RSOG SEMINAR
Developing People – The DiGi-tal Way
with
Haroon Bhatti
| When | : | 18 April 2017 |
| Where | : | Razak School of Government |
| Speaker | : | Haroon Bhatti |
About the Seminar
“Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75”. Satirically, perhaps that is how easy one stops to develop once one attains a certain stage in life. Too busy to learn, I know it all, you can always ask Wiki, know who is more important than know how, are arguments for lack of development in oneself. Whilst those arguments have merits depending on context, can an organisation competing in a rapidly changing environment tolerate such arguments? As a leading telecommunications company, Digi.Com has strings of accolades with regards to its people development – evidently sustainable, innovative, and transparent. With a headcount of around 2,000 from 12 nationalities, round the clock operation, and demanding stakeholders, people development is no walk in the park for the responsible team. How does Digi.Com entice its people to develop themselves? What kind of culture does Digi.Com inculcate to motivate people to continuously add value? How does Digi.Com identify knowledge and skills that are important for its people in the future, if it is possible? These are some of the potential focus areas that Haroon Bhatti will discuss in this seminar.
Summary
Every analogue slice of our day is turning digital. The truth behind these words is experienced first-hand by our speaker, Mr. Haroon Bhatti. As Chief Human Resource Officer of DiGi.Com, change is constant in his line of work. The players of the telecommunications industry are pitted against each other in a ‘survival of the fittest’. On top of this, voice calls and text messages are losing out to Whatsapp and Facetime. Telecommunications companies are facing an existential crisis that parallels Kodak’s experience: the digital camera of their own invention kickstarted their demise. Megatrends observed in the current age are digitising everything from newspapers to banking, and even basic things like food delivery services – think FoodPanda. To be a step ahead, DiGi.Com needs to move fast and model itself as an internet company or a digital service provider.
Mr. Bhatti admits that the company would fall behind, unless it revamps itself. It needs to embrace digitalisation in all aspects – even when it comes to managing talent. And that is exactly what the company is doing. DiGi.Com has gone through great lengths to digitise its workplace, building a mobile-first culture with employee interactions going digital. For example, new employees can now download an application containing their contracts, policies, and codes of conduct. They simply need to digitally fill up the forms, sign the contract, upload and submit. More impressively, security guards are notified on the newcomer’s vehicle number, and their cars would be directed straight to the front of the office building as a welcoming gesture. The first day at work entails a unique induction session: one is left to go on an ‘adventure’ around the office, finding specific points to activate beepers. This task is a way for the newcomer to independently interact with new colleagues and explore the space while completing a challenge. Despite being cutting-edge, the company does not neglect basic things like practical receipt-filing and identifying specific training needs of each department. It also does not restrict employees in the office if there is no reason for them to stay, for example sales executives. Mr. Bhatti argues that going ‘digital’ is not all about the ‘apps’, rather it is about making every day processes seamless through digital means. The key is to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.
A look around the DiGi.Com headquarters would reveal a layout resembling “concentric energy rings”. Its spacious lobby and the café act as a ‘high energy’ centre, followed by a kitchen area (social zone), an open office area (work zone), and lastly a silent zone for private contemplation. Mr. Bhatti believes that process thinking has been replaced with experiential thinking, therefore your working space must reflect this idea. The company’s Human Resources services have also taken on major digitising efforts to give employees a more immersive and effective experience. In 2016, all classroom learning was discontinued and replaced with Lynda.com’s online learning platform. The easy accessibility of Lynda has democratised learning and training. Employees have responded well to this method as it involves them taking their own initiatives and acquiring useful information ‘just in time’. To point out an example, it was revealed that the best performers during DiGi’s ‘Hackathons’ were the ones who used Lynda and applied the right information at the right time.
