Category: The Effective Manager

St Joseph Technical College was one of the largest private vocational institutions in the country. It had a teaching department, administration department, a boarding section, an ICT laboratory, an in-house clinic, along with a school farm. Initially the college chose a principal promoted from within its ranks to lead her. But the principal was unable to pull himself from classroom instruction, leaving paperwork unattended. After a series of embarrassing incidents, where payments for supplies were not met leading to lack of delivery of stationery affecting teaching, the Board decided to look for a professional manager.

After a quick search, a former Bursar of a university, Mr Walugembe emerged the best candidate. The Board picked him as he came with a good financial background which it felt was needed, given that the former Principal had failed to submit timely financial reports. The college had been fined also due to late tax filings because the Principal was more preoccupied with teaching and did not prioritize desk work.

In his prior job as a university bursar, Mr Walugembe, was secluded in his office, waiting to receive fees, reconcile payments and file reports. He had found this management style quite effective, and he decided to use it here too. “After all they need someone to help them push paper,” he reasoned.

Mr Walugembe’s day began with getting to office by 8am, where he would sit still, receive and clear paper work, with clockwork efficiency, till 5pm sharp, when he left for home. St Joseph’s College soon observed the difference. Paperwork that used to delay in the inbox tray was cleared without delay. Any person who came to visit the school Principal would find him seated in office, unlike the past head who was everywhere, going about supervising staff.

Because Mr Walugembe hardly moved out of office, he received structured information in meetings with his top management. He would pepper his managers with questions if there was a matter he need clarity. “Everything is under control,” he was always told. Assured all was well, he settled on responding to reports that sailed up his desk. Based on these he would make decisions.

One day Mr Walugembe while leaving for home overheard two staff standing in a corridor, engaged in animated conversation.

“Do you know those computers that were just procured for the ICT laboratory  have all failed to work,” said one staff.

“Yes,” agreed his colleague. “Moreover they were just half of what was ordered and wish you had seen the bill.”

“But what could be wrong?” asked one staff.

“We have a manager who sits in office all day and has no idea what is going on,” went on his colleague.

As he drove home Mr Walugembe felt this was just loose talk by idle employees without facts. On his desk was a detailed report of the computers procured, their brand and warranty. However, nerved by the negative comment of a “a manager who sits in office all day”, he decided the next day to deviate from his 8- 5 sit in office schedule, and drop by the ICT laboratory, if only to make sure. He also decided he would not alert the store manager or ICT head.

When he dropped by the ICT laboratory around midday, Mr Walugembe was shocked to find that not only was the number of computers in operation half of what had been secured, but also not the Dell brand. He called on the store manager who, surprised to see him, muffled something like, “we are waiting for more!” On calling up the head of ICT laboratory he offered that he thought these were the computers they had ordered.

Mr Walugembe quickly realized there was fraud. While the reports he was receiving read one thing, the facts on the ground were far different. After ordering a thorough investigation which later found the store manager had been falsifying reports, he decided to adjust his working style. To ensure that what he signed corresponded with the facts on the ground, he would now on divide his time between office hours and unscheduled field tours. This way he would be able to compare and contrast the official information he received from what was happening.

There are certain managers who just sit in office all day waiting on official reports, pointing that out as an indication of a good system. Whereas such paper flow is useful, it is only part of the story. As this case shows an effective manager needs to balance his time between office and the field, just for purposes of double checking.

The doctor’s appointment hadn’t gone well. Mr. Mutumba, the CEO of Global finance, a micro-credit outfit had just been diagnosed as diabetic and hypertensive. He recalled this was the same condition that had taken his father just after his 70^th birthday. Seeing his patient devastated by the news, the doctor tried to calm him down. “You shouldn’t be so worried because this is a manageable condition!” he advised.

“But how!” Mutumba wondered.

“Start by cutting down your sugar and salt intake,” the doctor suggested. “You should also limit your office hours for more exercise and rest.”

Mr. Mutumba agreed and drove back to office ready to implement a new regime to help restore back his health. However, the Covid -19 pandemic had battered his company which he knew desperately needed change. For example, as a result of lockdown most customers had ceased calling upon branches for credit. Mr. Mutumba had already decided on a strategy to cut down on branches and invest in an app where customers would access financial services. The doctor’s prescription now made it even more urgent since he wanted to stabilize the company and have more time looking after his health.

