By SYCORAX TIYESA NDHLOVU –
PROFESSOR Nkandu Luo’s appeal to Zambians to emulate the Japanese work culture for the country to grow should be taken seriously.
It is only after improving the work culture that Zambia will make remarkable progress in regards to sustainable development.
However, it is important to consider some factors that affect the improvement of one’s work culture.
Work culture is a derivate of many internal and external factors; some of which are too complex to address and to explain in an article.
The purpose of this article is to highlight factors and processes that affect work culture; and in the process demonstrate how a worker and employers can improve work culture in their respective organisations.
While we are busy debating on how to improve on our work culture, foreigners living in this country are busy identifying and exploiting many available opportunities; including exploitation of our rich natural resources to their advantages; but to our short and long-term disadvantages.
It is from such an analysis that Pro Luo who is Traditional and Chiefs’ Affairs minister, observes that some Zambians have poverty of the minds.
But some people might not properly understand the observations and views of Prof Luo in this context.
Without sounding to be a spokesperson of Prof. Luo, one can liken Professor’s observations and views to those of Jesus Christ who said: ‘You have eyes; but you cannot see.
You have ears; but you cannot hear.’ Ooh, sorry. Some people might not receive such statements well.
But such statements are not meant to hurt some people; but actually to improve on the people to exploit their potential to the fullest.
The point is: ‘Let’s transform our negative work culture to a positive one to improve on our living standards and develop our Mother Zambia in a sustainable way.’
As alluded to earlier on, this can be a complex and cumbersome process.
But as Prof Luo stated, the Japanese did it. And why can’t we do it here in Zambia?
Improving on work culture is a long, complex, and tiresome task to individual workers, employers and to the government. But basically, it starts with setting one’s career goal and objectives.
It also needs to have genuine models around who inspire individuals, families, communities and the country to work hard; and achieve what others have achieved.
Work culture can be improved on if the environment is conducive for one’s exploitation of available resources and opportunities. Levels of wages and monthly salaries; and their conditions of service contribute a lot to workers’ attitude towards work.
It also takes a long time investment to improve on one’s work culture as doing so is tied to many other internal and external factors such as one’s family background, friends one associates with and what one wants to achieve in life.
Levels of honesty also contribute to improving on one’s work culture.
Therefore, these are among some of the drivers of improved work culture.
Considering levels of honesty, one of our catholic priest appealed to Zambians not to adore people who have amassed wealth through dubious means. As long as Zambians praise people who acquire riches through dubious means, most Zambians won’t see the importance of working hard in their respective economic activities as they will always be looking for ways to do illegal and immoral things like what others did to become rich.
If supervisors, top management officials and other higher authorities are not exemplary in working hard in their respective organisations; but they are the ones who are enjoying good life through higher salaries and better conditions of services, why should an ordinary poor worker toil and improve one’s work? If job appointments, promotions and other rewards are not done on merit, most workers find it unnecessary to work hard.
With child labour laws and campaigns against the so-called child labour, most children are idle; and in the process becoming too lazy to work hard. Chanda Mwanakatwe in Chililabombwe district said poor work culture in Zambia starts from our homes. So poor work culture might be springing from how children are brought up in our homes.
It appears most Zambians don’t have patience to invest in career and business that will earn their dividends in the long run. Most of us Zambians want quick money for quick wealth. Each one of us seems to be in a hurry to become rich. Such approach to life can destroy one’s good work culture; create conflict of interest and be in conflict with the law whose consequences can be devastating for the rest of one’s life.
Coming to how the Japanese improved their work culture; and in the process developed their country to the current status, one can quickly refer to the Japanese philosophy which is indoctrinated into every Japanese. Every Japanese goal is to be ‘ichiban’(itche-bon) which means to be Number One, The Biggest and The Best.
How many Zambians have the same philosophy in the respective careers?
Improving on one’s work culture starts with setting personal career goal and objectives. In the past, under this column, it was stated that work culture affects what you write in your CV.
If one hasn’t been effective and result-oriented in one’s past and current official duties, one can have little, if not nothing, to write about in one’s CV that can impress potential employers. As some people’s career objectives might stipulate, aim at being the best in that career field in the country or in the sub-region.
The career goal or objective drives your work culture. It motivates you to work hard at school. It forces you to perform your official duties diligently. It persuades you to meet every deadline effectively and efficiently. With your career goal and objectives in mind, you are always eager to do the best not only for your employer but also for you CV which is a tool for more job opportunities.
This is why it is said that employers want candidates who are self-motivated. This means that employers need workers who have already set their career goals and objectives; and are now on auto-motivation to achieve their career goal and objectives. Such workers are highly productive; and need less supervision to the advantage of employers.
Little do most individual workers know that poor work culture is suicide to one’s career development processes. Poor work culture has a potential to reduce one’s honest levels; and eventually brings one to be at loggerhead with the law in an effort to maintain or improve on one’s status like others.
And national development is an aggregate of individual citizens’ development levels. If each citizen aims at developing oneself; and works hard to do so; then the whole country will develop to remarkable levels soon.
This means that it doesn’t necessarily take a government to develop a country.
It is individual citizens who have relevant goals and objectives; and work hard to achieve their respective goals and objectives that when all achieve such, the whole country is developed.
Look at the number of vehicles in Lusaka; and around the country. It is not the government that bought all such number of vehicles which many different citizens own and drive. It is individual citizens with their personal objectives to work hard and buy a vehicle that brought such a number of vehicle in the country.
Therefore, if one wants to improve on one’s work culture, one has first to develop high levels of honesty. Then, set your career goals or objectives clearly and early. Work hard at school to achieve better results. Ensure that you are the most exemplary worker in that organisation to such an extent that you force your employer to be giving you labour day awards every year.
Now if each worker, both in the public and private sector, can have such an attitude towards work, one can conclude that each worker can be highly rewarded which can lead to improvement on each worker’s living standards. Improved living standards from each worker can result to improved living standards for many Zambian households.
And this is a process that leads to the development of the country. This is what the Japanese did. We can also do it in Zambia. It starts with you and me. From today, as you finish reading the last word of this article, you and I should resolve to work harder than ever before; and improve on our work culture not only for our employers but also for our families and our Mother Zambia.
• The author is Trainer and Career Coach.
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