The digital wave has also brought about a new culture among DiGi-zens – the culture of innovation. It could be said that the company gives its employees the freedom of a startup coupled with the stability of a blue-chip company. The ‘Hackathon’ and ‘MakerLab’ are some of the platforms for employees to get creative and come up with new products. Individuals or teams with the winning idea would be taken out of their departments for six months to carry out their ‘startup’. There is a collective drive to innovate to help customers get digital. The company itself has always been open to innovation. Besides online learning, they have also embraced digital consumption by distributing phone vouchers to obtain a new phone, and embedding staff access cards into mobile phones. Not all initiatives succeed – their ‘e-wallet’ idea failed to receive the backing of its investors. But this is where the culture of failure complements innovation; “Through failure, we learn”. If there is a fear to take risk, one would not be free to experiment on new things. Rather aptly, DiGi.Com is developing a ‘freedom regime’ to build a culture where its people can practice risk freely. This does not mean that the organisation should operate ‘control-free’, but there should be a balance between control and empowerment. Only through this can DiGi.Com incorporate the business of innovation 360?; “Everyday innovation, every day”.
Moving ahead, Mr. Bhatti believes that the winners will be those who can learn fast and adapt fast. If English was the vital common language in the past, computer programming might join its ranks and be the language of the future. Transposing into the digital world is a challenging journey. When change is required, one can be disheartened by failures along the road. This is where leaders need to foster the ‘freedom to inspire the next’, as is DiGi.Com’s motto. We need leaders who can win the hearts and the minds of the people. We need leaders who are storytellers – able to articulate a common mission and purpose through their stories. People should not be left to their own assumptions as they take on the future. The stories will allow them to execute their actions with guidance. For a company like DiGi.Com, the proponents of success are core innovation, fast learning, rich storytelling, and championing customers. Starting small but being persistent can lead to fantastic results. Threats may arise in the path to digitalisation, but one must forge ahead. In the words of Barack Obama, “Let’s be vigilant, but not afraid.”
Key Issues Raised
- To master the art of storytelling is to be able to tell a story in a crisis. One can get specialist intervention through professionals with speaking expertise or even through actors. Leading with a bold vision and breaking it down for specific groups is an effective way to connect with the people. Leaders must also get closer to the ground, engage the young in planning and decision-making, and give opportunities for apprenticeships.
- DiGi.Com may not be too different from other telecommunications companies, but it comes down to who can execute faster. The key is to keep learning from others. Simply having a benchmark means you would only be as good as that other entity. Being ahead of the curve is about changing when things are good, not when things are bad. Changes can start within our sphere of influence first.
- Innovation can begin at any level. To inculcate innovation in the public service, we must view it as a journey and not just an initiative by the government. It is important for leaders to communicate and educate the people on the value of innovation and exactly what is expected of them. The different layers of culture must also be understood. Like an onion, our layers might appear different but as we peel through, our core needs are the same. We must identify these differences to work with people and encourage innovation.
- For DiGi.Com, innovating comes together with meeting work targets. Promising groups are taken out of their departments only after meeting key work requirements. Online learning tools are available for all, and those who are not interested in learning or exploring new ideas can go back to their departmental work. There are always opportunities for those who have the passion to innovate. It is interesting to note that despite borrowing the methods of Telenor (Mr. Bhatti’s previous employer, a Norwegian company) and leveraging upon their prestige, DiGi.Com has built and uploaded more innovation than Telenor, with the latter distributing the former’s new ideas. In some ways, Malaysian consumers are more digitally savvy than the Scandinavians as they are on their mobile phones more.
- Putting customers in the middle is an important goal to have. Innovating comes with a sense of purpose to improve the lives of others, not just inventing something new regardless of its value. The MyDiGi app was borne out of this sense to champion customers, making it easy for them to view basic things like billing and troubleshooting tips.
About the Speaker
HAROON BHATTI – Chief Human Resource Officer
Career History – Haroon was appointed Chief Human Resource Officer on 1 July 2013. Prior to that, he was the Senior Vice President of People Development at Telenor Asia. Formerly, he held leadership positions within Telenor Asia’s business units, including Chief People Officer in Grameenphone Ltd., Bangladesh and Total Access Communications Public Company Limited, Thailand. Haroon began his career with the Telenor Group in 2005 with Telenor Pakistan. Skills & Experience – Haroon is a graduate of McGill University in Canada. He holds a Master of Arts in Political Science (International Relations), and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science.
Contact
To get more information on this event, you can contact us via email at programmes@rsog.com.my