TALES FROM KYRGYZSTAN Vol. 2- CORPORATE “ONE TALK”

Posted on Thursday, 1st August - 2013, in ADVICE & TIPS and ANALOGIES & STORIES and OPINIONS and INSIGHTS, by Dr Garry Richards OAM FAIM

Wanna do a great job of buggering up your management? Read on!

(Compulsory pre-reading: Chapter 1)

The Soviet Empire of the 20th Century had a vast and powerful influence and was focused and single-minded in its plans for its global corporation. Great stuff…but it disappeared!

How can such a huge empire collapse so dramatically? Well here’s an insightful lesson from the Kyrgyzstan Soviet Republic.

During the Soviet era it wasn’t a bad thing to be Russian in Kyrgyzstan…The leadership of the 75% Kyrgyz people and some other bits (Tajiks etc.) was overwhelmingly Russian and Russian values and plans and thinking prevailed.

Management got drawn from people who thought like a Russian. Which of course was most of the Russians and a few Honorary Russians (i.e. adaptable Kyrgyz who thought like Russians). – hmmm delete the word Russian and insert your own word for companies you have seen where managers only promote people who think like the managers themselves…It’s very familiar!

Well, after a while all thinking is the same…Everything was done the same: Architecture, systems, etc. are just endlessly the same… So if those systems and designs and materials are poor – then it’s poor everywhere. (See Chapter 1)

It had to end. And it did. The USSR collapsed. And the independent Kyrgyz Republic was created…stuffed to the gills with Russian stuff.Inevitably the Kyrgyz wanted to pull the strings and the Russians started departing… From 20% down to current 6%. But so did anyone with any sort of management experience (even bad ones). In other words… All the ‘one talks’ walked!

Inevitably the Kyrgyz wanted to pull the strings and the Russians started departing… From 20% down to current 6%. But so did anyone with any sort of management experience (even bad ones). In other words… All the ‘one talks’ walked!

What happens to a company when the corporate history or a cadre of senior management all leaves at once? And leaves behind a wreckage of poor management? The double whammy! Corporate decay and struggling new management…nice eh?

The double whammy! Corporate decay and struggling new management…nice eh?
Once again…It’s a Kyrgyzstan example, but we can still see such things in Australia.

Conclusion

1. Beware of a one-talk culture in management.
2. Mass departures of management (even if low quality) can leave vacuums of knowledge and skills that can lead to dysfunction.