ZIM ASSET TO AUGMENT PRODUCTIVITY

By Brenald Chinyowa
Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset) is the economic plan for the period of October 2013 - December 2018. The fundamental linchpin of this economic blue print is entrenched in result based management system (RBM). ZIM ASSET is there to ensure that the government is totally committed towards building a robust and sustainable results oriented culture, socio-economic growth and performance management culture. It is designed in form of a Matrix to ensure the institutionalization and mainstreaming of results based culture in the public sector in conformity with the Results Based Management System so as to boost productivity and service delivery. The state of the Zimbabwean productivity levels cannot be divorced from our fury tale and reflections of the past.
The phenomenon in Zimbabwe was characterized by a devastating hyper-inflation and a political predicament that reached its zenith with the electoral crisis of 2008, exacerbated by the imposition of illegal sanctions and the drought of 2008, followed by the dollarization of the economy in the same year and then now liquidity crunch of the economy. These chains of events has led to an probable fall in productivity at firm level, ascending up to the national productivity level, confirmed by the falling national gross domestic products (GDP) over the years from 2000, up to 2010. The enactment of the Zim Asset has showered some flickers of hope to the nation in its exertions to revive our battered economy with disheartening low productivity levels.
Productivity is the ratio of output to inputs in production; it is an average measure of the efficiency of production. Efficiency of production means production’s capability to create incomes which is measured by the formula real output value minus real input value. Increase in national productivity can raise living standards because more real income improves people's ability to purchase goods and services, enjoy leisure, improve housing and education and contribute to social and environmental programs. Productivity growth also helps businesses to be more profitable. Learning from the facets of the Zim Asset, productivity can be boosted in the country because;
There is a concept of performance based contracts which is raised in the economic blue print, hence companies can adopt this concept to boost productivity, the concept of performance based contracts entails that companies has to buy performance not transactional products. Therefore basing on the Zim Asset companies needs to have Productivity and Performance Based Contracts (PPBC) these are the ones that combines the performance-related benefits of a PBC with further initiatives to improve productivity and reduce the total cost over the longer term. A performance contract in and of it, will not produce on-going reductions in cost (although an initial change from a transactional set of arrangements to a performance contract can produce savings by re-designing the business processes and removing transaction-based administrative overheads).
Achieving performance outcomes and sharing in on-going productivity gains and other cost-reduction opportunities require additional contract components. Some Zimbabwean companies were not/ are not having Performance Based Contracts with their top management hence lack of creativity and innovative anchored development which the nation needs most at the moment to get out of our current economic iron cage. They also they lack clear cut business strategies which can transform these ailing organisations, which are losing they competitive advantage and a reduction of their productivity levels. Performance Based Contracts do away with the payment of hefty remuneration packages to CEOs who are not performing or the expense or productivity and service delivery, therefore the adoption of this notion of performance based contracts will undeniably increase the productivity all levels or it rather it is an “hygienic” (something that transform process to a level were productivity can easily be increased) factor.
Performance Based Contracts encourage employees to boost their productivity.  When done to alacrity, fastidiousness and up to best standards it will motivate the employees to achieve particular outcomes, rather than simply performing individual activities or focusing on individual goals. Under this concept the employer has to pay the employees according to whether they meet pre-agreed targets usually measured by key performance areas/indicators.  This aligns the employer and employees in such a way that, instead of an employee working to maximize his/her benefits in the expense of firm’s productivity and service delivery, both principal and contractor work together towards a common aftermath, that will build a sustainable productivity model such as Australia by government and the private sector they are a case of successfully integrated performance based contracting.
The Zim Asset aims to establish a Results Based Government that seeks to optimize utilization of scarce resources, allocated in order to reinforce the achievement of the indigenization, empowerment and employment creation agenda of the nation. The government is coming up with a vision and a mission for the country, to have an idea of where the country will be in the next five years. And this will enhance efficiency in planning and scarce resource. Optimum use of the scarce resources will lead to efficiency and this will make organisations to be productive and increase service delivery. When employees work without a clear mission and vision of where the organisation will be in the coming years will create confusion and mediocrity. When organizations operate without a vision of what they want to achieve will lead to unnecessary cost and misuse of funds.
Also this economic blue print acknowledges the existence of an global village, as it promotes increase of foreign direct investment, hence as companies there is need to braced up to compete in the global market and to meet the needs of the market, this automatically means companies has to beef up their production levels so as to meet the demand of the global village. However talking of increasing firm level productivity at this juncture it’s more of a thorn in the flesh if you take it at face value, but local companies has to partner with foreign investors, in support of the indigenization and empowerment stance of the government. But on this notion such moves must be taken with the agenda of development, constructive partnership and business ventures with international investors can be our messiah to boost our firm level productivity and competency in the global village.
To enhance success in such ventures the Zim Asset has raised the concept of transparency, accountability and responsibility that if upheld in it will boost production. If companies foster the gospel of transparency in their companies it will increase productivity ratio, at firm level. It argues that it is the issue of corruption, nepotism, and politicization of organisational affairs that was adversely affecting production and service delivery in Zimbabwe, hence if they are eradicated productivity will increase. The lesson being portrayed here is that where there is no transparency, accountability and responsibility productivity ratio and service delivery is compromised.
National Corporate governance framework will be launched and implemented resulting in the re-invention of government and private sector business to be more development oriented. Public institutions which survive through public funds has to be more accountable, transparent and be more development focused. It’s my prayer as well that the policy will do away with the erupting bad corporate governance practices which have be permissible through precedence, such practices may include though not limited to the payment of astronomical remuneration packages for the executives some reaching 200 to 300 thousands per month, at the expense of national development. If these funds are channeled to boost productivity capacity which is a challenge to those institutions it will eventually became a panacea to our own phenomenon.
If this policy is instigated with all sincerity and candid it will move our nation into another stage of development. But if the corruption and bad corporate governance escalate as well it will be rather a curse to our on nation. So for its success lest all say no to corruption, nepotism, favoritism, political indifference and bad corporate governance practices. As a nation we need to bury our sectorial differences and sit down with joined hands on a round table with the nation at heart. It might not be an easy road for us, but as Zimbabweans let’s try to inherit the spirit if the Chinese to endure pain for a while and enjoy the benefits later. When I read P W Botha’s statement when he said, ‘Let us all accept that the Blackman is a symbol of poverty, mental inferiority, laziness and emotional incompetence and do not think more than a year’, I fumed and said I would like to meet this guy a prove him wrong why don’t you join me and claim the ownership of our national development agenda.