However, when Mr. Mutumba presented his proposal to his top management team there was resistance. Cutting back on branches would mean loss of staff job, which most were not ready to consider. “This storm will go and people will get back to visiting branches,” said the head of business development.

“If we lay off all those staff whom we know as our brothers and sisters they will sue us for their benefits further eroding our poor cash position,” argued both the Human Resource and Finance Chief.

Faced with opposition, Mr. Mutumba decided to put his plans for restructuring on hold. But as Covid -19 effects lingered the company’s financial performance continued to worsen.

Mutumba was now having sleepless nights. As he worried over his company’s fate, somewhere he also forgot following the doctor’s prescription to change his lifestyle. He had a taste for rich oily foods which he loved washing down with beer pints. One day he awoke paralyzed with a stroke. He had to stay in bed for three months undergoing recuperation. Upon release Mutumba reflected and decided to resign his CEO job. “I need to take drastic actions to look after my health,” he wrote to the board. “Otherwise there is no way I will change while here.”

The Board scouted around for his replacement and brought in a new CEO, from an outside company. Mr Mugisha found his predecessor’s plan for business revival still gathering dust, and yet the company was hemorrhaging and quickly running out of cash. “I must quickly implement my predecessor’s change strategy if we are to survive.”

Two things happened. Being new to the company the Board did not resist as they wanted to give the new CEO a chance. And for those within the staff ranks who resisted, unlike Mr Mutumba who had a lot of attachment with the very staff he had hired and found it hard laying off, he wasn’t as much bothered. The new CEO looked at things from a pure business perspective without being affected by old lenses and quickly started carrying out the restructuring exercise.

These measures bore fruit as Global finance re strategized and emerged as a digital credit finance company, with just half of its original staff. The savings from the downsized payroll were then re invested in improving the digital infrastructure which spearheaded her to increase her market share and return to profitability.

The Covid -19 pandemic has left many companies without much alternative but to change. Unfortunately even as the facts show that to survive organizations must take a health check and change, there can be resistance until the crisis rises to a point where the organization has either to shut down or embrace change. Where change is resisted because of internal dynamics sometimes the organization may resort to an outside change agent as we see in this particular case.

Popa Cola Ltd, was a decade old company, currently engaged in the feisty and competitive beverage war of Cola supremacy. Soon after he had taken over as CEO, Gyagenda  started familiarizing himself with its organization structure. He was aware the last CEO had been fired because the company was losing out in the Cola wars for supremacy, with sales stagnating.

When Gyagenda was asked what strategy he was planning to engage, if hired, to help the company take on the better known traditional Cola giants, he did not hesitate but quick back: “I will use a digital strategy to popularize our products!”

“Digital strategy!” the elderly Board chair had expressed mild surprise. Besides him was a copy of mainstream daily papers and a file stacked with paper.

“Sir,” Gyagenda turned to him. “The world has entered the digital age. This means our way of doing things must be by engaging digital tools whether it is managing our human resources or reaching out to customers.”

Impressed, Gyagenda, was appointed as CEO. Soon after going over the organization structure, he called up Helen, the Human Resource Director.

“Who oversees digital matters in this company?” Gyagenda wondered. “I have noticed we have an ICT Director, but I wanted to know who is directly responsible for leading the company’s digital strategy.”

Helen pointed to a junior officer quite down at the bottom of the organization’s pecking order. Gyagenda was not impressed. “I am directing we start a restructuring of the organization,” he said. “A position I want to see elevated to top management is that of a Digital Director!”

“We already have an ICT Director,” Helen noted.

“I saw that,” Gyagenda noted. “I am not talking about heading ICT infrastructure acquisition and management, which most of those guys do. What I want is to see someone here oversees the use  of digital tools to develop and promote our business!”

Few would argue that in the post Covid- 19 pandemic age the digitization of the way of work is a foregone conclusion. Even as workers return to the office from home, a certain number will continue to divide their time between home and office.  Customer behavior has also shifted where an increasing number of consumers rely on digital tools not only to get acquainted with new products but also purchase them.

In this new climate, organizations must have a digital strategy at the heart of their operations. A chief digital officer is charged with helping organizations use digital information and new technologies such as cloud, mobile and social media, to create business value. For some, it means helping them move from analog to a digital business model.

