project planning by a manager
(Single-handed leadership style), although the
style may save time, but it is evident this will be
without consequences in its implementation, for
example, the whole project is bound to take
longer in its execution due to confusion,
misunderstandings and rework; usually team
members have little understanding of the project
as a whole or how their work fits into the bigger
picture; and there is little team ownership and
commitment to the project or program
monitoring, implementation and evaluation
(Martin and Tate, 2001).
17
This research article attempts to address this
foregoing concern based on one assumption,
namely that the main cause and result of
ineffective and inefficient organizations is rooted
in the fact that most organizations and managers
do not place adequate effort, time and financial
resource to empower teams to succeed so that
organizational goals and specific objectives are
ultimately fully accomplished.
1.3 Overall objective To establish the importance and values of
building an effective and efficient team so that
organizational goals and specific objectives are
achieved.
1.3.1 Specific objectives (a) To clarify the meaning of team and team
building;
(b) To examine the nature of teams and team
building;
(c ) To determine how effective teams are built in
organizations; and
(d) To establish how teams can be empowered so
that organizational goals and specific objectives
can be met.
2.0 Concept of a team and team building According to Stephen P. Robbin (2001) groups
and teams are not the same thing. A group is
considered as composed of two or more
individuals interacting and are interdependent on
one another, and have come together to achieve
particular objectives. A work team refers to a
group whose individual efforts result in a
performance that is greater than the sum of the
individual inputs. This definition helps
management to clarify why so many
organizations have recently restructured work
processes around teams. Management of an
organization tends to look for that positive
synergy that will allow the organization to
increase performance. The extensive use of teams
creates the potential for an organization to
generate greater outputs without so many inputs
involved.
2.1 Types of Teams Although Jonathan and Dianne (2006) gave
descriptions regarding different types of teams,
Stephen P. Robbin (2001) attempted to throw
more light in respect to their constituents
(problem solving teams, self managed teams,
cross-functional teams and virtual teams).
A problem solving team is composed of usually 5
to 12 employees from the same department who
meet for a few hours to specifically address the
problem at hand. Members share ideas and make
suggestions in respect to how a problem should
be tackled. In self managed teams, there is
autonomy. Self managed work teams are groups
of employees typically 10 to 15 in number who
perform highly related or interdependent jobs and
take on many of the responsibilities of their
former supervisors. Cross-functional teams refer
to employees from about the same hierarchical
level but from different work areas who come
together to accomplish a task. While a task force
is considered as a temporary cross-functional
team and the constituted committee members are
groups of people made up of members from
cross-departmental lines. And virtual teams use
computer technology to tie together physically
dispersed members in order to achieve a common
goal. They allow people to collaborate on-line
using communication links such as wide area
networks, video conferencing, or e-mails –
whether they are only a room away or continents
apart.
2.2 Integrated Organization Model (IOM) and
team building Each and every organization operates in an
environment. One of the models that is used to
explain the operation of organizations is the
“Integrated Organization Model”. This model
emphasizes the interrelationships of the different
elements of an organization; although the
elements can, to a certain extent be treated
separately, but on the whole they are all
connected to each other, and ideally in balance.
When there is no clear balance (fit) between the
different elements within an organization or
organizational unit, the organization will not
perform optionally and the need for
organizational change will be or become apparent
(Richard Pettinger, 2006). In specific terms, IOM
is an instrument for description, analysis,
interpretation and diagnosis of an organization.
18
It offers an overall tool to put the various
elements of an organization in their rightful
places, be it a government department, a non-
governmental organization, a local government, a
people’s organization or a private enterprise –
wherever in the world (DANIDA Training
Manual, 2001).
This model is illustrated below:
Figure 1: Showing an Integrated Organization Model components
Source: Adapted from DANIDA Training Manual, on Institutional Development and Organizational Strengthening (2001).
For the main purpose of team building, we will
focus on the circle dealing with organizing
elements. There are seven elements to be
reckoned with as follows: organizational strategy,
structure, systems, style of management, staffing,
skills and shared values. Each of these elements
when well handled in practical terms can
effectively lead to the realization and
establishment of an effective and efficient team
in an organization. Let us handle each of these:
Strategy: Staff of an organization especially
those on programs/projects should be conversant
with the organization’s strategy. A strategy refers
to how things should be done in an organization.
Members of a team should be facilitated and
unified around approved and appropriate
strategies to realize results. There should be
consensus in respect to the best options or
alternatives to be adopted for action.
Structure: This should clearly demonstrate and
detail responsibility centres and reporting lines. A
clear and approved organizational structure
enhances team building process and leads to the
realization of the organization’s aims and
objectives. It averts potential conflicts from
developing and erupting in the organization.