Brenald Chinyowa writes on his own capacity, for comments inbox to chinyowab@gmail.com (0777 897 586) 0715 764 862. Blog: profbrenald.blogspot.com or follow him on Facebook: Professor-Brenald Chinyowa. 

“NOT ALL CONFLICT IS BAD”

BY BRENALD CHINYOWA

Social structures are created through conflict between people with differing interests and resources. Individuals and resources, in turn, are influenced by these structures and by the "unequal distribution of power and resources in the society."

But not all conflict is bad! Conflict is always difficult, but it leads to growth and change, which is good. No one likes pain, but pain wakes you up and tells you when to react. If you had your hand on a stove, and you couldn’t feel the pain to know to remove it, you’d be in big trouble! If there were no painful stimulus, you would get burned. It’s been said that conflict is like a tea bag: You have no idea how strong it can be until it gets into hot water.

Some level of organizational conflict is actually desirable — it’s not always dysfunctional. When conflict exists, it generally indicates commitment to organizational goals, because the players are trying to come up with the best solution. This in turn promotes challenge, heightens individual regard to the issues, and increases effort. This type of conflict is necessary. Without it, an organization will stagnate!

Positive conflict is very useful in group deliberations. When faced with a conflict, most healthy groups will look for more information to resolve it. Because the disagreement was expressed, a more thorough investigation will be conducted. When the group makes a decision, it will be based on additional information that probably wouldn’t have been obtained had the conflict not occurred.

Even though some of the feelings generated by conflict may be negative, disagreement indicates involvement in the discussion. A good argument may be an effective antidote to apathy! “Let’s argue so we can make up.”

When resolving conflicts, one has to focus on finding ways that will allow all people to “win.” Usually, conflict results in one side “winning” at the expense of another. Conflict becomes unhealthy when it is avoided or approached on a win/lose basis, where one side is the winner and one is the loser. Your responsibility as a manager or team member is to ensure that this situation doesn’t occur, because it has negative effects for both the winner and loser.

From the human resource management school of thought, the belief that conflict is not an inherent or permanent feature of the employment relationship; rather, conflict is a manifestation of poor human resource management policies.

In unitarism, the organization is perceived as an integrated and harmonious system, viewed as one happy family. A core assumption of unitary approach is that management and staff, and all members of the organization share the same objectives, interests and purposes; thus working together, hand-in-hand, towards the shared mutual goals. Furthermore, unitarism has a paternalistic approach where it demands loyalty of all employees. And conflict is perceived as disruptive and illegitimate and it is there only to disturb the social order.

For there to be a conflict it shows the existence of an problem which has to be attended to with immediate cause as it may result in unproductively, therefore to some extend a conflict is necessary in an organization as it helps the management to focus on problem areas are craft solutions, but also conflict can be unhealthy to an organization if managed wrongly and if taken for granted.

Brenald Chinyowa writes on his own capacity, for comments inbox to chinyowab@gmail.com (0777 897 586) 0715 764 862. Blog: profbrenald.blogspot.com or follow him on Facebook: Professor-Brenald Chinyowa.