Why this cannot be a junior position anymore is because it involves major changes to an enterprise’s technology architecture, business processes, products and job roles. Take the example of a print newspaper or bank whose customers are increasingly shifting to digital mediums to access their products and services. There is an obvious need of who leads this strategy.

Among others, a Digital officer is expected to help the company grow brand loyalty on social networks. The officer will help develop new digital revenue streams while working across the enterprise to break down data silos, engender a digital culture and build a digital business technology platform. For example, one such officer helped the organization become a “paperless office.”

The best fit for this role is usually someone with a good ICT technology background, of a lower age bracket as opposed to senior due to being conversant with these mediums and, certainly with marketing skills.

The decision by Shoprite, perhaps Africa’s largest retail, to exit from the Uganda market has provoked heated discussion concerning Uganda’s fragile middle class. There has been though scarce attention to her strategy and why it failed where a crowd of other mini supermarkets are seen thriving. These days at almost every roadside corner, one sees a new mini supermarket opening its doors, and easily flourishing.

Shoprite entered the Uganda market in 2003, along with a pan African vision extending to various African nations. After her exist in Uganda and Madagascar she will still concentrate in 11 African countries, with South Africa being her base, where she generates 80% of her revenues. Here, in Uganda she has operated five stores, and prior to the announcement there was expectation for a sixth outlet to open up in an upcoming mall in Nsambya. According to various reports, sales had stagnated since 2017 and the venture was loss making.

Shoprite, along with other mega retailers who have struggled in the Ugandan market, such as Uchumi, Tusky, Pizza hut, has a strategy that focuses on the middle class. Its stores are hyped in such a way that they attract this class with consumption goods that appeal to their broad range of taste. The retailer sells goods well displayed on colorful racks. The stores are generally clean, manned with smartly dressed clerks, with wide walking spaces, and boast of a variety of exotic imported goods, many sold at premium prices.

To appreciate some of the reason why this middle class focused strategy failed to gain traction, one has to begin by first appreciating the concept of supermarket. Supermarkets retailing that was started in 1915 by Vicent Astor in UK, where a broad range of goods are brought under one roof to take advantage of economies of scale and sell at lower prices, took off in the US during post World War 11 boom, cashing in on a growing suburban middle class with aggressive discounted priced products. These mega stores gradually squeezed out the small mom and pop shopkeeper whose higher prices because of overheads couldn’t compete.

This supermarket business model, was perfected by Sam Walton, founder of Wal Mart, with his “buy large and sell at discount”; then generate profit through volume. Long before Amazon, Wal Mart, also perfected one of the most efficient logistical network, enabling her to supply goods to any of her scattered outlets at the least cost.

While this strategy has flourished in the US, Europe and parts of Latin America and Asia; it has not been a spectacular success in certain geographical markets. For example, in spite of India’s $360bn-a-year retail food market, there only a handful of retail chain supermarkets – Metro, Walmart and Tesco- have persisted. The major obstacle has been that in India households still buy on a day-to-day basis, where price bargaining still matters. Besides, shopping is not just business of “pick-and-disappear” but also a social occasion between the neighborhood retailer and his well-known shoppers.

This, indeed, is part of the reason why some of these mega- supermarkets have failed to make in roads in various African markets, like Uganda, where the professional middle class remains weak. One of the elements that identify a middle class is her ability to secure an aspirational lifestyle. The class that lives above the subsistence level in Uganda and can save to consume non-essential goods is quite limited. This middle class, where it exists, is vulnerable and highly unstable. Indeed, it can quickly descend into poverty in the event of economic and other shocks, of which the most recent has been the Covid 19 pandemic. Covid -19 has left many pockets that depend on a regular paycheck battered due to irregular income caused by lockdown effects.

It is here that one appreciates why the min supermarkets are thriving. The fact is there business model is not hinged on this precarious class, but walk in customers many from the informal sector. There are conveniently located, with easy to access points, unlike the mega stores who to access one has to first tussle with parking lot knots. Mini super markets also coast goods which most ordinary Ugandans are acquainted with, in contrast to Shoprite’s more sophisticated range from abroad.

Shoprite business strategy has also been affected by the growth of online retailing, a space which Jumia online and other online delivery outfits have seized. Interestingly, it is this very exposed professional class, her target market, which is most likely to embrace online retail. Other reasons might have had to do with internal management problems such as fraud and poor location, critical to retail market success.

