ZTE @ 25 Bravo!!!
It’s been inspiring to watch ZTE, since I came in contact with the company in 2003. I have watched her move from unknown Chinese enterprise to a global player. I have watched her make inroads into traditional strong holds of companies that far exceed its age and name. I have watch her bestrode the global telecommunication landscape like a colossus capturing lands and domains far away from its traditional territory. Domains long held by well known Americans and European companies. I have simply watched with admiration and attention, often wandering where these growth and conquest will eventually lead to.
I have also advocated her styles and system as an example to us in Nigeria, as we aspire to be a global player in the world economic stage come 2020. A style that calls for devotion to ones duty, love for what you do, and who you represent (The enterprise), hardwork with an untiring spirit that says “We can”.
What then is the secret of this growth for a company that started small 25 years ago but now looks like its been around since 100 years? Wherein lays the secret of her success? Is it with the people, the management or with capital inflow from the Peoples Republic?
The answers to these questions are neither here nor there. I rather think that it is a combination of so many factors galvanized by effective leadership driven by a patriotic zeal.
Once you have a noble course, a clear vision, backed up with determination and a spirit that exclude failure as an option, the good people needed to drive it will naturally gravitate around this course. These in my humble opinion lay the secret of this global success in just 25 years for ZTE. So I say Bravo!!! To all of us and like we say in Nigeria, I declare 25 “GBOSAS!” for ZTE.
But beyond savoring this great achievement and these great successes, what then lies ahead and what must be done to sustain these strides?
I will try to examine these questions in four ways.
1. We need to define a strong philosophy and a strong value ethics
Successes of global companies will no more lie on what is generally known as price wars. The market place is changing fast, so is values and peoples awareness of global issues. The world has become fully globalised. So success of global companies in the future will be proportional to how much they are aware of these global concerns within there internal structures. The market place for instance will shy away from energy inefficient companies as concerns from global warming gathers momentum. Or from enterprises that encourages child labor and abuse of human dignity. Humanity and the human spirit will more and more demand for care, respect and a liberalized space as we advance in this civilization. Increasingly in the modern age, customers and staff are not prepared to sustain commitment to organizations whose philosophy and values are misaligned with their own personal ideals and these global concerns. Ten years ago organizational planning paid very little regard to values and philosophy. Customers were satisfied with quality at the right price. Staff were satisfied with a decent wage and working conditions. Today things are different. Organizations of all sorts must now cater for a more enlightened workforce and market-place. Witness the antagonism growing towards certain multi-nationals. People don't rail against successful corporations - they rail against corporations which put profit ahead of people; growth ahead of society and communities; technology and production ahead of the natural world; market domination ahead of compassion for humankind. None of this is right and good, and these organizations are on borrowed time.
2. We need to fully integrate a multi-cultural management approach.
It is common knowledge that the intertwining of cultures brings conflicts as in a war situation. People tend to protect there culture. And in Africa, outsiders who tend to impose there culture on the home community are not welcomed. At best they are regarded as invaders and are treated in like manner.
Great strides will be recorded by ZTE if the company makes concerted effort to globalize its management structure and bring in locals within the country boundaries they operate, localization in organizational structure. This will bring the company more in harmony with its operating environment and more in tune with global trends also. In Africa for instance, traditional friendships cannot be sealed until you are invited inside the chambers and offered either an eatable gift for the moment or a kola without which your stay is not welcomed. This traditional way of acceptance places you as equal partners united by a common goal. Institutionally, this remains an inherent practice, a philosophy which drives day to day engagements, business deals and agreement.
While integrating the indigenous staff of countries of operation into the mainstream structure of ZTE will form a deciding factor of growth in the coming years, efforts must be made also to ensure competence of these personnel. ZTE’s operation outside China, particularly at the emerging markets of Africa will continue to form a fundamental bulk of revenue, hence the need to begin to look at ways of enhancing operations in these markets and maintaining a cordial relationship with the local environment thereby bringing home a harmonious whole which truly reflect our “WIN –WIN” slogan.
3. Focus should be on Developmental needs of emerging Markets
The emerging markets of Africa in particular has come on to focus and will remain the fulcrum for growth in telecommunication in the next ten years. With internet penetration in sub-Saharan Africa averaging around 5.3% as compared to the world average of 24%, there is no doubt that there will be rapid demand for data related services in these markets.
However, can it be possible for ZTE to also show a lot more interest in the national development of these countries as a way of corporate social responsibility, in helping to develop a critical mass of local experts that will help develop and sustain these infrastructures that will obviously be needed? Then this will bring much homely the slogan “WIN WIN” for which ZTE is known for. This will help firmly establish ZTE as a responsible and credible global brand.
It is not going to be enough in these markets to operate as a multi-national enterprise, there is going to be increased demands for cooperate social responsibility and human kindness at the forefront and the good of the environment as an inalienable right of us all. Being aware of these trends will position ZTE as a truly global company and a truly global telecommunication infrastructure vendor.
4. We need to reorganize our project and solution Delivery
Customers are excited when datelines, schedules and commitments are kept to the later. On the other hand, they easily become dissatisfied and disillusioned when commitments falters, customer support is poor or non existent, and response time is floppy and unreliable. This is about integrity. We need to work hard to improve on this perception in the coming years. We will need more articulate ways of defining our commitments before putting them on pencils, but once done, we are bound by it no matter the odds. Once the market place sees our commitments to deliver as agreed, the growth of ZTE in the coming years will be much more exceptional than what we have seen because we have good product portfolio that the market is yarning for.
