Leading by Example

Much of what an organization accomplishes is a fair reflection of the leadership that drives the unit. In the case of information companies in Pakistan, Oracle stands out. It’s got unbelievable leadership and a strong sense of purpose and belonging with Pakistan.

Oracle the world’s largest enterprise software company has been operating in Pakistan since 1997, The company has been helping Pakistani businesses, government departments, non-government organizations and education institutions through its more than 75 partners, to adopt integrated information technology infrastructure to achieve higher work efficiencies. Oracle has more than 1100 customers in Pakistan, spanning top organizations in the public and private sector. Some of Pakistan’s best organizations run their business on Oracle based solutions

“My team and I are proud that we have represented Pakistan respectably in the Oracle world.  The fact that we have over 75 partners, dozens of referenceability stories which speak of successful deployments bringing tangible information value to users, and that we serve the who’s who of Pakistani public and private sector with our technology, applications and services says something about the commitment we feel towards our national market.

Samina wears several hats at one time but how these functions and operations work in tandem to one another is remarkable to witness. Oracle is actually one of the few multinational companies that not only has a strong presence in the country, but is listed in the corporate website’s country-specific listing. When people talk about multinationals and say the companies make money in a country and then send it all away is not true in Samina’s case. “Of course we make money. We’re a commercial organization. But for every dollar I make, my partner in Pakistan, which is a Pakistani company, also makes a share. Every market development dollar I spend is through a partner. Every partner development dollar I spend with a partner is going towards developing the local expertise and skill set in the Pakistani community.

Samina’s point is quite simple: every country has its share of challenges; there are certain elements, which are within our circle of concern, others within the more significant circle of influence.  Solutions start within our circle of influence, where we can make a difference, and the key is to change, reposition oneself based upon the demands of the times, the market and the economy. This, for Oracle Pakistan, is a contribution towards a solution. The largest project in Pakistan may never be as large or worth as much as one that you might find in a larger economy, but we’re happy with our performance given the size of our market. “This is our capacity, this is what we are capable of, and if our achievement is acknowledged by our industry and our professional colleagues across the region, it is enough.

Flash Back
“We started with a very limited presence. We have had partners in Pakistan for over 17 years, but our direct presence started to gain strength 7 years ago.  Today we have presence in the 3 major cities, Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and we are serving hundreds of customers”. Samina’s style of leadership has also evolved over time. “Earlier on, I used to be involved in every project. Over the last 5 years, this has changed. I feel my team has matured enough and understands how critically important it is to work with their accounts and customers. My role has now become more macro. I believe that if you can contribute to an enterprise’s health and wellbeing by providing in-depth industry knowledge, best practice measures, references from across the world in similar projects and if you can serve an enterprise horizontally with end-to-end solutions and vertically with in-depth technology, then not only does your own business become sustainable but also your customers’ presence in the market is strengthened. At that point, your customer and you become a team – you become partners as opposed to suppliers and buyers. If I were to state my professional mantra, it would be “I aim to become my customer’s most sincere, most trusted partner”.

Being independent and able to rely on local skills and expertise is a positive sign at a time when there is a global crisis ongoing with knowledge share. “Pakistan faces some unusual challenges today. There are often issues relating to travel and visa to our country, which mean that you have to be able to have a redundant system in place to manage the customers you have. And if you still want to serve a diverse range of verticals, then your expertise and professionals have to be highly available.”

