Optimising enterprise resources

For any enterprise, small or big, the concept of MAP (Managing All Persons) is crucially important. The most important asset and most valuable resource for any enterprise is its manpower, and manning and motivating them diligently is the key to success.
Manning is the most important activity for any organisation, the key to which is guiding the staff. Manning, according to the modern management concept, is far removed from the decades-old ideas based on 'monitoring, supervising and controlling'. In advanced and progressive organisations, the idea is based on supporting and inspiring people (SIP) so that the organisation can always sip from the 'glass full of capable people'. This inspiring principle requires width and depth of vision on the part of all supervising teams who lead the enterprise in the fast changing world of today.
The key features and the way to flourish in the management of an enterprise can be summed up in the following manner.
First and foremost in priority is to give more responsibility and commensurate authority-- down the hierarchy, and to cultivate and encourage ideas and practices of decision-making at all possible levels, pushing it down and across the line as far as it can go, and the further it is the better. Next comes pragmatism in facing challenges and realities -- acting upon it and responding to it-- the sooner the better. Action should be speedy, and must never ignore the changing realities that may happen.
Following these, the most important issue is the perpetual search for excellence. This should be encouraged, as far as possible, by being always open to new ideas and suggestions from any level. This should always be welcome and encouraged. If it is not possible to incorporate or implement an idea or suggestion, then it is imperative to discuss and explain the reasons for it in details to the person/s who floated the idea. You must never turn it down without expanding the reasons in such a manner that you win the trust of the person/s concerned. An old but appropriate saying may be useful in this regard: "Speak gently to the child, it's love sure to gain. Teach it in accents, soft and mild, though it may not long remain!" It is for you (supervisor or whoever) to explain it to the person/s concerned in all possible details. This will help you to win friends, and this in turn promotes and encourages cohesion among people, up and down the line.
It is very important and crucial to ensure team building and sustaining team spirit. For this to happen, you should never ignore any idea or suggestion from any source and from any level. Managing this type of interaction is the key to managing people successfully. Further, it greatly encourages team building down the line. Win people's confidence. Wherever feasible, acknowledge, recognise and duly reward acceptable ideas and suggestions, and make sure that every one knows all about it. This will open up the line of communication and provide you with valuable feedback from all over the workplace.
These are based on the practices that this writer undertook in a key private sector factory way back in the mid 70s. When he took over a food-related unit, where the workers were considered hostile, six managers preceding him were forced to resign because of labour problems. This writer's tenure continued till he left the factory, as it ran smoothly and there were no labour problems. He selected his successor from amongst the factory's officers and was posted to the group's head office at Dhaka as the group was expanding. Meanwhile, the factory, on a regular basis, attained production targets exceeding the manufacturer's guaranteed capacity based on team work leading to local in-house innovations and capacity increase.
The write, a hands-on engineer, has worked from 1955 to late 2007, in various types of industries at various levels of management, including as Head of Enterprise. sam@dhakacom.com