Although Shoprite and other big brand name retail marketers may exit from the Uganda market, the brighter side is that there are other local retailers like Quality Market who seem to have mastered the essentials of this market, of ours and are apparently flourishing. The point is a successful business strategy must fit within the specifics of a local market, rather than using a one-fit-all template, which ultimately has been the failing of Shoprite and other retail giants.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have just concluded. There are a number of facts which followers of the world’s greatest show of athletic prowess have come to expect. One is that the dominant industrialized nations are perennially at the top. The three nations with the leading GDP- USA, China and Japan- have come out at the top in the same succession order, as long before.

Perhaps it is only expected that because of their advanced resources they have invested in building a competitive athletic programme. Indeed, there are a number of games, like golf and swimming, which require certain critical capital investments, which poorer countries can’t afford. As a matter of fact, some of the best athletes from Africa have been known to migrate to the more advanced nations because of their better well-funded programs.

There is though one less obvious aspect we find out of these Olympics. Some nations like Kenya ( #19) have outrivaled far richer nations like Spain ( # 22) or Belgium ( # 29). This is not new. Why Kenya is normally is at the top of far more advanced nations can be explained by a simple observation worth commenting.

The dominance of Kenyan athletes in track and field is universally acknowledged. Her runners perennially dominate the Marathon circuit. It came as no surprise to many that Kenyan runners scooped both men and women’s marathon gold.

Incidentally Kenya, just like Uganda, which equally performed spectacularly well ( # 36) did not send as large a contingent. India sent 127 athletes but came out ranking lower at 48. Kenya sent 85 athletes to compete in just 6 events who bagged 4 gold. Contrast this with South Africa that sent 179 athletes to compete in 19 events but ended up with just one gold and ranking 52!

Perhaps here we may ask how Kenya with her 53 million people happen to outperform countries with far advanced economies or those with bigger populations like India with her 1.3 billion people! One reason has to do with management of their athletic programme, which is a source of great national pride. But also more, is focus. Other than extending herself in events where she has no history, like equestrian and rowing, Kenya has long concentrated on track and field. And even here she has narrowed more on to long distance, as opposed to shorter distance sprints long dominated by US and the amazingly swift Jamaicans.

Kenya knows that to win numbers is not everything! More so, the size of your bank account is not what makes you a winner. Rather, if out of many events you pick on a few where you are better at, concentrate and perfect on those, chances of success are far higher.

This lesson is equally important to businesses and any organizations. Many businesses and organizations at large underperform because of the weakness of over extending. They seek to be everything to everyone only to end up as “jack of everything but master of none!”

The next time you are developing your business or organization strategy, learn from the winners. Examine your strengths and choose to specialize in a few areas where you can focus your strengths than over extending yourself!

Upon moving to a new rural-based parish, Rev Mukasa noticed that church attendance was sparse compared to his old posting in the urban center. There the church was bursting with numbers as young people were actively involved. In fact, sometimes they even led services. But here, the church doors only opened to a much older congregation that was limited in numbers. Rev Mukasa sensed trouble, especially as within the first month of his arrival he had to preside over two funerals from that age group.

“Where are the young people?” he asked the Assistant Vicar, alarmed.

“They say church is not exciting for them,” revealed the Assistant Vicar. “This is unlike the old people who feel very comfortable.”

“Then we need to find a way to start attracting young people to church,” Rev Mukasa brightened, with an idea. “Back in the city we were faced with similar problem. However, what we did was to introduce the things that young people are interested in. We started services where guitars and drums were playing instead of the traditional organ. We dropped hymns for quick praise songs which the youth were more pleased with. Sometimes I led services in casuals and jeans!”

“What!” the Assistant Vicar exclaimed. “If you attempt any of that here the old folks would throw you out.”

Assured of his plan and good intentions, Rev Mukasa, quickly moved to implement a programme of change. The following week he directed the church choir to do away with old hymns in favor of new songs of praise played to guitar and drums. He started leading services dressed in jeans and sneakers. He went to a nearby high school and brought over a crowd of young people, whom he asked to lead the service.

