Create strong internal links for organisational success – 3

Soon after I joined the University of Dar es Salaam in 1999 in the then Faculty of Commerce and Management, which later became the University of Dar es Salaam Business School, I was appointed timetable coordinator. I found out that the timetable was prepared centrally for the whole faculty and decided to make changes, which, not surprisingly, were initially opposed.

However, each department was eventually responsible for its own teaching and examination timetable preparation and it became a very smooth exercise. Decisions were granted to the teams and each department had to make sure that its timetable was prepared and supervised accurately and timely.

There are instances where CEOs and sometimes boards interfere in the appointment or transfer of individuals from one workstation to another and sometimes attempt to push through those transfers, ignoring the fact that teams are supposed to be composed by those who manage them in order to make them responsible and accountable.

During my career I have come across situations where employee-related decisions were brought to the level of shareholders’ annual general meetings. The hidden reason was to promote personal interests of the actors and had nothing to do with the prosperity of an organisation.

One does not expect a CEO or line manager whose performance measurement is directly linked to the achievement of strategic and annual plans to put other interests ahead of those of an organisation. Doing that is both immoral and unprofessional. Interference of these other forces makes it very difficult to manage an organisation.

Any document to be submitted for decision-making has to come from the concerned department, be it a policy or any other contribution. One does not expect the CEO or the board to compose these documents. After the original work is done by the relevant unit, it can be improved by those higher in the hierarchy through collaboration and engagement in such a way that the team feels trusted and empowered.

When I was managing director of certain bank I asked a board member to help me compose a presentation since he was highly experienced, courtesy of vast national and international exposure. He jokingly asked me, “Are you going to share with me your pay cheque, Mr MD?” However, he later clarified to me that a board member cannot initiate a presentation and it had to come from management. The board will then improve if necessary and approve it. He demonstrated exemplary trust, engagement and empowerment.

This reminds me of my PhD studies, which I partly undertook in Sweden where two of my supervisors were Swedish professors. The process they used was building trust, empowerment and engagement. Their comments were through questions and they did not force me to do anything. Every aspect of the work came from me.

It was widely believed at that time that it was very difficult to study for a PhD in Sweden, but it made us independent thinkers and empowered us. My first international conference paper in 2005 ended up winning the best paper award.

When I became Amana Bank Tanzania managing director, my predecessor, Dr Idris Rashidi, a former Bank of Tanzania governor and very reputable and experienced corporate leader, told me that in banks there are frequent, brief consultative engagements among executives. The reason is, every decision is supposed to made through engagement and collaboration. It shouldn’t be a one-man show.

I adopted the style and when I later joined the People’s Bank of Zanzibar, I continued with the same style. Decisions involved all concerned members of the team and we sometimes used to take minutes and sign them after we had made important decisions.

In next week’s article I will dwell more on importance of engaging all employees in the formulation of plans and make sure that while collaboration is emphasised, being ethical and trustworthy is of paramount importance among members of the team.

Dr Muhsin Salim Masoud is a seasoned banker and academic, who has also served as managing director of the People’s Bank of Zanzibar and Amana Bank. [email protected]