Establishing Track Records
A track record is imperative, says Samina, and it takes years to establish. “The community must see you as a positive force. I would say we are a hard-hitting team and substantial enough to fulfill our customer requirements locally to a large extent. In fact, we have set up Oracle Consulting Pakistan, which brings the highly respected Oracle Consulting Service (OCS) brand to our country. We shall be able to showcase the best possible Oracle implementation practices with the community through OCS PK. In addition, our Alliances & Channels team focuses heavily on our system integration (SI) partners. We have subsidized trainings and boot camps and our process for creating unique skills in the local community is constant and long term. My SI partners have bid for, won and delivered projects outside the Pakistan due to their relationship with us. Partners like Techlogix are being called upon by the region for their expertise in PeopleSoft Campus Solution due to their excellent services to Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Another partner 3Cs has implemented a solution for Serendib Flour Mills in Sri Lanka. This project is now a reference for Oracle Pakistan. IBM GBS, a very valuable SI partner, is implementing its largest project in Pakistan – Askari Commercial Bank – using Oracle Applications. There are a number of other such success stories that we are proactively communicating not just publicly but internally within the Oracle world as well. ” We started off with 3 partners and today have more than 75 across the country and many of them are working in a particular vertical or niche. So there are partners who are focusing on Oracle Technology (Database, Options, BI, Data warehousing) some are specific to Siebel and some just for Hyperion”.

The expertise that Samina is referring to are all local companies listed with P@SHA (Pakistan Software Houses Association). Oracle’s partnership helps these companies position themselves in the product vertical of their presence and then move into projects related to the product. It’s a long-term partnership with value visibility over time. Oracle Pakistan has the first implementation of G-Log in the region after our acquisition of the company, our Human Resource Management Systems solution footprint is the largest in the country, especially in banks.  We have the largest Natural Gas subscriber base reference in the world. We remain engaged with the user well beyond the closure of a sale. This benefits users in terms of imbibing worldwide best practices for their industry from us, and it benefits us in collecting local flavors with each new project. Our customer reference program is about the user talking about the value that Oracle Technology and Applications have created for the enterprise, and we have been able to create some excellent Pakistani success stories in this regard.

A key area for all Technology providers and users across the world is Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC). This has created a completely new skill and resource requirement as well as a market for suitable solutions. For example, financial institutions must implement Basel II compliance. There is also a need for anti-money laundering and risk management solutions.  Most importantly, with the financial sector facing challenges this year, there is a need to revisit the security and cleanliness of legacy data. All of these new challenges together form an “industry thought leadership” need. In our team, we seek ways and means to fulfill our customers’ need for deep and broad understanding of these challenges and how to address them with state of the art solutions. Obviously, such expertise is difficult to locate, so we tap Oracle’s worldwide resource pool to identify qualified team members who can provide long distance or across the table advice and suggestions. Oracle’s acquisition of iFlex Solutions, now known as Oracle Financial Services Limited is part of our Financial Service Global Business Unit  team, has helped us create awareness about GRC in Pakistan. Now, our customers are implementing Mantas, our anti-money laundering solution very successfully. We have trained partner resources as well as user teams in Mantas and I am confident that very soon we shall be self-sufficient in Mantas implementation in Pakistan.

An excellent we have often also deployed excellent Oracle team called “Insight”,  with various key clients to study their own enterprise, to bring in worldwide best practices and then to document some suggestions on how to improve overall performance.. Insight is a unique service that the Pakistan team has used very well, to the benefit of our customers.

Key Factors That Make Success Possible
There are 3 things that make a solution successful:  functionality & suitability of solution, price and referenceability.

Suitability of solution with focus on functionality is an area that most buyers handle quite competently. Evaluation criteria have become more and more comprehensive over the years and it is heartening to see that we as providers are being evaluated thoroughly and justly. For a good product with sound services, the more thorough the evaluation the better it is. There are many options for any particular software in the market and if they are surviving, they must be providing the functionality that they claim. So, what is the differentiator? It has to do with a multitude of components which clarify the suitability of a solution; functionality, ease of implementation & deployment, best practices being built into the solution, industry expertise easily visible in solution methodology for project implementation, change management practices and, finally, availability of expertise in the market which brings us to the price function.

