There were ten or twelve of them ? a mixture of managers, MBA students and public service employees. We were there to brainstorm around a single question: What would a successful company look like in years to come here in Mauritius? This is what we came up with:

Change and more change.First and foremost, it was clear to all of us that the successful organisation of the future would face change on an unprecedented scale. Mauritian companies have thus far enjoyed a cocoon-like environment, protected as they have been from the vagaries of competition by an armada of treaties and accords giving them preferential duty-free and quota-free access. This has come or is about to come to an abrupt end ? globalization will see to it. Examples like the huge changes already taking place in the Sugar industry, Textile, I.T. were all quoted.

Our environment, we all agreed, is likely to become even more uncontrollable, unpredictable and unforeseeable than ever. And we agreed too that those organisations that will succeed will be those that are sufficiently flexible and adaptable to cope with these changes.

Life-long learning.We also agreed that those companies that will survive in this fast-changing environment would be those that adopted as their core philosophy, a learning culture. These companies accept that making mistakes is part and parcel of decision-making and believe that people can learn and grow from their mistakes. To monitor their progress, they seek quantifiable measures of their activities ? they benchmark against the best that exists out there and plug in any ?performance gaps? that emerge.

High customer focus.A third principle that emerged is the company of the future will have to become extremely sensitive to their environment. They will have to pay acute attention to the needs of their markets, detect the slightest shift in consumer demand and adjust their products accordingly. This point was particularly emphasized with regard to the Public sector where it was felt that the mentality of 9 to 4 was still far too ingrained.

Values driven. You need to have a strong set of values that support a strong vision,? commented the one participant. ?If you look at some of our hotels on this island, those that are today prime examples of excellence are those that are driven by both a clear vision and strong values to do with offering excellent customer service and constant innovation.?

Empowerment is king.?In this country, we are still too autocratic,? observed another. ?Maybe this is due to our colonial past, but whether you work in the private sector or for Government, you find little evidence of true empowerment. And yet as we all know, the world is changing too fast around us for decision making to remain in the hands of the boss.?

Leadership development.Most who were present agreed that something significant has to take place in the area of leadership development, if Mauritius is to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. To build effective leadership at all levels, our companies will need to identify leadership candidates early, provide them with growth assignments, give them useful feedback, and coach them.

Guarding against over-optimism.One group member felt strongly that we should all guard against being overoptimistic when it came to launching new ventures and taking financial risks. ?The world is changing too fast,? she observed. ?Look at what?s happening in the retail sector ? are we likely to be able to support so many supermarkets??

Prof Eric Charoux Feedback: [email protected]