At first, the old people who formed the core of the church leadership structure ignored the changes. But when they started seeing their role declining, opposition broke out. “This new priest wants young people to take over our church,” complained the chair of elder Board who hadn’t been consulted. “I now see young poorly dressed kids taking up collection basket and they can’t be trusted.”

“For me I don’t think these new songs are spiritual enough!” added an old choir member. “Some of these guitar sounds remind me of bars. We can’t play devil music in the house of God.”

Soon there was uproar in the church. The Chair of the Elder Board called for a meeting. Rev Mukasa was tasked to explain why all these new changes. “The church is now losing its old members who don’t know what is going on,” he queried. “And these young people I don’t see them contributing any meaningful funds to run the church.”

Rev Mukasa tried to explain that the changes were for the good of the church, mentioning that it was because “the church was dying and needed new oil!”

“Who told you we were dying!” the older members rose up in protest. After the meeting, they reported him to the Bishop. On realizing church funds were dwindling because the older members were opposed to the new priest, he decided to recall him back to the city.

Perhaps you are wondering why Rev Mukasa failed to transform this church into a modern lively one with its pews filled. The first thing you may note here is that he moved too first, and moreover without sharing his vision to the old guard, who still held the levers of power. When managers want change it is important for them not to just explain their vision, but also win the support of the important stakeholders first. Plunging into an immediate crush programme of change is bound to provoke opposition, especially from those who fill threatened at the loss of power. The best of change initiatives are bound to be opposed but if they have the support of key stakeholders the likelihood of success rises.

Rotary is a worldwide movement that brings together professionals to serve their community. It is a tradition in Rotary that every year a new crop of Presidents are nominated to take over the mantle of leading their clubs. Having served as President of Rotary Club Kampala West, last month of June, I dutifully handed over to a new President.

Aware that the subject of leadership transfer probably needs more discussion than has been given attention, I invited Rev Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, who in September 2020, after serving a mandatory 10 years as Vice-Chancellor of Uganda Christian University, handed over to a new CEO.

The first challenge Dr Senyonyi observed, might have to do with completing a leader’s legacy. Almost all leaders have particular aspirations they have purposed to realize. The years at the helm run fast and before long one’s term is over. For many leaders, there is a certain anxiety about not having finished the business of their term.

This fear is not willful imagination. Dr. Senyonyi shared an experience of once traveling through Nigeria where he came across a suspended bridge dwarfing over one important city. It so happened that the project had been started with one Governor of a leading state. When a new came to office, he decided to discontinue funding of any past projects of his predecessor. The new Governor wanted to build his own towers, without giving his successor any room to shine.

One way to address this problem is by building systems that are larger than one leader. A new leader who comes into office should only feed into a system, with his new set of aspirations, other than seeing his mandate as breaking up anything that was related to his predecessor.

In most of those organizations where we have seen successful leadership transfer, there is often a clear pipeline of leaders, being groomed for the job at the helm once it fell vacant. In the Rotary organization normally one would expect any club to plan for its President possibly three years ahead by taking them through various club positions. This helps expose the potential President to how the organization works, such that by the time one succeeds into office, there is little fear of disruption.

When leaders depart office the relation between the new leader and his predecessor needs as well to be managed. Some new leaders wanting to quickly establish their purpose not to have anything to do with their predecessors. Yet, this is a disservice to themselves and the organization as they miss out on good counsel, garnered after years of experience by their predecessors.

However, there are also those leaders who apparently never leave, and are up and about, quick to show their influence, not allowing the new leader to properly establish themselves. This is ill-advised for it can result in a conflict of allegiances, with the old leader continuing to hold more influence, and not giving the new leader a chance to properly build a new team.

Sometimes the community complicates leadership transfer when it fails to recognize a past leader just out of office. Used to being chauffeured and greeted by their ceremonial titles, past leaders are shocked when the day after they leave office, none seems to care much for them anymore. It can be a catastrophic experience especially for someone who for a decade everyone was fighting to gain favor from, only to be abandoned. Leaders must prepare for this reality, though also as a community we deserve to treat past leaders respectfully, giving them their deserved dues, if only to encourage their successors not to demur once their time is up.

The coronavirus pandemic had a huge negative impact on X-Logistics, which with suspension of travel during the lockdown and subsequent decline in importation of goods was struggling to make ends meet. To survive, and give room for business recovery, the Board tasked management to cut payroll by a third. Immediately Kuma, the CEO, saught Mpetu, Head of Finance, how to go about by suggesting, “We need to start with the most senior positions to lay off taking a huge chunk of our money.