Once again I say Bravo!!!! Bravo!!! And Bravo!!! to all my colleagues and friends in ZTE worldwide.
I have also advocated her styles and system as an example to us in Nigeria, as we aspire to be a global player in the world economic stage come 2020. A style that calls for devotion to ones duty, love for what you do, and who you represent (The enterprise), hardwork with an untiring spirit that says “We can”.
What then is the secret of this growth for a company that started small 25 years ago but now looks like its been around since 100 years? Wherein lays the secret of her success? Is it with the people, the management or with capital inflow from the Peoples Republic?
The answers to these questions are neither here nor there. I rather think that it is a combination of so many factors galvanized by effective leadership driven by a patriotic zeal.
Once you have a noble course, a clear vision, backed up with determination and a spirit that exclude failure as an option, the good people needed to drive it will naturally gravitate around this course. These in my humble opinion lay the secret of this global success in just 25 years for ZTE. So I say Bravo!!! To all of us and like we say in Nigeria, I declare 25 “GBOSAS!” for ZTE.
But beyond savoring this great achievement and these great successes, what then lies ahead and what must be done to sustain these strides?
I will try to examine these questions in four ways.
1. We need to define a strong philosophy and a strong value ethics
Successes of global companies will no more lie on what is generally known as price wars. The market place is changing fast, so is values and peoples awareness of global issues. The world has become fully globalised. So success of global companies in the future will be proportional to how much they are aware of these global concerns within there internal structures. The market place for instance will shy away from energy inefficient companies as concerns from global warming gathers momentum. Or from enterprises that encourages child labor and abuse of human dignity. Humanity and the human spirit will more and more demand for care, respect and a liberalized space as we advance in this civilization. Increasingly in the modern age, customers and staff are not prepared to sustain commitment to organizations whose philosophy and values are misaligned with their own personal ideals and these global concerns. Ten years ago organizational planning paid very little regard to values and philosophy. Customers were satisfied with quality at the right price. Staff were satisfied with a decent wage and working conditions. Today things are different. Organizations of all sorts must now cater for a more enlightened workforce and market-place. Witness the antagonism growing towards certain multi-nationals. People don't rail against successful corporations - they rail against corporations which put profit ahead of people; growth ahead of society and communities; technology and production ahead of the natural world; market domination ahead of compassion for humankind. None of this is right and good, and these organizations are on borrowed time.
2. We need to fully integrate a multi-cultural management approach.
It is common knowledge that the intertwining of cultures brings conflicts as in a war situation. People tend to protect there culture. And in Africa, outsiders who tend to impose there culture on the home community are not welcomed. At best they are regarded as invaders and are treated in like manner.
Great strides will be recorded by ZTE if the company makes concerted effort to globalize its management structure and bring in locals within the country boundaries they operate, localization in organizational structure. This will bring the company more in harmony with its operating environment and more in tune with global trends also. In Africa for instance, traditional friendships cannot be sealed until you are invited inside the chambers and offered either an eatable gift for the moment or a kola without which your stay is not welcomed. This traditional way of acceptance places you as equal partners united by a common goal. Institutionally, this remains an inherent practice, a philosophy which drives day to day engagements, business deals and agreement.
While integrating the indigenous staff of countries of operation into the mainstream structure of ZTE will form a deciding factor of growth in the coming years, efforts must be made also to ensure competence of these personnel. ZTE’s operation outside China, particularly at the emerging markets of Africa will continue to form a fundamental bulk of revenue, hence the need to begin to look at ways of enhancing operations in these markets and maintaining a cordial relationship with the local environment thereby bringing home a harmonious whole which truly reflect our “WIN –WIN” slogan.
3. Focus should be on Developmental needs of emerging Markets
The emerging markets of Africa in particular has come on to focus and will remain the fulcrum for growth in telecommunication in the next ten years. With internet penetration in sub-Saharan Africa averaging around 5.3% as compared to the world average of 24%, there is no doubt that there will be rapid demand for data related services in these markets.
However, can it be possible for ZTE to also show a lot more interest in the national development of these countries as a way of corporate social responsibility, in helping to develop a critical mass of local experts that will help develop and sustain these infrastructures that will obviously be needed? Then this will bring much homely the slogan “WIN WIN” for which ZTE is known for. This will help firmly establish ZTE as a responsible and credible global brand.
It is not going to be enough in these markets to operate as a multi-national enterprise, there is going to be increased demands for cooperate social responsibility and human kindness at the forefront and the good of the environment as an inalienable right of us all. Being aware of these trends will position ZTE as a truly global company and a truly global telecommunication infrastructure vendor.
4. We need to reorganize our project and solution Delivery
Customers are excited when datelines, schedules and commitments are kept to the later. On the other hand, they easily become dissatisfied and disillusioned when commitments falters, customer support is poor or non existent, and response time is floppy and unreliable. This is about integrity. We need to work hard to improve on this perception in the coming years. We will need more articulate ways of defining our commitments before putting them on pencils, but once done, we are bound by it no matter the odds. Once the market place sees our commitments to deliver as agreed, the growth of ZTE in the coming years will be much more exceptional than what we have seen because we have good product portfolio that the market is yarning for.
Once again I say Bravo!!!! Bravo!!! And Bravo!!! to all my colleagues and friends in ZTE worldwide.
Comments
Post a Comment