For innovation's sake, allow people to make mistakes

Some Indonesian managers view working for pribumi (native Indonesians) much more enjoyable than for foreigners. Others think differently. Johanes A. Gianto, president director of joint venture PT Hewlett-Packard Berca Servisindo prefers to stand in between. In an interview with The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, Gianto shared his personal perspectives on arrogance, innovation, and his habitat: the IT world.

In Western business culture, figures and goals are considered sacred. Firms are strict with unforgiving schedules and punishments, which sometimes bury creativity and innovation.

"They are important, of course, but they (figures and goals) should not be so glorified," Gianto said.

Wall Street companies, for example, appraise their people quarterly, leaving managers reluctant to try something new and risky.

On the other side, Eastern values provide ample space for people to say sorry when they do not reach set targets. "But the good side is that it gives room for people to experiment with something."

"Erring is human, but it doesn't mean the trial-and-error approach does not have its limits. It can take a company to the brink of collapse. No, we have to calculate the risk, and act in a conservative way."

And Gianto admitted having been lucky working for a joint venture where he could learn the positive and negative sides of two different cultures. But the 52 year old also acknowledged his "mistake" of having been too long with a company without being willing to move.

"It's too late."

Gianto has been with HP for more than two decades, starting his career in 1981 as an engineer at the Service & Support unit before a senior colleague challenged him to join the sales department.

His company is a joint U.S.-Indonesian company founded in 1996. But HP, which is going to merge with Compaq, will run its own business in Indonesia very soon, according to Gianto.

In rescuing a dying firm, he preferred to firstly change the corporate culture rather than hastily shifting the system of organization.

"The attitude of all members in an organization, particularly a newly established firm, is extremely important. And a company will grow only when it has a strong corporate culture and all personnel have good intentions."

He recalled the early days of HP in Indonesia, where the only organization system they had was MAS, the abbreviation for mana ada sistem, or no system at all.

"But it worked."

Nowadays, to win the hearts of customers and induce them to become loyal, a company should not only think based on the quarterly performance of their staff.

"A company should work extra hard to win their loyalty," Gianto said. "Today's needs are different, one should see long- term benefits."

Don't think that a big name will always sell well. That is not the case anymore. "Being arrogant will make one absent-minded in this fast changing world. It happens."

Fostering innovative culture should also be a priority for managers. "It's very important in today's world."

Thus, listening and taking all ideas seriously will help, because the market is getting bigger and bigger and its boundaries are expanding.

According to him, a corporation should nurture its niche to allow everyone to innovate and share ideas. Everyone should not be scared of being a trailblazer.

"For me, I believe the only way to keep a competitive edge is innovation, and that cannot be copied."

Unfortunately, he added, our education system has failed to support this. Students are not allowed to give answers in their own way but must follow, word for word, what is written in their textbooks or demanded by the teacher.

"It inhibits our creativity from an early stage," Gianto stressed.

In a firm, a major problem in searching for revolutionary ideas, he said, usually comes from the big bosses who refuse to listen and pretend to be perfect.

"In my office, no one is allowed to consider themselves the only person who is right. Everyone should be listened to and we allow people to make mistakes," Gianto said.

If there's a mistake and a financial loss, we "simply see it as a school allowance".

With the increasingly borderless world, Indonesia's competitive edge has become slimmer compared to countries like China, which can offer cheaper products in this country. It's high time the government and local entrepreneurs apply world standard requirements.

"Look at the vessels in Tanjung Priok port. From the day of their arrival until their departure, they (the sailors) never know when they will be served and which crane will load up their cargo," Gianto said. "It's totally different in, for instance, Singapore where everything has been well planned in advance to ensure it is effective."

With rapidly developing technologies, Indonesia still has a chance to attract investors and even turn free trade into a competitive advantage.

-- K. Basrie