MANAGING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT

 
By Brenald Chinyowa & Freemen Pasurai
Some few months ago I was invited for an interview by a leading bank in Zimbabwe. Upon my arrival at the offices I was impressed by the venue of the interview and the treatment I received not until my first six months on the job. From the onset I had admired the corporate colours of the company including its numerous vehicles that patrolled the city up and down. I had also been impressed by the office set ups and its adverts in the papers. Unfortunately the disclosure of my work and the benefits I was entitled got me disappointed as I was expecting to be paid as much as they can afford not as little as I can get away with.
This occurred to me unconsciously until I recalled the psychological contract. The psychological contract I had in mind had already turned negative without having spent a week on the job, and the employment relationship had kick-started with my disappointment. The psychological contract is defined as an unwritten contract, the sum of the mutual expectations between the organization and employees. Generally psychological contracts are mental models or schemas that develop through an individual’s experiences or interactions.
It is most commonly viewed as ‘unwritten expectations operating at all times between every member of an organisation and the various managers and others in that organisation’. It therefore typically operates at an unconscious or at least semi-conscious level. It is not written anywhere but both parties always practice it sometimes consciously or unconsciously. Employee expectations may include obvious things such as pay, as well as softer issues such as personal support or development. Organisation expectations may refer to working hard or results, as well as more subtle expectations such as loyalty or enhancing the reputation of the organisation.
In the Zimbabwean economy, the nature of the psychological contract has changed. Most graduates get the shock of their lives as they spent few months at the company. Myself I was also expecting a continuous learning opportunity, career advancement, promotion and high welfare, recognition and rewards for my contributions. The closure, restructuring of companies and economic meltdown has negatively affected the psychological contract as it has left many companies unfortified to meet the pre requisites of the psychological contract.
Though in the midst of such an environment the state of the psychological contract in an organisation is a strong determinant of employee behaviour at any given organisation hence making it an significant variable in the organisational success equation, if well managed it is a panacea to organisational industrial relations, performance, and success upheavals, but if not it can be problematic and can adversely affect the organisation indirectly. Therefore giving fastidious treatment of the psychological contract is based on the idea that the organisation can only create value and confidence for clients through outstanding solutions and services by giving the highest attention to people’s growth , satisfaction and implied expectations.
An organisation has to explicitly expose its psychological contract to evade ambiguity, because ambiguity of the contract will lead to a scenario where neither part is aware of the expected behaviour from them and hence the employee can be restricted on how to perform and behave at the work place, a partner in a relationship where parts are not open to each other on what they expect from each other , the partner will be like a blinded person sitting on the edge of a balcon of a 16 storey building, he can’t make any move as he afraid of falling down, just like an employee who is not aware of what he is expected from him, his activities are circumscribed. This will now lead to no innovation and creativity.
Also in managing the contract it has to be noted that employees expectations change with time, that is the e the expectations of employees gradually change as they progress through their life. At a very simple level, employees’ needs from employment could be viewed as falling into three stages:
Early work life during their 20s many people try out, experiment and explore alternative job and career options. This is done in an effort to seek and identify job and career options and paths which are most appealing and personally fulfilling, so that the individual can pursue the paths which are most in their future interests.
Development This occurs once the individual has identified a positive path from a work content, lifestyle and reward perspective. It occurs after exploring alternatives, and they then decide to develop and increase their skills and expertise in the chosen area of work, and develop their careers in the area.
Maturity Having found and developed their work niche, the individual typically seeks stability so that they can provide for their increased and continuing family responsibilities. The goal is essentially one of sustaining the chosen direction.

Brenald Chinyowa & Freemen Pasurai write on their own capacity, for comments inbox to chinyowab@gmail.com (0777 897 586) or fripas0285@gmail.com (0776 601 610). Feel free to contact them for advice & consultation on any HR related issues in your Organisation.

HOW TO DEAL WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

 

By Brenald Chinyowa

Difficult people are everywhere. Maybe you’re one of them? Or maybe, everyone is difficult during certain moments of their life. Either way, eventually you’ll need to work or compromise with a person that you think is difficult. Over the years, I've encountered my fair share of difficult people. People who don't turn their work in as promised, people who don't show up for meetings, people who stick vehemently to their views and refuse to collaborate, people who push back on work that they're responsible for. After a while, I learned that these people are everywhere. No matter where you go, you can never hide from them. Sure, it might be possible to avoid the 1st one or two difficult people, but how about the 3rd, 5th, 10th person you encounter? Hiding isn't a permanent solution. What's more, in the context of work, it's usually difficult to avoid or hide from someone, unless you quit from a job totally. Well - I don't know about you, but it doesn't seem feasible to quit every time someone has an opposing view or is being difficult. Here are some useful strategies for dealing with difficult people and hopefully avoiding conflict! So rather than turn to some drastic decisions each time, why not equip yourself with the skills to deal with them.

The easiest way to deal with someone difficult is to be calm, because losing your temper and flaring out at the other person is not the best way to get him/her to collaborate with you, but rather it can make that person rebel. Unless you know that anger will trigger the person into action and you are consciously using it as a strategy to move him/her to action, but it is better to assume a calm persona because a loose temper or a flaring behavior can revoke the spirit of rebellion. Also someone who is calm is seen as someone being in control, centered and more respectable. Would you prefer to work with someone who is predominantly calm or someone who is always on edge? When the person you are dealing with sees that you are calm despite whatever he/she what he is doing, you will start getting their attention. And always remember the old rule which says you cannot put off a fire by another fire but you need water, therefore you don’t manage a difficult persona by being difficult too but by being calm or soft.

