>> MIM Speaks
WORK ETHICS WORTH EMULATING
JUNE 28, 1998 -
THE STAR
THE first thing that strikes a person when looking at the
Germans is their discipline and industriousness. They walk
briskly, talk business-like and give the impression of being
focussed.
As a people, they seem to keep time to the second. The
speakers at forums turn up long before their time to speak.
Trains, buses and planes are punctual.
Transportation was arranged for seminar participants to be
picked up at 6.45pm. At 6.42, the vehicle was there. This is
definitely some- thing we can learn from them especially those
of us who need to set an example. Like the Japanese,
timeliness and punctuality seem to be national traits.
The towns, shopping malls, office premises, schools and
streets seem to be almost "clinically" clean. I made it a
point to look at public parks, rivers and toilets. They pass
the test with flying colours.
When I commented about the cleanliness to a German friend, his
answer was that there were some restaurants which did not have
very clean toilets. I'd like to think that he was being
humble.
Cleanliness is a trait that managers must pay attention to. It
is often said in management that the early signs of entropy
(decadence) can be seen from dirty toilets unkempt
surroundings, and walls with paint peeling.
One need not be lavish about it; simple cleanliness does not
cost much. It is a question of habit ask the Germans.
Excellent companies around the world adopt this practice. Good
examples in Malaysia would be Metrod and Canon Malaysia, which
are clean and have beautiful landscaped premises.
The Autobahn (expressway) has no speed limit, yet the traffic
is smooth and orderly. The Germans' national characteristic of
good discipline and self-supervision makes this possible. This
is also something we can learn and practise.
It is a common sight to see a long line of heavy vehicles on
the slow lane, crawling, while cars on the other lanes go
speeding by. The heavy vehicles never "cut" into the fast
lanes. What a difference from the situation in Malaysia.
Organisations with a large fleet of vehicles should. as good
corporate citizens, educate their drivers on road discipline.
Companies around the world have printed the drivers' names on
the vehicles in order to encourage this. In Malaysia, some oil
companies have adopted this practice.
Technology. The level of technology is truly astounding. This
would not be new to most readers. Germany's advancement in
science and technology is well known. The technology is so
advanced and specific that less labour is needed yet
efficiency is higher.
At a waste management plant costing about RM65mil, only six
persons run the operations two drivers, two persons separating
the bio-waste and two others performing administration and
management work. This method could have been chosen due to an
ageing population, which may not be suitable for our country.
It, nevertheless shows technological supremacy.
What is impressive about their technology is the thought given
to every detail. A DM5bil incinerator has huge cranes with
claws for lifting waste. The furnace heat level is monitored
by engineers in a sophisticated control room.
Computers are widely used to enhance efficiency and
productivity. Technocrats, scientists, innovators and managers
see to this success.
Germany has succeeded because of technology and its-skilled
labour force. To Malaysia, technology should be something for
which people are already trained for and where there is a
need. Some managers and politicians seem to get easily
impressed with state-of-the-art technology without considering
our needs and readiness for it.
Education. Although it may vary according to the federal
states, German children generally attend compulsory education
for 12 years. They attend full time studies for nine years
and then continue into full-time or part-time compulsory
vocational schooling.
Students can either go to university or learn a trade. While
in school they are exposed to different languages, namely
German, English and a third language.
The German apprentice system where skill is acquired under the
supervision of a "professional," is well-known. Masons,
carpenters mechanics and the like cannot work without
certification.
This versatility seems to make the German manager and
workforce ready for the borderless world. They are the third
largest economic power and this has been achieved through
diligence and foresight.
The bus driver taking our group on site visits was not only
disciplined, prompt and neat, he also told us about the
history of certain sites we visited. On two occasions he took
a longer route to show us some interesting historical sites.
The driver, Dieter Peter, showed us what a person who loves
his job and state can do.
Akademie Klausenhof, where the programme was held, is about
one and a half kilometres from the nearest post office.
Because of our tight schedule, we had to rush to the post
office during lunch hour.
The postal clerk weighed our letters and pasted the Stamps as
well, sometimes with a smile. A busy civil servant performing
his work in this manner is always a welcome sight.
What stands out from the two examples is their education,
training and attention to efficiency. If a company even a
country wants to succeed, it would have to adopt a flexible
and dynamic education system. Companies would think of
upgrading training or retraining their staff, while working
towards a clean and efficient organization.
Passion for work. While Dieter the bus driver was efficient,
our tour guide at Aachen was excellent and made the visit to
this city founded by Charles the Great (Charlemagne) most
enjoyable.
Frau Bartz, who must be at least 65 years old, has such pride
about her town that it shone through. She was outstanding with
her knowledge of history, good Command of English, and passion
for her work.
Two weeks before, a friendly guide in Cologne did a good job
but lacked the passion of Frau Bartz. The lesson learnt is
that we should not use only young and vivacious tour guides
all the time. The elderly have a place too, especially those
who have a sense of history and feeling for their town or
state.
Passion for work was also shown by those running the
month-long environment management programme. Dr Villegas was
in love with his programme. He was there early in the morning
and late in the evening, including Sundays. He willingly
shared his experience and wisdom with us a passion and
commitment worth emulating.
Dr Murbock, whose passion for his topic of eco-systems was
evident, could practically remember every tree and bush in his
forest.
Then there was Anna, who coordinated and managed our countless
requests and changes. There was hardly any other help, with Dr
Villegas giving talks and at times acting as interpreter. He,
together with Anna, arranged the notes, prepared the room, saw
to our transportation needs, food arrangements, and room
facilities.
What would normally be handled by an office of four or more
people was being managed by two and with considerable care,
concern and efficiency.
Customer satisfaction. Two incidents during my stay showed the
work ethics and concern for customer satisfaction. In the
first instance, the German airlines Lufthansa had "lost" our
luggage from Frankfurt to Dusseldorf. We had to lodge a
report, which was handed to an efficient and courteous person.
She took down the Akademie address and told us that she would
try to locate the luggage as quickly as possible.
We reached the Akademie Klausenhof, some 80km away from
Dusseldor, by noon. Our luggage was delivered to us by eight
in the evening.
When a similar thing happened to a friend in Kuala Lumpur, he
not only received his luggage late but also had to go to the
airport to-collect it, followed by a stringent customs check.
The second incident was when our group returned from an
outing. We were told that dinner was not ready as there had
been some mis communication.
The co-ordinator for the group was visibly upset. The
reception checked who was responsible and soon a cook who had
"forgotten" came out. she apologised profusely to the group
and asked for 20 minutes to get the food ready.
Nobody was shirking in his or her responsibility, and those
answerable had to carry it out.
* These two incidents showed their work ethics and sense of
responsibility. It is this type of work ethics that we must
emulate. It can be argued that they should got it right the
first time. However, the ability to admit one's mistake and
forge ahead is equally important. It is all a question of
attitude.
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