I remember the last blog-post
that I had written. Telcos do not need engineers. This invited a lot of censure
and on the other side showed the mirror of reality to many telco veterans and
contemporaries. I had ended the blog by saying what is needed then? Well here I
am to make an effort to answer these things.
Change is a continuous process
and not that what will be valid today will be valid after five years.
Technology changes as we speak and so does the methods to manage technology in
a great deal. So let us understand what
are the new things that we should adapt to. I believe the members of the
telecom fraternity should have reptilian tendencies these days in order to
survive and be a positive contributor of this industry for a long time. We will
classify these things as What is In and What is out?
1. IN: “Work with me” OUT:
“Work under me”
The most
critical point of management is the degree of authority. Authority is a responsibility
and not just a right of seniority. However when authority becomes dogmatic then
there is definitely a problem in the management style. There is an old saying “People
join companies, people leave bosses.”; The saying unfortunately is true till
date. Instead of this, it is required to behold a sense of "espirit-de-corps" that
should prevail across the ranks. Vertical conflicts are a thing of past.
Intellectual conflicts are the new things to watch out for. Ideas are nobody’s
monopoly and definitely not a privilege of seniority. Therefore it is always
necessary to take your juniors with you. Working with has a lot of advantages
than making work under.
2. IN: “Opinions of
Juniors” OUT: “Approvals from Seniors”
Another very
rebellious statement, but true! Telecom is an industry that is always shaped by
fresh ideas. Fresh ideas cannot be expected from veterans of 10-20 years old,
unless there is an unbelievable streak of innovation, which is rare in the Indian
context. Any fresher that comes to your company is an asset. Not because you
can make him/her laboriously, toil over mundane works but harvest new ideas
from him/her. A fresher has a lot of imagination because he/she is undaunted by
experiential difficulties and obstructions. A fresher or your junior is just
scared to speak because of the weight of position that you throw to him/her
knowingly or unknowingly. They are not outspoken sometimes because they feel
they will be judged. An approval is a formality but an opinion can lead to a
breakthrough and this can only come from the new generation. Experiences are
good but they are good to guide the new generation and make them aware of the
mistakes that had been made in past. Not to scare them with positional
authority. Approvals are needed, only for leaves and protocols.
3. IN: “Affinity for
Automation” OUT: “Justifying the Manual Cause”
Times have
changed and so have the approaches to a problem. Gone are the days were we
needed a lot of manual staff to manage things that are routine. These have to
be automated so that the expectations from human resources can be raised.
Contrary to the feeling that automation is a killer of human opportunities, I believe
it is an opportunity to raise the bar of human involvement in the field of telecom
from being grossly mundane to being innovative and creative. Today’s telecom
demands innovation and creativity. This has to come from every levels of the
organization. For being creative the human mind needs something which is
essential and that is time to think. Of course, there is a corollary which says
that work keeps humans busy, but definitely mundane work makes them morose and
more like zombies who after some years become of no use. Every human asset of
the telecom company has to be a generator of creative and productive idea and
that is why automation is required to shun the monotony that is prevalent in
the industry.
4. IN: “Leaders” OUT: “Bosses”
Explained
this before and now again explaining it. It has been long this discussion of
leaders vs bosses have taken place and the toying of this idea has gained a lot
of popularity. Now is the time to implement and evaluate this idea. A leader is
a person who gives direction and takes the initiative to walk the talk. A boss
on the other side is a generator of instructions and orders. Industry
definitely needs leaders. In war-time you need leaders who can take you safe
from the cross-fires and inflict minimum casualties rather than a boss who is
not on the field and just instructing from a safe haven.
5. IN: “Evaluating
Technical Edge” OUT:
“Compliance”
This is
especially to the people who are evaluating vendors or technology for their implementation.
Most of the time they are obsessed about compliance overlooking the technical
edge. This leads to a lower shelf-life of the network. There will be solutions
that are unique in the market and are innovative, processes have to be bypassed
for absorbing those. Regular processes make regular companies. To be a company
that stands out there has to unconventionality in the processes. Because unconventional
evaluation makes unconventional companies. The idea of providing internet
through hot-air balloons was not evolved from a telco. Because a Telco always
focuses of compliance, obliterating anything that is unique and outstanding.
This definitely has to change.
6.
IN: “Process Management” OUT:
“People Management”
This is the
generation of the millennials. They are focused. They know what they want and
how they want it. They are coming inbuilt with a management guidance system in
their personality. They are intrepid and they are also adventurous. They are
passionate at times and at times they are totally detached. A traditional
people management approach is futile in managing this generation of people.
There is a need to accept the fact that this is the generation with most of the
ideas and that too the creative ones. They are a treasure and a treasure is not
people managed but protected and preserved. So the requirement is to have a
process and a management of the process that lets the company and the industry
at large harvest from this amazing pools of knowledge.
So there are a lot of things
to change. These changes will come. Today it may seem to be a giggle factor or
some philosophy in book, but they will certainly come and I am hopeful. I am
betting on this change because of a simple philosophy. “If there was somebody who could stop progress and change we would be
still living in the caves.”
On that note, I leave you now
to decide and comment on this post of mine.
Cheers,
Kalyan
Kalyan, this is so true. Phrased brilliantly. I wish individuals in Telecom will drive this change
ReplyDeleteThank you so much.... I would also like to see things change. Because the state in which the environment is today does not inspire many. It is when the environment will change then there will be a boost.
DeleteYour blog post on transforming telecom strategies is thought-provoking. Adapting to the dynamic nature of technology is indeed crucial in this fast-evolving industry. Speaking of telecom, I've been on the lookout for some insightful telecommunications quotes to inspire a project I'm working on. If anyone has some great quotes or resources to share, I'd greatly appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to read your response. Sorry for the delay I. Replying. Do connect with me on LinkedInn.
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