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by J. B. Muller

An interview with Sri Lankan born US based management guru Gerard Muttukumaru, CEO of the Centre for Global Leadership, an executive training and learning centre for senior management based in California, USA with a representative office for the South Asia Region in Sri Lanka.

Question: What have you and the US based Centre for Global Leadership been doing in Sri Lanka and the rest of Asia?

A: We have established a presence in Latin America, the Middle East, North America and South East Asia. In Sri Lanka, we have set up the South Asia Regional Operation. We have a very distinguished International and South Asian Board of Advisors.

In Sri Lanka, my associates and I are working on several assignments with the senior managements of organisations. Some of these are of a very sensitive nature. Two already publicised assignments conducted in the past three years were conducted for the senior management of Seylan Bank and the senior management of the Employees Trust Fund. I mention these two because one is a leading domestic bank and the other an important public institution that touches the lives of all working people. It was a pleasure working with Rohini Nanayakkara and her team at Seylan Bank when we launched a program of Leadership and Change Management, Strategic Thinking and Strategic Planning. The corporate culture was created which today, I fervently hope is the driving force of everything the bank does. I am not there to monitor it. I love this country and whenever I am here, I try to get out of Colombo.

The Chairman ETF, Dinesh Weerakkody, has made a real difference in the functioning of this organisation. It was a delight working with him, his HR consultant, R. Reffai, and the senior management team at ETF and creating their new culture.

Another interesting experience in Sri Lanka, which had a strong global component was a retreat I led for the ambassador and staff of a prominent diplomatic mission. My background in teaching cross-cultural and global management in California, and working with managers from all over the world, proved useful. A major focus of my post-graduate studies, research and work over the last several years in numerous cultural settings, has been on organisational and human behaviour, and what makes people, organisations and nations succeed or fail.

As several of your readers might know, our organisation really enjoyed working closely with CIMA Sri Lanka Division in bringing four power-packed and high impact seminars to Sri Lanka with Dr. S. Erevelles, formerly of the University of California.

The CIMA Sri Lanka 2001 Annual Report was brought to my attention. It had this to say about Dr. Erevelles, who was my colleague at the University of California and a friend: "Of the seminars held during the year, the one and a half day seminar on "People Management and Service Excellence in the New Economy".

The second program by Dr. Erevelles of the University of California, Riverside, attracted 180 middle and front-line managers, which is the highest number of participants". The first program was a full day seminar on "Strategic Management and Leadership in the New Economy" which was attended by 136 top managers and CEOs. Both audiences were held spellbound for two and a half days. Among the participants in the previous programs were senior managers and CEOs of the MAS group, Hayleys, Richard Pieris, Seylan Bank, NDB, Dankotuwa Porcelain, Jinadasa Holdings, Reckitt Benckiser among others. A special program was also requested by the top management of Aitken Spence.

Trevine Jayasekera, former Board Manager and CFO of Aitken Spence said: "Dr. Erevelles presentation has got the class, quality and substance you are looking for. The delivery is outstanding". I am glad that our organisation has been able to make a real difference in so many organisations.

Another program was conducted by a leading advisor to the Chairman of INFOSYS, the Government of India and several global bluechip companies on "Positioning your organisation and country for world class software development".

All these efforts are driven by one purpose: to develop the top leadership in corporations, governments and other organisations. There is so much more to do. Implementation is the key.

Question: You have taught Global Marketing in California for several years. Where does Sri Lanka stand when you think of Global Marketing?

A: Every leader I have talked to here has told me the same thing. "There is no global marketing in Sri Lanka. Exports, yes. But not Global Marketing. We know nothing or very little about it". I did not quite believe this.

We have begun assisting organisations in Sri Lanka with "Developing and understanding new global Markets". Crucial to this is an understanding of cultures. I have worked in numerous cultures and taught global Marketing at the graduate and executive level in California. It is a fascinating subject.

This is very critical for Sri Lanka, particularly at this juncture. We really did not need a gentleman from Connecticut to come and tell us this! We have a lot of hurdles to overcome most of them having to do with our mindset, and the way we view ourselves and the rest of the world. The critical need for an understanding of global marketing has also been shared with me by leaders who accompanied the Prime Minister to New York. There is so much that can and must be done.

Question: In your opinion what do Sri Lanka's Organisations need?

A: What I have learned throughout the world also applies here, but must be adapted to the Sri Lankan context. First, as I have said so many times before, an organisation, in the private and public sector, must create the right corporate culture that everybody understands and embraces. Secondly they must develop the best possible leadership and management team. Thirdly, the culture must be one that thrives on change and trust. Finally, in a highly competitive global economy, globalisation the organisation, becomes a matter of life and death. Now, I may have said this all beautifully, but making it happen is what my team at Centre for Global Leadership and I do. Implementation and results are our focus.

I also believe that in a developing country and in the context of Sri Lanka, a war ravaged nation, all corporations and organisations, have a critical role to play to uplift society, at the least of its citizens. They could very well be your future customers. More than that it is a moral responsibility of every Sri Lankan citizen. I am not referring to hand-outs and donations to a cause. But in having the organisation and its employees deeply involved in the life of the communities they serve.

There is a lot of talk about governance. Conference after conference is held on this topic, a lot of them funded by donor organisations. Numerous papers have been written. The head of a leading NGO told me that it is still a buzzword in their jargon. As a leading CEO told me: "Very little if any is changed.

We go through the motions". But I believe that this is wrong. The scandals in the boardrooms of the world, including Sri Lanka, must wake us up. The abstract theories must become very real. Governance is a moral imperative. We owe it to the taxpayers and investors. Every organisation is a steward of the resources entrusted to it. Accountability from top to bottom must be the driving force. Our Centre's global team works with boards of directors to build this accountability and ensure it.

Sri Lanka must also free itself from the bondage that it is in. It must reject all that is ugly in it and embrace and build on the good. We must respect and value each other first. Most readers will understand what I am referring to here.

It is also critical that the consultants that are hired by organisations have a deep and practical understanding of the local culture and mindset, in addition to their western expertise. Organisations, often the country itself, hire and fly in advisors and consultants at exorbitant fees to tell them what they already know. There are those who are really worth the price. Imagine hiring the economic advisors to Latin American and African countries! Look at the sad state of these countries.

Even when real reform is needed, only cosmetic changes are made. Real change is very scary and upsetting even in the most sophisticated western corporations and organisations. Now when you translate this to the public sector (I understand Sri Lanka has been ranked 56th in the global corruption scale, with the police being the most corrupt), imagine the trauma and resistance to change that will occur in these organisations. Real change and transformation transcends matrixes and grids. It must occur in the hearts and minds of people. This is what we do.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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