Globally-renowned HR Guru Prof. Dave Ulrich’s reflections on Sri Lanka

Monday, 5 May 2014 00:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Following are excerpts of an interview with globally-renowned HR Guru Prof. Dave Ulrich By Dinesh Weerakkody Q: To begin, this was your second 18-hour visit to Sri Lanka after six years. What would you say were the key highlights? A: I have just returned from a marvellous set of experiences in Sri Lanka. As I reflect on these meetings, I am left with an incredible spirit of vitality, optimism, and enthusiasm for the future. I was able to meet with Government leaders and political leaders who are committed to economic and social development through collaboration with government, industry, education, and labour stakeholders. Their shared commitment for the next generation will certainly help them to build the workforce for Sri Lanka’s future.

I was able to meet with a broad spectrum of CEOs who are building both competitive and compassionate organisations. Competitive organisations sustain success by doing what customers need and want in ways that competitors cannot readily copy. These wise executives are building a strong foundation of financial, strategic, and operational platforms onto which they create organisations that flourish to respond to changing business conditions. These leaders are committed to investing in talent by ensuring competent and committed employees, in leadership by preparing successors, and in organisation cultures by creating great places to work. When this commitment to competitiveness comes with a sense of personal compassion, individuals who work in these organisations are much more productive and experience greater personal well-being. In some specific companies, the results are startling as these companies are growing both financial and social results. Most impressive is that these successful companies are turning customer expectations into employee commitments. They are discovering what targeted customers want and need; and they are making sure that employees throughout their organisation anticipate and meet those needs. Quiet acts of customer service become loud statements of sustained success. Q: You met many of our business leaders in many settings. Your thoughts? A: I was able to meet again with some remarkable individuals. Organisations don’t think; people do. The people I met in my visit to Sri Lanka were thoughtful. Some are writing books; others are discovering innovative solutions to problems; and most are committed to learning and improving. Those I met are gracious. An indicator of an effective leader is that someone leaves the leader’s presence feeling better about

themselves. I left my meetings with those I met feeling better not only about myself, but also about my hopes for the country. A leader asked me, “How do you measure organisation effectiveness and progress?” Sometimes we can find analytical tools to track how we are doing through surveys, statistics, and facts. At other times, we can observe, sense, and feel that progress is being made. In Sri Lanka, I experience both. The econometric data validates the observational positive mood with those I met. Organisations like CIMA are making wise investments in the social and leadership infrastructure of the country, of companies, and of individuals. Q: You had a meeting with Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal. Any outcomes? A: It was a delight to meet with Governor Cabraal and share ideas about Sri Lanka’s economic development and also how other countries in the region are responding to some of the talent challenges within their countries. As we discussed, this is a time of great opportunity as Sri Lanka’s economy has been stabilised and has become more productive in recent years. Looking forward, we discussed future economic challenges and how to create opportunities for labour to become more productive and also the role the public service should play in that journey. "Organisations don’t think; people do. The people I met in my visit to Sri Lanka were thoughtful. Some are writing books; others are discovering innovative solutions to problems; and most are committed to learning and improving. Those I met are gracious. An indicator of an effective leader is that someone leaves the leader’s presence feeling better about themselves. I left my meetings with those I met feeling better not only about myself, but also about my hopes for the country Sri Lanka leaders need to prepare their country for the present as well as for the future generations; it must define its economic future and create human capital that can accomplish that future. Singapore has done this so well. There is so much to learn from them"

Q: For our labour to become more and more productive, we would need to improve the delivery of knowledge and also to successfully move our young people from education to employment. In your view, what talent interventions would work well and how can these interventions be scaled up for maximum impact? A: Firstly, employment starts by being explicit about the types of employment opportunities that would be most beneficial for the country and generally should reflect the mood of the economy as shown in the table. With the stage(s) of economic development identified, government policy may then encourage both education and employment in those targeted industries. Secondly, the talent interventions in my view would include: a. Government subsidising (through direct grants, tax abatements, or investments) targeted industries to encourage their growth. b. Government learning about key success factors in targeted industry groups through best practice studies or industry forums. c. Sponsored education with student scholarship, faculty research grants, and degrees focused on targeted industries. Student scholarships may include education opportunities in the world’s top academic institutions to gain insight about the targeted area. d. Government co-sponsored education to employment transitions, e.g., government paying a portion of one to three years of salary for targeted industries for qualified employees e. Government and industry co sponsoring training initiatives where employees may attend consortia or focused events to acquire skills to participate in targeted industry

Q: The other challenge we have as a country is reforming the school-system and the higher education system to meet the needs of the economy. How should we address that? A: As noted above, higher education becomes more effective when focused on targeted industries. Higher education success is often tied to investments in both physical facilities (campus, technology, infrastructure) and faculty resources. In many ways physical education investments are easier, requiring money and space. Acquiring faculty resources becomes more difficult, but higher qualified faculty are key to higher qualified students. Increasing faculty quality may come from alliances with top universities in other countries and/or from sponsoring faculty to gain credibility and reputation through research. However, broader school system reform is more complex, difficult, and prolonged. It requires investing in education through

