Paying Higher Wages is Not a Drain on Profits

Most organizations providing customer services to the populace whether in private or public capacity have a major challenge that is "satisfying the end customer". But are we really doing the right things and have the correct directions and processes in place to achieve the goal of providing great customer care remains to be seen. One such organization that I happen to be a part of in Pakistan is going through a phase we saw the US superstore chain Walmart went through couple of years back also knows as the "Walmart Effect". US retail giant Walmart found that its stores were a mess with empty shelves and unhappy customers similar to what we are seeing with NADRA where long queues, poor customer care, corruption and front line employees lacking the impulse of doing the right thing have become a major headache for the public. 

In this era of digital innovation and growth NADRA as a leading public sector organization has become stagnant in its growth. The major reason behind it's decline is low morale, corruption and unsatisfied work force. To overcome challenges of similar nature Walmart took shocking steps in raising wages of front line work force, invested in their training's and opened paths for employees to advance. It was a major shift in their strategy one that understood that "paying high wages is not just a drain on profits but an engine of collective growth". 

NADRA as a leading public sector organization in Pakistan needs to follow the similar footsteps one that allows to pay some dividends to work force from the profits its making, invest in employees training and give them opportunities to advance otherwise the goals of achieving great customer care and become a catalyst of change will not materialize. In the 21st century we need a generation of leaders who understand why change is important to the business and their accountability to implementing it.

In the 21st century, organizations like NADRA and many others need 21st century leaders who are willing to change and move away from antiquated management practices. As a futurist, I hope this post helps you start thinking about what we need to be doing and the shifts we need to make. 

Digital Switchover in Pakistan

My latest report is the first in a series that will examine the challenges of digital switch-over in Pakistan by providing an in depth assessment of the prevailing market trends on the adoption of digital TV, its policy making and regulation in the country.

The analog to digital transition ranks as one of the most complex technological transitions of the present era. Successful transition will depend on widespread consumer awareness of how digital television differs from conventional television and why it is worth investing in a new technology from a household’s perspective. Preliminary research on the subject of adoption and diffusion; policy making and regulation of digital TV carried out by Internet Policy Observatory Pakistan indicates a severe lack of user awareness about digital TV, its attributes and adoption.

The transition from analog to digital is not a simple trajectory in which households merely turn off a set of established technologies one day and turn on another system the next. The effects of switchover to digital go well beyond the technical aspects by bringing with it complex economic disincentives and cultural resistance.

This report is an attempt to begin thinking about the challenges developing countries like Pakistan face and recommends clear strategies to be adopted for a successful digital switchover and its regulation.

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