Also when dealing with difficult persona understand the person’s intentions before you react or act. I'd like to believe that no one is difficult for the sake of being difficult. Even when it may seem that the person is just out to get you, there is always some underlying reason that is motivating them to act this way. Rarely is this motivation apparent. Try to identify the person's trigger: What is making him/her act in this manner? What is stopping him/her from cooperating with you? How can you help to meet his/her needs and resolve the situation? This is a very critical part because everything has a reason or a trigger, do not act on the symptoms but rather on the root cause, it’s like when you are driving your car then the oil indicator starts indicating that the oil level is too low, if you take a bubble gum and close the indicator it won’t solve the problem but rather the car will boil. That is the same concept I am trying to convey here, because maybe the employees are trying to communicate something with you or maybe there are some circumstances at the workplace which makes the employees behave in such a manner. A highly effective manager has the eye of a chameleon which sees beyond the normal eye, he/she sees in all angles & all directions. Maybe employees seem difficulty simply because the working conditions are unbearable to them. So the best way to act is to solve the root cause like I said above if an oil indicator of your car signals that you are running low on oil then buy another pint of oil before your car boils because if you close the indicator nothing will change.

Also the other strategy you can use when you encounter someone difficult at the workplace just change your attitude or perception towards that person, because negative perceptions to others are equally dangerous in destroying relationships. For example if you view someone as if he/she is an I know everything person who do not agree to any idea of anyone, it’s not healthy because every time that person opens his or her mouth you will think it’s an argument coming out, then you will become defensive before that person say anything, but maybe that person was not about to argue with you. Or if you view someone as a nagging person then each time that person makes a request you will be tempted to think he/she is nagging even when the person is not. So what I am trying to unearth here is that some of the people whom we say are difficulty they are not really difficulty but it’s our perceptions about them, it about the labels we give to our workmates. So the rule is avoid negative perceptions about others, but view everyone positively, and also remember that it will initiate the self-fulfilling prophecy achieved from labeling.

Also get perspectives from others, remember you don’t live in a vacuum but in a community with others then ask for advice when dealing with difficult people, this is because sometimes we tend to solve issue when we are angry and end up adopting wrong decision emanating from our emotions. In all likelihood, your colleagues, managers and friends could have experienced similar situations in some way or another. They will be able to see things from a different angle and offer a different take on the situation. Seek them out, share your story and listen to what they have to say. You might very well find some golden advice in amidst of the conversation and also make use of independent consultancy firms to avoid the incidences of conflicting interests.

Then there is the golden rule of management first look at yourself before you claim that the wrong doer is out there, maybe you are the one who is difficult, as humans it’s our nature that we quickly to point out and denunciate the next person for any cataclysm. A story was told, Brenald was happily married to his wife Joy, then it come to pass when Brenald started saying my wife has a hearing problem because if he calls his wife there was no response at most of the times. Then one day he went to see a doctor together with his wife saying my wife has developed a hearing problem. So the doctor said, before I treat your wife go and do this experiment and come tell me the results. So when Brenald gets home he did exactly what the doctor told him to do, he was in the sitting room and he said, ‘honey what’s for dinner’, there was no response, he reduced the distance up to the kitchen’s door and he said, ‘joy what’s for dinner!’, then no response, reduced the distance again and shout right into joy’s ears, ‘JOYCE WHAT’S FOR DINNER !’, then his wife also shouted into his ears, ‘BRENALD I HAVE TOLD YOU THE THIRD TIME its rice & chicken’. So it was Brenald who had a hearing problem because he failed to hear the responses from his spouse, when they returned to the doctor Brenald’s ears were operated. The moral meaning of the story is that so many times we rush to point out that the next person is the one wrong but we will be the ones wrong. Management and leadership require someone who focuses much on what he or she is doing to the subordinates. This implies that sometimes managers you are the one who make your subordinates difficult to manage, but you are the first ones to label them difficult and stubborn. So to get along or to get things done with difficult people you need to equip yourself with various leadership or managerial qualities that promote collaboration in the midst of employee miscellany. Follow my next article next week as we divulge into the qualities needed to be an effective manager or leader

Brenald Chinyowa writes on his own capacity, for comments inbox to chinyowab@gmail.com (0777 897 586) 0715 764 862. Blog: profbrenald.blogspot.com or follow him on Facebook: Professor-Brenald Chinyowa. Feel free to contact him for free advice & consultation on any HR related issues in your Organisation, Also for strategic conferencing facilitation all free of charge.

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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS IMPACT ON LEADERSHIP

 By Brenald Chinyowa

Defined as the skills or ability necessary to identify, assess and control the emotions of oneself, other people or entire groups, emotional intelligence is a concept that has become widely popular in management texts and related literature for its ability to enhance and capitalize on the human potential of an organization.
Seeking to support a leader’s cognitive, emotional and physical resources, the use of emotional intelligence is a modern tool of effective management, enabling the individual to manage a wide range of employees that are often performing in a unique set of roles. In addition, emotional and personal competencies are two primary factors that are shown to be directly linked to performance within a work environment, making their identification and analysis essential for effective management as well as the increased development of the organization’s human capital.