Pricing is often linked to the availability of quality Human Resource (HR), which is usually a significant cost factor. “I think one of the advantages that Oracle offers is that it is less expensive to hire and retain an Oracle Apps Consultant or an Oracle Database Implementer. but then there are also a lot more Oracle projects around the world. We have seen a number of Pakistanis find excellent work in other parts of the world after they have “rookied” on local projects. Within Pakistan, the complexity of projects increases every year as users start to understand and address the needs of their business enterprise better and better. Thus, price is a composite of product cost and services expense, and often times the services component is larger and ends up escalating fast. This is a trap that all good CIOs avoid effectively if they position their HR correctly and choose a suitable, experienced system implementer/integrator.

Referenceability is about not just the supplier saying “we have deployed this solution successfully for thousands of businesses”; it’s about each of those businesses saying, “We have deployed this solution and have reaped benefits from it, and we recommend it”. It is common knowledge that word of mouth or peer-recommendation continues to be the best reference for exponential business. The same applies to software solutions; if others like me have done it successfully, chances are I will succeed in doing it. Also, added benefits could be lower cost, built in best practices and clear roadmap for continued relationship with solution provider. “As Regional Director Oracle SAGE-West, I have been focusing on ‘referenceability’. It’s not enough for us to say that NADRA Human Resource Management System (HRMS) was a great success or that SSGC had great Return On Investment (ROI)or even that the Karachi Stock Exchange(KSE) experienced 10 times the benefit with the implementation of. I can name all my customers and how much benefit they have had, but it is important to hear them talk about it.. Unless I am able to create these references, there is little value in me claiming ‘I have sold my solution to X number of enterprises.’ “Where we have succeeded is very favorable but there is still so much more we can do.” Because of the efforts of the Oracle Pakistan team, there are now case studies and ‘Oracle At Work’ stories for customers from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – “These were never done before. The global community can go to the Oracle website, look up these references and study customer viewpoints.”

“We take customer referenceability very seriously at Oracle,” explains Samina. “In Pakistan, we may be one of the few technology providers that have a full-fledged Customer Care function, which engages only after a potential customer becomes a customer. We work with the customer on steering committee for projects on services concerns, on stories of referenceability and, whenever called upon, on ROI analysis as well. I have not seen such close engagement with customer at other companies.”

Interestingly, as Regional Director of Oracle SAGE (West), Samina’s objectives include not just the revenue generated by the business but customer satisfaction and referenceability as well. “I do believe that many of our clients can stand up at public forums and say that they were happy with the decision of going with Oracle”.

The Changing Role of the CIO
“I think the role of the CIO evolves towards greater importance every day. Now that the owners of the technology component of business no longer report to, say, the financial function but rather to the CEO directly, the profile of the CIO has changed accordingly. CIOs are business experts, industry experts and technology & solutions experts all wrapped into one package. Unless the CIO understands business needs and constraints and is able to contribute suggestions to improve top and bottom line as well as the overall health of the business, he or she would not be fulfilling the requirements of the job. It is not enough for the CIO to receive input from user departments about their individual technology problems and then help them map a solution to these; rather, the CIO is now evaluating also whether the problem actually just needs to have technology thrown at it or whether it emanates somewhere else – in relationships, in inefficiencies of a different kind and in processes.”

If indeed technology is the answer, the CIO is then assessing whether the cost is justified and even necessary. Most importantly, the CIO is now empowered to take some substantial investment decisions related to technology, infrastructure, software and services and is strong enough to defend these. “The CIO must always ask the question ‘Is this good for the business?’ and to receive a sound answer internally, he or she must then know the business equally as well as any other senior management team member.”

Samina speaks from experience as far as the changing role of the CIO is concerned. “You will see, therefore, that the profile of the CIO has changed over the years. Those who rose up from the position of programmer, developer or system analyst have had some hard work on their hands to convert themselves into successful CIOs. Those who were unable to learn enough to achieve this metamorphosis have faded away. In the end, every business and every business function owner is about ability to change, learn more, re-position and re-strategize in order to contribute to the health and value of a business.