Systems: It is through properly established
systems that the daily and long term functioning
of the organization is steered clearly in the right
direction. Clear, simple and approved policies,
rules and regulations make organizational work
easier and properly executed.
Style of management: Effective teams are those
that embrace and promote participatory, team and
democratic methods of governance.
General environmental factors
Specific environmental factors
Inputs Outputs
Outcomes
Organizing elements
19
Staffing: The main question to be asked by
members of top management is: do we have the
right number of staff members working in all
departments or divisions so that organizational
aims and objectives can be effectively and
efficiently executed? Note that an effective team
is composed of the right size of staff working in
all the departments or divisions. In this respect,
there should be neither overstaffing nor
understaffing if effective and efficient work is to
be executed.
Skills: In all the teams/departments, we should
ask our self the main question; are staff members
equipped with the requisite knowledge and
experience to do their respective work properly?
Note that sufficient skills in a department
strengthen team spirit and building process,
thereby leading to effective execution of tasks
and responsibilities.
Shared values: Values are established beliefs that
organizational members trust in, and are bound
with in as far as work operations are concerned.
A successful organization should develop and
approve its cherished and shared values, and all
staff members should be seen to comply with
them.
These seven (7) organizing elements if properly
nurtured and built on, not only strengthen team
building, but can go a long way to ensure that the
organization realizes its established goals and
specific objectives.
3.0 Methods of Study This study and article presentation is basically a
case study with a strong component of qualitative
approach. It is enriched with a descriptive cross-
sectional design. The author generated most of
the data from the staff members of Winrock
International – NUDEIL. The latter is an
international NGO operating in four districts in
northern Uganda. Its headquarters is in Little
Rock, Arkansas in United States of America. The
author was hired as a consultant to facilitate the
team building workshop which took place on
August 6th
, 2010 in Gulu town located in northern
Uganda. Thirty four (34) staff members working
in four districts participated in the one day
workshop. The staff members were divided into
three groups within the framework of focus group
discussions. Each group made a presentation on
the theme of effective team building, facilitated
by the consultant. Useful ideas were generated
from the staff (Dr. Oyat Christopher: Report on
Effective team building dated August 6th
2010).
Besides, the consultant used a report generated
from ACORD staff in 2005 (Human Resources
and Organizational Development Advisor Annual
Report, 2005) to generate additional data. It was
also vital to elicit data from relevant text books
and other authentic materials as indicated in the
reference list. In a sense, the article benefits from
a wide cross section of data – both primary and
secondary sources.
4.0 Results Based on the aggregated and analyzed
information from the staff of Winrock
International – NUDEIL and ACORD (an
international British based charity working in
Uganda), supported by other secondary sources
of data, the following are crucial issues that non
governmental organizations should pay close
attention to in as far as effective and efficient
team building is concerned:
• At various management levels of executing
duties and responsibilities, each team unit should
set clear goals or objectives to be achieved within
a specified period of time by the members, and
that all members should work together towards
its realization, monitoring and subsequent
evaluation. Evaluation is important in the sense
that it enables team members to review
achievement of objectives, and look forward to
even making improvements.
• Each department or unit of work should
clearly define the scope of work to be
accomplished, its geographical coverage with
clear allocation of duties and responsibilities.
And this should be closely monitored and
evaluated to inform best practices that could be
adopted if need be.
• At various levels of management – top, middle
and lower levels, there should be clear and
effective coordination of activities by all parties
in the department/unit, and the organization as a
20
whole. It is revealed that many organizations tend
to fail to realize their goals and objectives in a
situation where there is poor coordination of
activities and efforts.
• Coordination is linked to the notion of
effective communication and information
sharing. It is noted that there is a tendency by
many top management officials to hide vital
organizational information that are considered
crucial in the realization of organizational aims
and objectives. When for example, program staff
members are in the dark in respect to relevant and
salient matters pertaining to work, the end result
is usually apathy, ineffectiveness and inefficiency
in the execution of tasks and responsibilities.
• It is important that all staff members are
conversant with binding organizational policies,
rules, regulations and other program documents if
effective teams are to be built to yield positive
results. This means that as soon as staff members
are recruited and selected to perform different
tasks and obligations, it becomes crucial that an
induction exercise is organized for them. To
enable the proper integration of staff members
into the work environment, the staff members
who have joined the organization should be fully
inducted. This further implies that an
organization should have an induction manual
available in the organization and preferably at the
custody and operationalization by the human
resources department/section.
• The need to emphasize mutual respect towards
one another is vital. Undermining staff efforts,
creativity and innovative ideas is wrong and is
known to lead to apathy and team spirit
degeneration.
• Effective time management in respect to tasks
and obligations to be executed should be
observed.
