The profession of Personnel Management in Sri Lanka and Dr D. S.
Bandarage
Dr. D. S. Bandarage, considered as the 'Father of Personnel
Management in Sri Lanka' is the first ever Personnel Manager to be
appointed in the country. That was way back in 1944 with the Shell
Company of Ceylon - a British-Dutch multinational conglomerate.
Dr. D. S. Bandarage |
That appointment is considered a major watershed in Sri Lankan
management. This is because it is the first time that a Ceylonese
national had been appointed to such a high position as Personnel Manager
in a Sri Lankan company. Prior to that, such senior management positions
were only reserved for the British. Before his appointment as first ever
Ceylonese Personnel Manager, Dr Bandarage worked with Air Ceylon in the
capacities of Welfare Officer/Welfare Manager.
After becoming the first Ceylonese native Personnel Manager Dr
Bandarage became very active in setting up a very comprehensive
personnel management department at Shell. Dr Bandarage by his excellent
work manner demonstrated to the British that the dark skinned Sri
Lankans could do the same job as well as (or even better than) the white
British. Dr Bandarage's main focus and determination was to give
opportunities to Sri Lankan born apprentices on Management Traineeships.
In early fifties Shell Company got into political strife and some of
the best managers left the company. Dr Bandarage was quickly grabbed by
Lever Brothers (Uni Lever) as their Group Personnel Manager.
Levers was the top company in the country then. Dr Bandarage is the
first ever Ceylonese to be appointed by Levers as a senior manager.
During his 16-year sojourn at Levers Dr Bandarage streamlined the Lever
Personnel Management Department to such an extent that the mother
country started sending its managerial staff in England for training in
Colombo.
Dr Bandarage brought the management and minor staff closer. He
resolved labour disputes remarkably well with so much focus on labour
rights, respect and dignity to workers. Dr Bandarage initiated 'Lever
Pavula' and edited himself it until he left. During the 50s and 60s
'Lever Pavula' was such an interesting read even non-Lever Sri Lankans
read it regularly.
One of the noteworthy contributions made by Dr Bandarage during his
time at Levers was to continuously employ and train local Sri Lankans
into varying positions including managerial. He was encouraged to do so
by the then Levers boss, the legendary, J D Mould. Dr Bandarage went and
recruited a number of managers for Levers, some of them became such
luminaries in Sri Lanka's corporate structure.
Some later became Chairmen of Levers. Dr Bandarage's main ambition
was to screen and employ the cream of Sri Lankan talent into the top
positions of the Sri Lankan private companies. He knew that Sri Lanka as
a young nation, which had just obtained independence, vehemently
required a team of talented managers for its emerging mercantile sector.
In the fifties and sixties Dr Bandarage had emerged as a giant in Sri
Lanka's Personnel Management field. Along with Sir Cyril De Zoysa (then
Chairman of Associated Motorway group), was instrumental in establishing
the Institute of Personnel Management (Inc) in 1959.
In the formative years of the institute Sir Cyril was the President
and Dr Bandarage was the Secretary of the institute. Later, Dr Bandarage
became the President of the Institute and held this position for a very
long time. He is still a Fellow of the Institute of Personnel Management
in Sri Lanka. It was only two years ago that the IPM awarded Dr
Bandarage at a special ceremony with the prestigious 'Gold Medal Award'.
Dr Bandarage had been involved in the establishment of the Ceylon
(now Sri Lanka) Management Institute (SLMA). Dr Bandarage served as a
visiting lecturer of Management Studies at the Universities of Colombo
and Sri Jayawardanapura. In fact it was only recently that he finished
his sojourn with these universities. Dr Bandarage was a panel member in
the recruitment to the Ceylon Civil Service (now Sri Lanka
Administrative Service).
Thanks to Dr Bandarage's teaching hundreds of educated youth from
rural Sri Lankan villages ended becoming senior public servants,
including Government Agents and Departmental Secretaries (like the
writer). Dr Bandarage did substantive studies both locally and overseas
and recommended the then government in 1966 (the government under Dudley
Senanayake) that Sri Lanka should implement a 5-day working week. In
1966 or so Dr Bandarage compiled the "Handbook of Personnel Management
for Ceylon" which is even today regarded by the Sri Lanka's management
fraternity as the 'Bible' of Sri Lankan Management Studies.
Dr Bandarage has written several books on Management both in English
and Sinhalese. It was only three years ago that he published the book
"Case Methods Management and Administration". He is currently writing a
text book named "Administrative Management".
After an exceptional career Dr Bandarage left Levers in the late
1960s and set himself up as a Management Consultant. It is accepted that
Dr Bandarage is Sri Lanka's first Management Consultant. During his
sojourn as a leading Management Consultant (even until now) he has been
instrumental in helping many large and medium scale companies in Sri
Lanka on streamlining their businesses.
Dr Bandarage closely associated with the late Upali Wijewardene and
helped him to become one of the most successful business entrepreneurs
in Asia. Dr Bandarage was late Upali Wijewardene's personal consultant.
In 1970 Dr Bandarage was invited by late Mrs Sirima Bandaranaike,
Prime Minister, to reform and improve Sri Lanka's ailing textile
industry. She appointed him as Chairman of the National Textile
Corporation. This appointment was seen as a non-political appointment of
the then United Front Government, trying to stick to the principle of
'giving best positions of the government to the best qualified people,
solely on merit'.
In late 1970s and early 1980s Dr Bandarage served as a UN adviser in
Africa. The Kenyan Government, including the then Prime Minister of
Kenya, Daniel Arap Moi, personally felicitated Dr Bandarage's efforts to
rehabilitate and streamline Kenya's management and administrative
system.
In the last two or three decades Dr Bandarage has still been involved
with management development activities, but has also been extremely
involved in the propagation of Buddhism. Being a great Buddhist and a
philanthropist himself, in the recent past Dr Bandarage has lavishly
donated monies to charities and Buddhist institutions, especially
towards the propagation of Sinhala Buddhist values in rural and urban
Sri Lanka.
Dr Bandarage has been a long standing active member of the All Ceylon
Buddhist Congress and the YMBA. He donates generously to the war-torn
victims in the marginal villages of the North and East.
It is very regretting to note that Dr Bandarage is now blind. But the
doors of Dr Bandarage's residence at 7, Ohlums Place in Colombo 8 are
always open to the down-trodden to come and relate their unfortunate
plight. Dr Bandarage would help them with words, deeds and wisdom.
Dr Bandarage is a remarkable man with so much wisdom, distinction and
persona. During our young years in the 1970s and 80s we looked up to him
as the father figure. Thanks to his contributory efforts Sri Lanka today
is well abundant with a huge reservoir of managmental talent.
The management fraternity of Sri Lanka today must thank Dr Bandarage
for working tirelessly in the 1940s, 50s and 60s and until very recently
in the early 2000s to unlock doors for them to enter into the private
sector with opportunities and traineeship, the earlier times dominated
by the British or English only speaking Sri Lankans.
The IPM which has become a premier Management institution not only in
Sri Lanka but also in Asia, profoundly thanks Dr Bandarage for the huge
sacrifices that this man had made to this great institution. On Behalf
of the present generation of managers and executives of Sri Lanka let us
sincerely wish Dr Bandarage the best of health and long life.
Jayaweera M. Kumarasinghe |