Nature of our Market
First we should state the obvious; ours is a price conscious market. There is always the refrain about small budgets and vicious price competition. However, relying on just these for technology decisions is far too simplistic. Over the past few years, one sees that decision makers are not just concerned about upfront Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) but are assessing recurring Operating Expenditure (OPEX) as well. They are demanding Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over 5 to 10 years, and are applying ROI algorithms and calculators to better understand the future value of their investment today. The solutions buyer today is far more aware of market trends, business needs and value for money than he was a decade ago. So, price may still play the lead role in the dynamics of solution buying and selling, but there are far more profound analyses at play as well which we, as supplier partners, must remain conscious of. While users and buyers must be commended for the extensive learning they have undergone which essentially benefits their business, one must commend suppliers like us as well for helping create that awareness.

Oracle, for example, always provides extended term TCO for all products. We also work with our user to understand the roadmap ahead for each of the products as well as the annual recurring cost attached to long-term use. Oracle’s mergers and acquisitions, some of the most significant in the history of the technology market, have been incredibly successful in bringing value to the customer because we have, very categorically, identified a roadmap ahead for our “best of suite” technology and applications. So, for example, users of Oracle Siebel, or Oracle Peoplesoft, Oracle Hyperion know exactly where they will be in terms of their dependency upon these products and Oracle’s commitment to them, say, a decade later. In our market too, our users are mature enough and our enterprise is critical enough that similar relationship trust and faith must be established through documented evidence of things like TCO, ROI and roadmap for products.

Identifying Opportunities
Interestingly, there is a premise that the world financial challenge, while it has impacted Pakistan, may not have impacted us as much as many other countries and we may indeed survive the recession respectably in many areas. Of course, we have some domestic challenges, which have nothing to do with the world economic situation. There are several papers available publicly that encourage investment in lean times. There are others that advise that both buyers and suppliers in a market should together identify areas of growth which can help the nation make up for deficits or shortages during recession periods.

“In Pakistan, I believe that investment in technology in the financial sector is a wise course to follow. This may be the window during which banks, for example, can confront their data cleanliness, disaster recovery and data security challenges. Unless these issues are addressed, governance, risk and compliance practices cannot be achieved. So, during lean times, when human resource and infrastructure continues to be deployed and remains a cost factor, it is best to put it to use to create internal efficiencies, implement best practices, perhaps deploy sophisticated customer relationship management solutions so that when a recovery starts to happen, you position yourself ahead of the curve against competition. So, my advise to financial enterprises is this; don’t take lean times to be the end of an “era” of prosperity, they could simply be a short hiccup which, when overcome, will either find you strong or weak depending upon the courage and boldness of your decisions during tough times. Just like one can get bargains in real estate today, so perhaps one can get bargains in technology also if one pursues a technology strategy aggressively during these times. “

On the domestic front, our national challenge lies in power and energy. For various reasons, we have to address the matter of efficiency of all aspects of this business – generation, distribution, billing and customer relationship. “Oracle’s success worldwide in the power and energy space is phenomenal. Indeed, within the country, we have shown tremendous value to customers such as SSGC and LESCO by streamlining and automating their business processes. For power and energy, need for investment in IT solutions is immediate and urgent otherwise we are looking at the same challenges continuing as we are facing today. Without efficient energy enterprises, we will face continued closures of the most vital and sustainable component of the national economy – Mid size enterprises.”

“I must also mention microfinance for rural development, especially in the agriculture sector. We have recently partnered with Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited for ERP solution. As I have learnt more about ZTBL, their portfolio offering in agriculture, especially to small farmers, has impressed me. Pakistan is primarily an agricultural country and we are in a position to further strengthen this national asset by offering better services to farmers as well as provide better management of agricultural data. We hope that our ERP as well as Business Intelligence (BI) solutions will help ZTBL further secure its information assets to the benefit of Pakistani agriculture. “

With superior technology, infrastructure and solutions available for specific industries and their peculiar needs, perhaps the only thing holding a company from effectively implementing solutions is strategy. Does an enterprise have a strategic direction for technology usage? Does it intend to make technology a critical driver for efficiency creation, security and quality assurance, and competitive advantage?