It Pays to be ‘Likeable’

In part, emotional intelligence is a response to the problems businesses face in the modern world. With tighter budgets, escalating costs and the continuous demand to produce more for less, there’s a need to develop a higher standard for leadership skills, ones that will effectively address the challenges of high employee turnover, a rapidly changing business environment and the ever-increasing demand for improved products and services. And at least in part, the solution to these problems is found in a leader who possesses technical knowledge as well as the social and emotional abilities that will enable them to meet and beat the afore mentioned challenges and maximize the human potential of their organization while achieving their own personal agenda.
Any organization at the forefront of its industry needs to retain the best employees to remain competitive. And if you take a look at the factors that contribute to the highest levels of creativity and effectiveness in the workplace within these types of businesses, you’ll find components of emotional intelligence 9 out of 10 times.
That’s because duration of employment is directly linked to an individual’s relationship with their immediate supervisor, with some figures reporting that only 11 percent of employees who rated their boss as ‘excellent’ would consider looking for a new job. This figure is in comparison to the 40 percent who would consider leaving after rating their boss ‘poor’.

Moving Up Requires More Than Just Technical Capability

Your skills can land you a great job but emotional intelligence is what enables you to keep it and, more importantly, get promoted and motivate those around you. In fact, some psychologists believe that emotional intelligence matters twice as much as both technical and analytic skills combined. And the higher the individual moves up within an organization, the more crucial emotional intelligence becomes – not really a surprise given the high degree of loyalty required to inspire people toward achieving an expansive, complex or long-term goal.
To climb the modern corporate ladder, a leader must be competent within their chosen field but also have a finely-tuned sense of emotional intelligence. Specifically, they are typically expected to be more positive, approachable, warm, empathetic and optimistic, traits many believe to be more important than traditional cognitive intelligence in the successful achievement of workplace goals. The reason for this may be due to the fact that a focus on emotional intelligence often includes the ability to contain any negative feelings and focus instead on a positive outcome – a capability that is vital for high-reaching leaders and executives.

Brenald Chinyowa writes on his own capacity, for comments & feedback inbox tochinyowab@gmail.com or cell: (0777 897 586) 0715 764 862 

LABOUR ACT REFORM, NEEDS CAUTIOUSNESS

By Brenald Chinyowa
Debate and confab have loomed the industry so lately, about the contemporary move by the Honorable Minister of Finance Cde Patrick Chinamasa availing the intent of the government to neo-liberalise the labour legal frame work of Zimbabwe all in the name of economic growth through improved firm level productivity, labour market flexibility and investor attractiveness. But the Zimbabwean labour law trajectory can be best assumed by paying a preview to its antique or historical development, because it explicitly unveils the paradox of employee vulnerability that need strong defense mechanisms to counteract their susceptibleness.