“I agree,” Mpentu nodded. “Otherwise they will be no effect.”

“Then proceed by finding the most expensive staff,” Kuma, already stressed with having to scout for finances, directed.

Once clear the decision was taken to senior management meeting for approval. But the moment Mpetu had presented his case with glossy slides showing the savings to accrue from slashing off so many heads, Ngozi, who was Head of Human resource, raised an objection.

“I agree with the need to lay off some staff in order to save funds,” she said, “but we need to be careful how. I do not think we should merely look at how expensive a particular staff is but also what we lose by letting the staff go.”

“I know where you are going,” Mpentu turned to Ngozi. “But if we approach this task with some staff being untouchable then we can’t reduce the bloated payroll.”

“The issue is if we lay off some of these skilled staff,” Ngozi pressed her point, “not only shall we lose all the investment we have made in them and which, by the way, we are most likely to surrender to our competitors, but also the skill set we need to forge ahead.”

“So, what are you suggesting?” Mpetu asked with some impatience.

“I suggest we start by identifying the skills we need for our business recovery,” Ngozi said. “We have a business plan and unless we are abandoning all our plans ahead we need to see what skills are important to save us for the future.”

There is a paradox today for many companies that are caught in similar situations of scarce funds like X Logistics. Normally, in lean times companies tend to slash staff as one cost saving measure, for business recovery. The question often is whether the company should merely look at what it saves in the immediate short run, without considering what it has lost in the long run! There are yes certain staff ( or skills) that can easily be absorbed back once the operations return to normal. The market is not short of such. But there are those who are so specialized that to lose them, the business may never completely be in position to lure them back. Besides, as we see Ngozi arguing, it may be important to consider what has been spent in getting them to their level and if it is worth to just let go.

Then there are those highly specialized or emerging industries. The training of certain individual skills in such industries may have taken years and laying them off may mean losing them to the market, which leaves the business at the mercy of its competitors who may then take advantage and gain leverage. This may make it more difficult for the business to fully recover.

One of the truisms in laying off staff is first deciding what you can’t afford to lose. Or put positively, what is the most important thing you must save for business sustainability. Without bearing that in mind slashing staff may while causing a temporary relief completely seal the chances of full business recovery.

The writer is a Management Consultant, Associate Professor and Dean of UCU Business School. E- mail: mlwanga@uc.ac.ug

“No you can’t apologize!” Chris, the Legal Advisor warned Father John, CEO of Kimeza mission hospital who was anxious to issue an apology following revelation that there was a mother who had received a different baby, only for the hospital to realize the error, soon after she had left. The mother had to be recalled and told the mistake. Appalled, at first she insisted against exchanging the lovely baby she had just got attached to. But once the facts were made clear, and she heard there was another mother expecting this very baby, she relented. In fact, when she saw her very baby she calmed down with relief. But, still, she wasn’t amused. “Is this how do things here!” Clutching her own baby she stormed out of the hospital in disgust while threatening never to return.

Initially there was an attempt to seal the matter as an in house issue. However, someone got the incident out into the local press. Soon the story was making rounds on talk show radio, going viral on socio media. “It is not the first time with Kimeza hospital,” one caller on a popular talk show volunteered. “Switching babies happens there all the time.”

“Those people are so cruel!” an anonymous account on Face book lambasted the hospital. “They do that all the time.” Meanwhile Whatsap forums were on fire with many questioning what type of hospital is that with such a sloppy baby identification system. “I bet they also mix up bodies!”

Once he got hold of the issue Father John, the CEO, felt that being the custodian of the public relations of the hospital it was incumbent upon him to issue a public apology. As a godly man apologies came natural with him, since he also earned a living by listening to people repent their sins. Moreover, this was a private hospital and Father John knew the success of the business depended on retaining the confidence of customers. So why not issue a press apology to calm down temperatures.

But just as he was about to the legal officer came up to his office and protested. “It will be like an admission of wrong which might be used against us in court to seek punitive damages!” Chris cautioned.

