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| Principal Consultant for Human Capital Formation, Dr. Andre Henry of the Trinidad and Tobago-based consultancy, Ideas to Business Ltd., speaks to participants of the one-day training course on ‘Improving Productivity Through Workplace Trust’, held yesterday at Accra Beach Hotel, Rockley, Christ Church. (Golvin Brewster/BGIS) |
If any organisation is to achieve productivity, then trust must be a hallmark of its way of doing business.
This was the message conveyed by Chairman of the Productivity Council, Anthony Johnson, yesterday, as he addressed participants of a one-day training seminar at the Accra Beach Hotel and Spa, Rockley, Christ Church.
Speaking on the topic Improving Productivity through Workplace Trust, Mr. Johnson told participants that lack of trust in an organisation was actually quantifiable and actionable. He added that businesses were discovering that building and maintaining trust were the key determinants of success that also led to increased growth and profitability in new markets.
Mr. Johnson emphasised that this intangible value should not be seen by organisations as "a glossy veneer" but instead imbedded in their culture, "driven through skills, knowledge, attitude and behaviour."
The Productivity head maintained that everyone was accountable in an organisation for its performance and should be aware of what was good for the business and society. He stressed that "trust is everybody’s job" and challenged employers and employees to "grasp the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of change".
Meanwhile, Principal Consultant for Human Capital Formation, Dr. Andre Henry of the Trinidad and Tobago-based consultancy, Ideas to Business Limited, said that building trust in an organisation took time and practice and reminded participants that they had a key role in being facilitators of trust so that the dialogue between the private and public sectors would be effective. He added that values were imbedded in who we were culturally and could have serious economic value.
Dr. Henry maintained that the real challenge was how to take this intangible attribute and apply it in a structured way. "We really need to find Caribbean solutions for the values we place…Almost any intervention needs to be contextual… [considering] where people live and work. What may work in Trinidad may not work in Barbados. We can’t change things overnight," he pointed out.
The seminar attracted 30 senior and mid-level public sector managers drawn from a number of government departments, including the Barbados Drug Service, the Licensing Authority, the Treasury Department, the Land Registry and the Immigration Department. It was organised by the Productivity Council in collaboration with the Office of Public Sector Reform as part of on-going training throughout the public sector. (CL/BGIS)