The development of labour law in Zimbabwe can be traced back to the pre colonialism/the primitive accumulation era where the central coercive legislation of this period was the Master and Servants Ordinance/1901 and Natives Pass Ordinance /1902 which were designed to fast track the establishment of racist capitalist system on the back of cheap and forced black labour. In the colonial era the industrial act of 1935 was enacted to deal with white working class, co-existing side by side with a unitary law applicable to the majority of the black working class. It saw the establishment of Collective Bargaining, conciliation and arbitration for dispute resolutions, recognition of trade unions one per industry but with highly restricted freedom of association, but it was based on openly racist lines with blacks being prevented from competing with whites for skilled jobs and excluded from the definition of employee in the Act. The 1945 and 1948 strikes led to amendments of the Act. In the Post colonialism era there was the enactment of Minimum Wages Act/1980, Employment Act/1980 and later the Labour Relations Act #16 of 1985.
This was an epoch of triumph for the black- middle class which led to the anti-colonial crusade over settler colonialism. The Act declared fundamental rights of employees including protection from unlawful discrimination and the right to organize. The single labour federation ZCTU was formed in 1981, an alliance of the new government led by the triumphant people’s party ZANU PF. Neo liberalism that is 1990 to present resembles the adoption of free market policies under Economic Structural Adjustment Programmes (ESAP) as a recommendation of the International Monetary Fund. The main legal instrument used to achieve deregulation of labour policies was the L R Amendment #12 of 1992 signified by the removal of state controls on minimum and maximum wages and introduction of NEC sectorial bargaining, streamlining disciplinary handling system by introducing employer controlled by codes of conduct, restrictions on the right to strike and abandonment of the one industry one union policy, destruction of permanent jobs through easy retrenchment and dismissal laws and their substitution by contract/ casual jobs paying lower wages.
The labour law reform in the form of the new Labour Act was brought in by LR Amendment Act # 17 of 2002 which aimed at advancing social democracy in the workplace. Then 2005 the Labour Act was amended by Act #7 and it improved maternity rights, strengthened the jurisdiction of the Labour Court and provided remedies on unfair dismissal among other incorporations, the implied sense of the amendment it was more of redressing the relaxation of the legal frame work by amendment # 12 of 1992.
From the historic development of the labour laws in Zimbabwe it is probable that the employees are subject to abuse if not fully protected. The new millennium witnessed a deepening economic crisis in Zimbabwe, aided and exacerbated by the twin forces of political authoritarianism and neoliberalism. However, whilst these two forces had previously acted in concert, by the end of the 1990s they began to diverge. The labour multitude’s radical dual-agenda against both neoliberalism and political authoritarianism therefore became more problematic, as these two malignant forces had now diverged to some extent and retrenched a polarization which appeared to split rights-based and redistribution-based struggles.
This emanated into a labour movement that remained not only a viable, but a vital force within Zimbabwe.  The continued activism of a radicalized rank-and-file connected to a broader labour multitude has been accentuated as vital for emancipatory tussle in Zimbabwe, and despite the challenges posed by the political crisis which reached its zenith in 2008 and neoliberalism, there are a number of encouraging signs. Labour has retained its internal cohesion whilst fostering greater solidarity across the Southern African region, with the continued presence of rank-and-file activism even during the horrific repression of the 2000s offering hope for continued struggles in the more peaceful climate of the power-sharing government. Equally, ZCTU has proven itself uniquely adept at fostering further solidarity within the expansive informal sector, facilitating the empowerment of informal sector workers even in the most abject of circumstances.
The Zimbabwean labour movement is certainly battered and bruised, and its own internal contradictions between a social-democratic leadership and the radical agenda of the rank-and-file may yet fashion glitches.
The current intent of the government of the present day to go for labour act reform, is not new but rather the same with the Labour Relations Amendment #12 of 1992, as part of the ESAP, the technical sense of the amendment was rational to the business owners which are the capitalist operating on the motive of profit making through full exploitation of the factors of production at the lowest possible cost, to this end the labour is the one that always to suffer. The effects of ESAP were disastrous to the Zimbabwean populace as responded through collective job action and a sporadic rise of poverty levels emanating from rampant retrenchments by companies. These have remained unmitigated with growing unemployment and social poverty that led to massive and unprecedented working class struggles with the huge felt national strikes and stay aways of 1997. It then christened the ‘Eternal Suffering of African People’. It also led to a rise in political consciousness, and ZCTU-ZANU PF alliance was broken culminating in the emergence of the MDC political party in 1999.
Neo-liberalization of the current labour legal frame work will actually see the rebirth of the ‘Eternal Suffering of African People’ (ESAP). Let it be in the cognizance of every legislator & industrial stakeholders in Zimbabwe that the relationship between an employer and the employee in a relationship of a power bearer and one who is powerless, the bearer of power owning the means of production making the employee dependant on him, hence the employee is prone to exploitation from the unruly capitalist who is in pursuit for profits, someone was quoted “the central feature of an employment relationship is un ceasing power struggle”. Hence the employee will be at the vulnerable end due to incapacity to compete with the capitalist whom he depends on for a living.
The only hope for the susceptible employee is the legal figment (labour act), it is the only way in which the employees can be protected hence It’s my strong conviction that the labour Act is the army force (defence mechanism) which protects the interest of the employees and advance social justice at the work place, hence if the government proceeds in reforming the act in bid to boost the so called economic growth and investor attractiveness. It simply means the government will be weakening the defence system of the employees and their pillar for social justice at the work place
It has to be known that there the issue of remunerating employees on the bases of productivity is a little bit fiddly because productivity is a multifaceted displine and it is sculpted by various variables (factors of production) were labour is just but only a singular factor, hence I believe it is restrictive to define production in the sense of the labour factor. Relaxing the law will not increase productivity, but rather focusing on the real cause of decline in the productivity of the country.
Brenald Chinyowa writes on his own capacity, for comments & feedback inbox to chinyowab@gmail.com or cell: (0777 897 586) 0715 764 862

IS YOUR ORGANISATION READY FOR A TRANSITION

By Brenald Chinyowa

In the current dynamic business environment constituted by economic elasticity and an ever changing technological climate, exacerbated by the trade globalization, a transition or change is inevitable in any organisations as they is a need to continually refocus your strategy or gain competitive advantage in the current environment, and this makes change a necessity. Transition or Change is largely viewed as an alteration from the current state to a desire state, introducing a new management system, change of machinery or strategy resembles change. Many organisations change interventions are associated with failure, and many are afraid to execute change in their organisations as a result of the possible negative outcomes which change is likely to bring. There are daunting statistics of failed change interventions in the industry but in the midst of such a record, some organisations has made it, therefore the fundamental linchpin of this discussion is to show how to assess or see if your organisation is read for change, that is readiness for change, as it is probable that organisational un readiness to execute change contribute largely to the failure of the change intervention.

The organisation has to undertake a Change Readiness Assessment (CRA) which is a process which allows the company to determine the potential commitment and acceptance to the effect of the success of the planned change. It will allow the organisation to understand how people will respond to the change. It also helps to identify, Who will own the change, how will they provide the leadership to effectively manage the change, What potential resistance to the change may be experienced, What potential barriers will affect the implementation of the change, What change strategy or methods will be used when implementing the change to promote ownership?.

Organizational readiness for change is a multi-level, multi-faceted construct. At organizational level, readiness for change refers to organizational members' shared resolve to implement a change (change commitment) and shared belief in their collective capability to do so (change efficacy). Organizational readiness for change varies as a function of how many organizational members value the change and how favorably they appraise three key determinants of implementation capability: task demands, resource availability, and situational factors. When organizational readiness for change is high, organizational members are more likely to initiate change, exert greater effort, exhibit greater persistence, and display more cooperative behavior.

