For innovation's sake, allow people to make mistakes

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