If, like me, you have the opportunity of moving from organisation to organisation on this island and offer whatever services you can, you will soon be struck by the fact that each company you visit, each organisation you come to know, has its own ?manière de faire? ? its own informal, unwritten guidelines on how its employees should perform or conduct themselves. Think about it: Rogers, MCB, IBL, DCDM ? they all have their own particular culture enmeshed into their peculiar idiosyncrasies. Right at the beginning, these guidelines were probably no more than the reflection of the founder?s own personality. If he were an autocratic individual who would throw his weight around, an autocratic culture resulted with unwritten laws such as ?Here you?d better tow the line?, ?Keep your mouth shut and your head down?, ?Only the fittest will survive? emerging and becoming the unwritten law as the company succeeded and matured.

Over the years, through trial and error or through deliberate lea-dership, these guidelines became what we call today, the ?company?s philosophy? ? a powerful set of beliefs, values, ideals that skilful leaders know how to use whenever they face problems, wish to introduce change, innovate, and so on. Examples of their power throughout the business world abound ? think about how large orga-nisations like Microsoft, Wal-Mart, GE, IBM, have flourished and others like Enron, Tyco and WorldCom have failed miserably.

What is then this ?company philosophy? thing? How does one define it, establish its parameters and identify its behaviours? More importantly, is there a universal ?façon de faire? out there which almost guarantees success, irrespective of your type of organisation, its founder?s personality or its belief system? For many years, both here and abroad, I have asked myself this question and was most pleased when the other day I came across research being published by McKinsey which confirms that there is indeed a basic set of five beliefs that recur frequently in the most successful companies in the world. Here they are ? study them carefully and see how your own organisation compares.

We believe in high ethical standards. Successful companies believe that the maintenance of high ethical standards in external and internal relationships is essential for maximum success. The message is clear: in this day and age, with globalization and the current emphasis on the eradication of corruption and sound corporate governance, we have no options but to insist on high ethical standards. By doing so, we?ll have the following three major advantages over our not so ethical competition: (a) Our employees will know that they can do the right thing decisively and with confidence; (b) We?ll attract high-calibre individuals more easily; (c) We?ll develop better and more sustained relationships with our customers, competitors and the general public.

We believe in making decisions based on facts. Successful companies believe that all decisions should be made on facts. Unwritten behaviours such as ?My mind is made up ? don?t bother me? or ?We have to appoint X because he is of the same family, religion, etc,? are banned. This fact-founded approach leads to better decisions being taken, greater flexibility when taking decisions, a higher employee morale and overall, a better ?esprit de corps?.

We believe in being sensitive to external forces. Successful companies believe they must make constant efforts to tune in to the external forces affecting their objectives, strategies, products, people and plants. They make a point of being continually in touch with what?s happening in the economic, political, technological, compe-titive, and social arenas. This sensitivity in turn develops one?s ability to change ? the golden requirement in our globalized world.

We believe in judging people on performance. Successful companies judge their people on their actions and achievements ? not on their personal qualities or skills. Companies like GE are well-known for focusing their recruitment or performance evaluation systems on what their employees have achieved to date ? as opposed to what qualifications these employees have acquired or how skilful they might be at handling one aspect of the business.

We believe in the urgency of competition. Successful companies are aware of the need to maintain a sense of competitive urgency. Their management seek and exploit opportunities; face up to problems; do not shrink from difficult personnel decisions and focus on increasing the company?s share of the market at a profit.

Well, here you have them. These five beliefs form the essential of what makes up a good philosophical foundation for any successful business. They could become your overriding guidelines to action, irrespective of the size and location of your organisation.

Prof Eric Charoux

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