And according to Sudip Mall, President and General Manager of Kraft Foods Philippines, the secret to maintaining the company’s success is its people.
Mall discussed how the people are the best assets of the company through the fourth session of the Business Leadership Lecture Series, themed “People: The Sustainable Edge of Business,” held February 27 at Escaler Hall.
According to Leadership and Strategy Chair Darwin Yu, the talk was about “how taking care of these people can produce great results in a company.”
The talk was organized by the Business Cluster of the Council of the Organizations of the Ateneo.
Engaging people
Mall said that according to the Gallup poll, which regularly collects public opinion polls in the United States (US) and in the world, 19% of employees in the US are actively disengaged, meaning that they intentionally act in ways that negatively impact their organization.
“The challenges of the company are, therefore…what can we do to improve the engagement of the people?” he asked.
He said some signs of the disengagement of an employee are missed deadlines, low morale, tough burnout rates, lack of accountability and responsibility, and increased absenteeism, among others.
One way to counteract this is through focusing on people’s well-being, which results to sustainable growth and profits in a company. “When people’s heart is engaged in the business, they can put 33% more effort in what they do,” Mall said.
Employees who are engaged in work, for example, choose to work late to complete a project, inquire how their actions affect another function or customer, treat company resources like their own, and look beyond their own roles for improvement, among others, Mall added.
Participant Kay Alandy Dy (IV BS Mgt) said that she can apply the talk to her future career. “The talk taught me how to deal with different people. It also taught me how to succeed in a corporate setting,” she said.
From the bottom
Mall said that one of Kraft Foods Philippines’ strategies is rewiring their organization. Employees must feel that the “[the] company is [their] second home,” he said.
Kraft Foods Philippines made use of an inverted hierarchy—instead of the usual company hierarchy, where the president makes the decisions, the employees also make decisions for the company.
Mall said that for example, his employees thought of some of the company’s products, such as the Cheez Whiz Pizza Spread. “The employees thought of ideas which we have never thought of.”
Mall also gave tips on building the right structure for a company. With Kraft as an example, he said companies must be customer-oriented, set clear career paths for employees, foster a learning and coaching culture, build future leaders, and create development plans for its employees.
Participant Marvin Dave Lim (II BS ME) said that the talk was insightful. “I learned a lot of new stuff that I wouldn’t have learned in a typical class.”
Mall ended the talk by saying that “ideas can come from anyone.” For a company to succeed, organizations must learn how to harness these ideas, he concluded.