• Capacity building of staff members of the
organization is critical to sustained and effective
organizational performance. Training gaps should
be identified early enough and attendant actions
be taken so that staff can ultimately perform to
the best of the organization’s expectation. The
human resource department/unit/section should
be instrumental in “Training Needs Assessment”
(TNA) and its subsequent implementation. Note
that complying with staff training and
development concerns is a motivation for
effective and efficient team building.
• Each and every staff should be in possession
of a detailed job description, spelling out clearly
the attendant duties and responsibilities among
other matters. It becomes difficult to hold a staff
member accountable when there is either a
substandard job description produced or not at all
in place. Staff induction process should as well
encompass emphasis being placed on the
implementation of the duties and responsibilities
spelt out in the respective staff job descriptions.
• Organizations should have clear structures
spelling out responsibility centres as well as
reporting lines, both vertical and horizontal
relationships. This should be clear enough to
avoid confusion and misunderstandings.
Conflicts can arise when the organization’s
structure is not clear and transparent enough.
• It became clear from the focus groups
discussions that both the mid-year and annual
staff appraisal exercises should be transparent
and inclusive. It was noted that some supervisors
in some organizations do not fully involve the
staff to be appraised in the process of appraisal.
This means that areas for improvement are not
brought frankly and openly to the attention of the
staff. This behaviour by some line managers
amounts to witch-hunting and mere fault finding.
This attitude and practice leads to a scenario
where staff members are demoralized and
commitment dampened.
• Effective and timely accountability and
transparency in handling organizational resources
are critical and significant. At various levels of
management, line managers or supervisors should
be transparent to their subordinates. All the staff
members within the department/division of work
should be made to know how resources are
utilized. They should as well be duly involved in
the decision making process including allocation
of resources at that level.
• In the recruitment and selection of staff
members for the various advertised positions, due
attention should be taken in the matter of
analyzing and recommending for “person
specifications” in relation to particular jobs
advertised. Identifying the right person, at the
right time and to be in the right place is crucial.
21
An organization should not hurry to recruit and
select staff members because program or project
work has to be quickly executed within a
particular timeframe. Being patient and
investigative is imperative to avoid bringing on
board a wrong staff member.
• Inclusive management style especially by top
management or line managers cultivates the sense
of team spirit and building, thereby enabling and
ushering in the situation where organizational
aims and objectives can be effectively
implemented.
• It came out clearly that a high performing
team is the one where the members are self-
driven and self-motivated to execute attendant
duties and responsibilities without compulsion
and sustained supervision.
• Finally, it was revealed that a positive attitude
of staff members of a given organization is
crucial in enhancing and consolidating team spirit
and building. The question goes back to the
subject of individual personality make up. So, it
is important during the recruitment and selection
process that sufficient time is given to thoroughly
assess one’s personality. Equally important, top
management of an organization should cultivate
the spirit and culture of staff members possessing
the right and positive attitudes and mentality
towards organization’s work.
5.0 Conclusions and Recommendations It is important to assert that the findings and
discussions in this article were limited to non-
governmental organizations. To this extent, the
following are the main conclusions and
recommendations to be reckoned with by
organizations and managers:
• Managers and supervisors should have
sufficient time to sit down with members of their
teams to discuss ways to improve performance.
Managers and supervisors should always be
visible and accessible by subordinates so that
personal and professional support can be
provided. We should equally note that in an
empowered team, it is part of everyone’s job to
review performance and take responsibility for
helping to improve it.
• Managers and supervisors should listen and
appreciate concerns of subordinate staff
members. If someone does come out with an
idea, this should be listened and properly
attended to. Most organizations and managers are
reluctant to change how they do things.
Sometimes this can be a good thing. But
institutional lethargy holds back important new
ideas.
• Lack of openness between managers/
supervisors and their teams on the basis of what
is called “closed door policy” is disastrous for an
organization. As noted earlier on, one of the most
important roles of managers/supervisors is to
listen to their workforce and be seen to take a
keen interest in their work – management by
working about. Managers or supervisors should
create opportunities for team members to express
their ideas freely and openly, or else the
workforce will not get involved thereby leading
to apathy and team spirit degeneration.
• In many organizations, many leaders do not
take instant action until problems become so
serious that they hit management in the face. Top
management staff should always identify trouble
spots early enough and develop effective ways of
handling them in advance before they erupt to
cause commotions. They should as well avoid the
scenario of unilaterally coming out with possible
solutions and imposing them on the team
members. This arrangement and conduct of
business is common in organizations, and rarely
achieves much.
• Many leaders of organizations ask their
employees for ideas about how to improve
performance. Employees would then respond fast
enough and accordingly, but to their dismay, it
would take top management too long to respond
or implement the good ideas or recommendations
generated. There is poor speed of response to
concerns of staff members. This is dangerous and
should always be avoided to sustain staff interest,
zeal and curiosity in the work of the organization.