If we drawing from the social cognitive concept, I would like to propose that for an organisation to assess for its readiness for change they have to look at the change efficacy, that is a function of organizational members' cognitive appraisal of three determinants of change implementation capability: task demands, resource availability, and situational factors, efficacy is a 'comprehensive summary or judgment of perceived capability to perform a task.' In formulating change-efficacy judgments, organizational members acquire, share, assimilate, and integrate information bearing on three questions: do we know what it will take to implement this change effectively; do we have the resources to implement this change effectively; and can we implement this change effectively given the situation we currently face? Implementation capability depends in part on knowing what courses of action are necessary, what kinds of resources are needed, how much time is needed, and how activities should be sequenced.

In addition to gauging knowledge of task demands, organizational members also cognitively appraise the match between task demands and available resources. That is, they assess whether the organization has the human, financial, material, and informational resources necessary to implement the change well.

Finally, they consider situational factors such as, whether sufficient time exists to implement the change well or whether the internal political environment supports implementation. When organizational members share a common, favorable assessment of task demands, resource availability, and situational factors, they share a sense of confidence that collectively they can implement a complex organizational change. In other words, change efficacy is high

Before the introduction of any change you have to look at the Motivational readiness of the departmental leaders and staff members (defined by perceived need and pressure for change) combined with personal attributes (e.g., professional growth, efficacy, influence, and adaptability) in facilitation and implementation of the change. Departmental motivational state is quite important, because if the departmental head is not for the planned change, he might choose to act antagonistically hence leading to failure of the intervention.

You need also to look at Organizational climatic factors (e.g., clarity of mission and goals, staff cohesion, communication, and openness to change) along with institutional resources (physical resources, training levels, and technological usage) as additional components to consider before initiating any change and see if they can support the planned change, because these factors as well can help us gauge the change compatibility in the organisation

Also there is need to focus on the number and quality of staff members available to do the work including their skills and expertise. Managerial coping, professionalism and behavioral change converge on similar dimensions of attitude and functioning, which influence organizational change. That is we have to look at the nature and type of professionalism, or behavioural changes requisites’ of the planned change and compare with the current state and see if the employees will be able to adapt to it.

While some change readiness assessment tools focus on the organization but the majority are very heavily oriented towards individuals. Neither focus on the organisational nor individual will give you a comprehensive analysis of change readiness, but rather it requires you to have the eye of a chameleon which sees all angles, there is need to see beyond the blue sky. You need to go beyond looking at one specific level or point in the system so a ‘zoom in and zoom out’ to other levels and points in the organisation will give you better information.  Alongside the levels you will need to assess different dimensions of readiness: attitudes, conditions and resources.

Although it was beyond the scope of this discussion to discuss measurement issues in detail I will just give an outline on how the measuring instrument will be like, an instrument that would best fit the construct of readiness assessment as described above would have the following characteristics:

1. Some means of focusing respondents' attention on a specific impending organizational change, perhaps by including a brief description of the change in the survey instrument and by mentioning the change by name in the instructions for specific item sets.

2. Group-referenced rather than self-referenced items (e.g., items focusing on collective commitment and capabilities rather than personal commitment and capabilities).

3. Items that only capture change commitment or change efficacy, not related constructs, like the antecedent conditions discussed

4. Efficacy items that are tailored to the specific organizational change, yet not so tailored that that the instrument could be used in other circumstances without substantial modification.

If other has failed to do it, it’s not a measure that change is impossible it’s just an indication to take caution when doing it, it’s not a RED robot, but it’s just amber. In sports races they say being first off the starting line is no guarantee of winning, and some say time spend planning is worthy it. Take your time assess your organisation make adjustments in arrears which needs attention before you introduce the change. An Eskimo need a refrigerator to keep things from freezing. “Work hard to discover what makes a dog bark excitedly, not just yawn”

Brenald Chinyowa writes on his own capacity, for comments inbox to chinyowab@gmail.com (0777 897 586) 0715 764 862. Blog: profbrenald.blogspot.com or follow him on Facebook: Professor-Brenald Chinyowa. Feel free to contact him for free advice & consultation on any HR related issues in your Organisation, Also for strategic conferencing facilitation all free of charge.

“EMPOWERMENT IS THE WAY TO GO”

By Brenald Chinyowa.

Published in The Herald News Paper, Harare, Zimbabwe, Thursday 20 February 2014

Empowerment is a multi-dimensional social process that helps people gain control over their own lives that fosters power in people for use in their own lives. Employee empowerment is insuring employees have the authority to make judgments on how the problem is solved or the need is met. Empowerment does not mean unlimited license...”just do whatever you need to do.…” but rather it means responsible freedom. It means employees who balance the freedom to go the extra mile for the customer with the responsibility of taking care of the organization. It is thinking and acting more like an owner, and not like a brainless slave who simply “does what he or she is told to do.” Organizations operating in this current turbulent environment can no longer afford front-line employee who are reluctant to use their full capacity at work. I mean employees who say, “I just did what I was told,” or “Just tell me what to do”. In the broadest sense empowerment is the expansion of choice and action. It is increasing one’s authority and control over the resources and decisions that affect one’s life or organisational progress too. It is giving individuals and teams more responsibility for decision making and ensuring that they have training, support and guidance to exercise their responsibility properly. When encouraged with care, empowerment is a panacea for many organizational ills. All managers and employees say they want empowerment, as it is considered a strategy to develop employees and serve members, which in turn will serve the company. The simple fact is that truly empowered employees have more self-confidence, are more creative and innovative, understand the strategic direction of the organization and are able to act upon this strategy, which in turn is mutually beneficial to both the employee and the organization for which they work, employees, management and the organisation can benefit from empowerment as discussed below;

