By Jesus P. Estanislao
THE business sector has looked at the two strategic objectives on institutions. These are: To strengthen the drivers of change, particularly the family, the school, and the business enterprise; and to promote effective, efficient, lean government at all levels. It has accepted both of these strategic objectives in the National Road Map, and has proposed several initiatives to help pursue them. But it has also sharpened its commitment by specifying further the need on the part of business to promote a "culture of innovation, research and development;" to "support education;" and to continually upgrade "literacy, knowledge and skills."
The business sector obviously believes in the age-old principle, "physician, heal yourself." Applied to the strategic objective of strengthening institutions, the first focus for the initiatives the sector is proposing is on business firms themselves. They should serve as "models for institution strengthening." They should thus adopt programs that "will improve their effectiveness, competitiveness, efficiency and profitability." A few such programs are highlighted, such as: "Quality improvement (e.g. ISO), strategy management (e.g. balanced scorecards), priority management (e.g. Covey programs), enterprise and organizational development." These are cited as examples; obviously, other related programs should be considered as well.
Bigger business firms are also called upon to live up to their social responsibility by drawing from their own resources in order to help strengthen other institutions in society, such as small and medium enterprises, local government units, or even national government agencies. Two specific proposals are put forward in this regard. The first is for business firms to organize and make available "retired C-level executives whose services can be used for consulting with smaller sized companies and local government" units. The second is for a number of business firms to "make available their senior staff for temporary assignment with local (government units) or national government agencies." Presumably, the costs for doing this are to be taken up by the business firms themselves.
Then, there are proposals for business outreach initiatives
Business firms are called upon to institutionalize, and presumably to expand their "support to the educational system by way of programs like professional chairs, academic and (other) excellence awards, grants, scholarships, use of their founders/CEOs as lecturers or special faculty, etc."
The business sector calls for further "democratization" and significantly improved institutional governance of "statesubsidized public tertiary institutions."
In particular, the Management Association of the Philippines is being asked to "add to its annual recognition awards (which are now limited to business) the other primary drivers of change — the family and educational institutions."
These initiatives have thus far an exhortatory character. Even with that, they already represent a significant first step. There is, however, a need for further steps to be taken, by significantly bringing them forward, away from exhortation, into actual targets and milestones that business uses in order to secure actual results on the ground. The coast is now clear for decisively moving forward in this regard.
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