Organizations, whether there are involved in services or manufacturer of goods, will inevitably make errors. This is also true in the management of their very staff. There is a case of a CEO who once received certain information about a staff that was alleged to be involved in unethical behaviors. Trusting the source the CEO acted fast and dismissed the staff only to realize later that he had acted on wrong information. He then wondered if he should recall the staff and apologize remorsefully. Yet the Head of Human Resource ( HR) cautioned him against. “But why?” asked the CEO.

“Next we shall be having a suit of wrongful termination,” was HRs point of view.

Now, from a human point of view, offering apologies is what is considered good breeding, especially once one concedes of having made a honest mistake, which everyone does, every once in a while. However, when it comes to managing organizations the issues could be far more complicated. In the above case if Father John proceeds to issue a written apology, there is all the possibility of the offended mother and possibly others with similar experiences to seize upon that confession, launch a suit, where this “public apology” is used as evidence against the organization.

An important point to note here is that there is a distinction between offering an apology in a personal capacity and that one in the name of the organization. In those situation where one is only offering personal apologies that might be a non-issue. But where one speaks for an organization the consequences of that public apology is beyond the person. The organization may later be put to task.

So, if one must to, one way of going about is where a manager is advised to proceed but with a carefully legally worded statement where responsibility is not owned up. There are cases where matters can be left to die of their own without stalking fire by exciting someone eager to pick on words. In other situations an apology can be issued because management has weighed there will more damage done with bad publicity arising from the incident. The organization decides to take the risk hoping the apology will calm temperatures and let the matter rest.

The writer is a Management Consultant and Associate Professor of Management, Uganda Christian University, Mukono. E- mail: mlwanga@ucu.ac.ug

As a result of the corona virus almost everyone knew the newspaper business could no longer remain much the same. The demand for print had been eroded and shifted to digital spaces where most readers now consumed their products. Besides, there was also the factor of demographics. A survey taken before the lockdown had showed the majority of readers fell in the 15- 35 age bracket unlike past instances of 35- 55! But what was even more striking was the steep decline of the 55+ readership age group. The survey had revealed many of those once trusted readers had left fulltime employment and shifted while at home to sucking in information from electronic channels, largely radio and TV.

“What this research shows is the importance of change,” Mpozza, the Research officer shared the findings with his boss, Kakeeto, the Head of Research. He nodded in approval. “I absolutely agree with you and will share when senior management team meets. I will recommend we invest more into digital and electronic media.”

Why slow decision making

Senior management met fortnightly. But sometimes meetings could fail to happen because of the absence of the chief executive officer, Kato, who insisted always to be the chair. It was after a month when a meeting finally occurred giving Kaketo an opportunity to share his research findings and pitch his recommendations. But to his shock what seemed to him like a simple and obvious issue that needed a quick resolution got boiled down in fierce territorial organizational politics.

Once the findings had been tabled the Head of Print media division, Ojok, shot up his hand in objection. He suspected the Head of the newly created Digital media division was behind the findings meant to etch away his dwindling power. Ojok had been observing with increasing concern how his budget was being whittled down with more attention moving to digital media. “I find the methodology of this survey weak,” he poked holes at the report. Eventually, a new survey was commissioned. It took six months to share the new report whose findings were much the same as the first.

Finally, management decided, against Ojok’s opposition, to scale down the print media division. However, before implementing the matter needed authorization from the full Board. Kato knew his Board was not easy to meet as it was composed of very busy people constantly traveling. Also, every management proposal had to first go through committees. It took three months for the proposal to sail through committees to the full Board. There it met opposition as one elderly Board member queried how the proposed changes would affect workers in print media division. “Let management first show us plans to retrain affected staff!” It took another three months before the plan was revised and brought back for approval by the Board.

Effect of slow decision making

By then Mpozza who had carried out the first survey had left the newspaper for another job. Kakeeto, the Head of Research, was also about to move to another after losing interest in the project for being accused of manipulating data.

Meanwhile, within that year of indecision, nearly half a dozen digital newspapers had come on board slicing away a big share of the market. Most of the new digital media companies were small and therefore had not many layers that could prolong decision making. Once they saw an opportunity they quickly latched on it and made the best out of it.

Decision-making is certainly going to be one of the defining edges for companies that are not only going to survive but also win in the new world order. The term “nimble and fast” is increasingly going to have greater meaning as it is those organizations with the ability to quickly reform, adapt and move along with changes in the environment, that will not only survive but win.