Reduced staff Turnover

It has become a well out spoken term and well understood maxim in the industry that people tend to leave their bosses, not their companies, being a result of micromanagers who focus on process over results. Employees should not feel handcuffed in their decisions or be afraid to make bold moves. The more employees feel their actions positively impact their organizations directly, the more connected these employees feel to their companies. This starts with management, serving as the face and voice of those organizations. The more freely a smart manager delegate’s important tasks and decisions to her staff, she can focus less on operations and more on strategy and business planning. In turn, employees feel they're steering the ship.

It can be used to manage Industrial Relations

Empowerment help the management in conflict resolution as everyone works towards same goals. Worker Empowerment will help the management to determine the Industrial relation atmosphere in the workplace, this is because empowerment is similarly participative management, and hence by empowering workers the employer will reduce the collective influence of the workers, in the form of actions like, Strikes, demonstration or just through question organisational governance. The resultant stable industrial relations will subsequently be achieved through the commitment that comes with empowerment; an empowered workforce is a committed workforce.

Help in managing change

Every organization goes through large and small changes, the way employees respond to those changes is key in maintaining their morale. By allowing employees to make critical decisions that affect the company even in small ways, changes are less likely to be seen as uncaring edicts from above. Once the culture of loyalty and employee concern is established, even large changes are accepted and often embraced. Staff has to feel management at all levels makes decisions with their concerns in mind, empowered personnel tend to be more proactive and willing to embrace change. A team full of workers feeling in control of their destinies is far more enthusiastic about their roles and passionate about achievement, which is all good for the company

Improved Communication

Employees dislike feeling as though they're the last to know about important changes within their organizations. To combat this, managers must be willing and able to communicate within the bounds of appropriateness with staff, keeping them honestly informed about their jobs and environment. Management must also be receptive to employee input, giving them a sense of control over important financial and strategic decisions. Once this culture of communication successfully takes root, employees will feel more comfortable sharing their ideas with management, improving not only workplace morale, but work processes as well. In turn, employees become more receptive to positive coaching from managers

Job satisfaction

By Empowering employees it increase their satisfaction and morale at the work place , since the activity of empowering the employees require a greater amount of communication than ever thought possible, and will also require management to invest in increased amounts of time communicating to employees and allowing for feedback. In addition, it will require that management honestly evaluate the communication styles and methods that are being used in the institution to ensure the most efficient processes possible. Communicating and sharing information accomplishes several objectives that are not only important for the empowerment process, but also for overall employee satisfaction with the organization

Employee development

Empowerment allows employees the added opportunity to build on their current skill set. Being empowered gives them the ability to use all the skills that they already possess as well as gain new skills and experiences. Being able to hone and exercise their creativity and innovation skills will benefit them as they progress to higher positions within the organization, and as they also tackle much more challenging tasks and greater involvement in problem solving processes.

Positive Impact on Profits

Not only can empowerment have positive returns for employees and customers, it significantly impacts an organization's bottom line. Empowered employees have autonomous decision making capabilities and act as partners in ensuring the firm earns profits. Employee empowerment can radically change operations and boost corporate performance and profits. New products, creative ways, and innovation often result because employees are stimulated to play an active role in the organization

Happier Clients

The better employees do their jobs and if those jobs are done with increased enthusiasm and attention to detail clients can only benefit. This is a key area where direct financial improvements are realized from empowering employees. Clients love communicating with friendly and attentive staff, regardless of the enterprise. Empowered personnel tend to take a more personal approach with clients, focusing on creative ways to solve problems that appear less tied to company policy. In turn, clients feel an increased level of personal concern, improving customer retention and loyalty, hence giving a bigger competitive leverage of the organisation in the industry.

Competitive advantage

Empowering employees’ leads to organizational encouragement of entrepreneurial traits and prompts employees to make decisions, take action, and foster their belief that they can take control of their own destinies. This belief leads to self-motivation and a sense of independence that is translated into greater loyalty and extra effort for the organization. Empowered employees come to believe that they control their own success through their efforts and hard work, which in turn benefits the success of the entire organisation.

Lastly it is an undeniable fact that among many fashionable management terms, empowerment refers to a change strategy with the objective of improving both the individual’s and the organizational ability to act. In the service sector for example empowerment is often seen as an avenue to gain competitive advantage however the true potential is broader. So why wait empower your employees today and

Article generated by Brenald Chinyowa \ for comments & feedback inbox to chinyowab@3rdeyeconsultancy.co.zw (0777 897 586) 0715 764 862. Blog: profbrenald.blogspot.com . Feel free to contact him for free advice & consultation on any HR related issues in your Organisation, Also for strategic conferencing facilitation all free of charge.