Physical facilities: making sure that primary schools have excellent locations, up to date technology (students with access to internet), and teaching materials
Career opportunities: making sure teachers are respected and paid to attract more qualified teachers.
Differentiating students: identifying and investing in more academically oriented students to encourage their development while simultaneously investing in students who may go into trades
Family support: helping families and extended families recognise and invest in the development of the next generation. Much of the commitment to learning comes within the home.
School standards: creating objective and global standards for school performance and establishing incentives for school to meet those standards e.g., student test scores
School governance: establishing clear processes for decision making and accountability for school governance. My leaning is generally to reduce bureaucracy you need to invest more authority in local school leaders (e.g., principals). But, this should start with a government commission to establish a framework for governance (roles, rules, responsibilities)

Q: Moving on, in my view there are four key stakeholders in our journey to become a middle income country. How do we ensure these four stakeholders work together? A: Yes, I see four stakeholders who each bring key expertise to the table and they need to work together to ensure economic prosperity: 1.Government: set policy, establish regulation, acts as a role model, target investment in infrastructure; initiate initiatives 2.Education: develop talent, build future knowledge workers 3.Labour: ensure competence and commitment of work force and ensure they continually learn 4.Industry: create global competitiveness and leverage organisation successes to create new opportunities However, these four groups have different agendas and aspirations, but they need to share a common agenda for building Sri Lanka’s economic future. Creating this cooperation among these groups may come from: 1.Established councils (e.g., council of economic advisors or council of education thought leaders) who monitor particular areas of the economy 2.Joint task forces across the four groups targeting specific problems or questions that might arise (e.g., selecting an economic target for the country) 3.Cooperation ventures across the groups, e.g., industry internships for education opportunities. 4.Find common ground with simple pilots and successes, e.g., an industry targeted magnet school where government, industry and education work together to grow future workforce Q: My final question to you is, how do we build leadership capacity in the public sector? A: There are two parts to this question: General Civil Service reform and specific leadership training for the civil service. Civil Service transformation helps to ensure that Sri Lankan Government services are designed to deliver value to citizens and residents of the country. Sri Lanka government should operate both efficiently and effectively. It should be an institution that has a clear sense of purpose, vision and values. It should be an institution whose purpose, vision and values are formulated to enhance the well being of its collective internal and external stakeholders. It should also be an institution that translates its purpose, vision and values into reality through effective leadership and HR development policies and practices. At another level, the ability of the Civil Service to reform helps shape an overall identity for Sri Lanka. Government becomes an example of not only how government works, but also how the broader society can and should function including the private sector and social institutions (NGOs). A company and a nation may have an identity or “brand” that infuses itself throughout a society. This brand defines what the country is known for; how it builds on its past to prepare for its future; how it innovates; how it governs, makes decisions, and allocates resources; how it develops human capability; and how it turns values and beliefs into actions and practices through people and organisation. When the Sri Lanka Civil Service defines and models the broader Sri Lanka brand, many stakeholders who comprise the fabric of the society are benefited. The stakeholders of the Sri Lanka identify include:

Industry: within large and small, public and private corporations, values and actions are demonstrated that reflect an identity
Education: in an increasingly knowledge economy, education of both children and adults becomes a critical piece of a successful society
Regulatory bodies: the ways in which legislation is created and enforced ensures political and societal stability
Partners: in a border-less global society, any country forms partnerships with others. These partnerships enable the country to grow and influence beyond its borders
Family: much, if not most, of a society’s values are defined, communicated, and transferred within a family. Parents who accept the responsibility and obligation of investing in future generations improve on the past.
Community: a community exists through investments in infrastructure (roads, communication, etc.), cultural investments (museums, arts, leisure activities), and moral expectations (beliefs and values).

When these stakeholders understand and embody the Sri Lanka identity, they create a strong society that is able to succeed not only in the present, but also in the future. The ultimate outcome of all this is the creation of a society that has the ability to create opportunities for future generations. Sri Lanka leaders need to prepare their country for the present as well as for the future generations; it must define its economic future and create human capital that can accomplish that future. Singapore has done this so well. There is so much to learn from them. The second part of my answer is building leadership within the Sri Lanka public service I would suggest four key steps that the Sri Lanka public sector could follow to make the public service more skilled, digital and unified 1.Create a business case: establish the rational for why improved leadership matters for the Sri Lanka public sector (to meet goals, to be a trend setter, to serve employees, to meet citizen expectations, etc.) 2.Define leadership brand: based on above discussion, define the standards and criteria (competencies) for an effective Sri Lanka public servant. These should include what we call the Code (leadership basics) and the differentiators (the unique qualities of Sri Lanka civil service) 3.Assess leaders: find out how leaders are doing and living these standards 4.Develop leaders: create leadership development opportunities: a. On the job: assignments, projects, task forces, public presentations, career mobility b. Leadership academy: create a Sri Lanka leadership academy that invests in future leaders with courses, experiences, and other training c. Off the job experience: help current leaders become mentors to others and other groups to learn from non work activities 5.Follow up and track results: measure leadership growth for both individual leaders and for overall leadership So in conclusion, by building on and strengthening these two pillars, the Government can build and grow a strong public service.