• All staff members of a given organization
should appreciate the value of effective
accountability of resources at each one’s
disposal. Transparency is important in relating
with one another, and especially when accounting
for organizational resources.
• Regular staff meetings to diffuse possible
tensions or conflicts are imperative. Departmental
22
/sectional/unit meetings led by, say the team
leader on a weekly basis is preferable and
encouraged.
• Participatory and team management style
should always be promoted at various levels of
leadership. Ideas should be openly discussed and
approved so that a particular position is “owned”
by the staff members.
• Clear and transparent communication channels
should always be made known to all staff
members, and should form the basis of staff
relationships and work ethics.
• Staff members of the organization should
respect and celebrate diversity. Irresponsible
discrimination should be discouraged, and access
to equal opportunities be accorded to all staff
members of the organization at various levels of
management. The human resource policy and the
code of conduct document of the organization
should clearly reflect this position.
REFERENCES � DANIDA (2001), Training Manual: Institutional Development and Organizational Strengthening, Copenhagen, DANIDA.
� Dr. Oyat Christopher (August 6th
2010), Final Report on Building an Effective Team: Key issues for consideration, Gulu, Uganda.
� Dr. Oyat Christopher (December 2005),
ACORD, Northern Uganda Annual Report, Gulu,
ACORD, Uganda.
� Francis W. Mulwa (2007), Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of Community Projects, Eldoret, Zapf Chancery publishers.
� Jonathan Sutherland and Dianne Canwell
(2006), Key Concepts in Management, London,
Palgrave Macmillan.
� Martin P. and Tate K. (2001), Getting Started in Project Management, New York, John Wiley
and Sons, Inc.
� Richard Pettinger (2006), Organizational Behavior, London, Palgrave Macmillan.
� Stephen P. Robbin (2001), Organizational Behavior, New York, Pearson education Asia.
About the Author: Dr Oyat Christopher is a Lecturer in Gulu University. He holds a Doctorate Degree in
Business Organization with a specialization in Community Organizations. He has executed several consultancy
services and capacity building programs with many local and international organizations. He has great passion and
interest in working with NGOs or CBOs. Dr. Oyat Christopher is both a respected academician and an experienced
management professional and scholar, known nationally and internationally.
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This year has been exciting and challenging; I run training courses for nationals from Africa to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) / Former Soviet Union (FSU) countries, from China and Russia to the rest of the world…
USP My USP – unique selling point – is very simple and effective: You and your clients require very specific topics and I generate unique, thought provoking and exciting training courses, considerably more competitive than other similar training course providers. Time and again I have demonstarted to my clients and their customers that my amazing training courses cost up to 50% less compared with other similar training courses.
CLIENTS’ FEEDBACK Clients’ feedback has remained consistent and excellent. Clients remark on the high quality of the training and its entertaining value.
ETHICS’ CORNER-STONE In all my training courses below I emphasise honesty, integrity, transparency, and acting in the best interests of clients, and avoiding conflict of interest:
• Treasury, ROI, and Financial analysis and statements
• Financial crisis and the Great Depression
• US, UK and European scandals and failed economic models!
• Austrian School of Economics, its model and characteristics
• Governance, HR, change, compliance & risk management
• Asset management and Anti-money laundering
• Solvency 2 directive, Basel 3 directive, and FSA/PRA/IFRS regulations
• Why Basel 2 banking regulation failed and why Basel 3 will fail!
• MiFID (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) and Dodd Frank Act
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act and COSO (Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission) model
• ITIL/COBIT (Information Technology Infrastructure Library/Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology) frameworks
• Corporate business development stages and financial life cycles and types
• Greiner’s, Adizes’, Lermack’s, Helfert’s, Kondratiev, and Elliott’s wave theories, lifecycle analysis and applications
• Analysis and lessons learnt from unethical and illegal financial trading and high-risk questionable banking practices that cost us billions
• Zombie and failed banks, including case studies and bailouts
• Analysis and lessons learnt from Kleptocracy, banksters’ and financial terrorists’ misconduct to defraud customers and tax payers!
• Consequences of bypassing Dodd Frank Act and Paul Volcker rule!
• Unethical practices of re-hypothecation, repo 105 and 108, propriety trading
• Monte Carlo simulation for effective risk analysis and VaR (value at risk) model Constructive comments and enquiries are welcome!
Leading consultants and trainers in HR, finance, compliance, change, quality & risk management – division of Peach Alternative Energy
Abrahami Compliance Associates, Highview House, 35 Highview Avenue,
Edgware, Middlesex, England HA8 9TX, Telephone: + 44 [0]208 123 4143
- www.abrahami.co.uk - [email protected]
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