“As a member of the technology community, sometimes I feel that too many of us, buyers and sellers alike, focus on products and do not look at the overall solution framework with the objective to fully align it with the enterprise’s business and IT strategy. At Oracle, I have tried hard to correct this. As a team, we do not talk about products. We talk about solutions only. To do this, we have to enter the realm of the enterprise, get to know their business drivers, their functional needs and the gaps therein. Then, we have to map these against available technologies, keep focused on best practices as well, and ensure that they remain within affordability. We always aim to strengthen and secure investment already made by a business, whether it is in Oracle technology or any other, because we believe that money already invested is as precious to us as it is to the investor. Finally, we seriously consider services over the long term. Who can implement solutions, which partner has the business knowledge, how can we engage OCS PK which brings an excellent blend of affordability and best practice when partnering with a Pakistani service provider. We try to go beyond just a vendor position and become advisor/partner to our customer. When we realize what the enterprise needs and a trust is established, then a sound investment in technology happens which gets well implemented resulting in long term value to the enterprise. As a team, our aim has always been to add more value to our customer’s enterprise.

Establishing Long Term Relationships With Customers
Within the team, members have tried to develop and retain as much industry knowledge as is possible and give technical and application consultants and solution architects, a great deal of value. “We are lucky that the most valuable conversations are conducted between our consultants and our users, and many of our experts are now locally-based in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. This enables us to go into an enterprise and demonstrate how our solutions framework will fit into their environment.”

Software solutions are not always or only sold to the CIO. Often, the CIO and the supplier have to work in tandem to bring critical knowledge to the user units.  So, in the best relationship, the CIO is the conduit between those who are proposing the most integrated, best-architected solution and business functions of the organization. Samina explains that the CIO’s customers are within the organization. “The organization’s customers are on the outside but the CIO has to ensure that the solution is usable and meets the objectives set for his own customers – the functional departments within the organization.  Since we, as technology and application providers, aim to ease the burden of the end-user, it is very important for us that, for example, the GM HR understands what my software can do for him because if he doesn’t understand it, no matter how good the solution is, it will never be used by him. Thus, introducing technology into an enterprise is the first success for both supplier and CIO, but the greater challenge is to ensure it is used effectively. We remain connected with the CIO in this effort as well, and we bring in our excellent technical consultants to conduct their discussions not just with the technical team but also the users. You will notice, then, that in the most successful solution deployments, ones that have shown clear ROI over time, relationship between supplier, CIO and user department is one of cordiality, trust and respect.  In the end, we are all individuals aiming to achieve one objective – enhancing the worth and value of the enterprise.

Discuss, Identify and Resolve
Dealing with a team is as easy as the organizational structure you put into place. Every organization has its own set of goals to meet but there is something that makes certain teams stand out in a crowd. Just as how children are often a reflection of the home they come from, many teams are often a reflection of the managers who lead them.

“To begin with, my team and I get along very well.  We enjoy each other’s company and are very comfortable with each other. I think this is because we respect each other tremendously as professionals and value each other as human beings.  Once this basic premise is set, objectives that we must achieve together become somewhat less formidable because we have colleagues who we know will stand by us.  We have a ‘partnership contract’ which is based upon common goals and our ‘BHAG’, the Big Hairy Audacious Goal, is absolutely clear to all in the team. We need to serve Oracle earnestly and make Pakistan shine, whether it is through our performance or by ensuring that the Oracle family here, our employees, customers and partners, are well facilitated.”

Oracle Pakistan has a cross functional model and many of the team’s members have managers who are based in other countries. “The need for self-motivation, clear communication channels and mutual trust is critical. Since our objectives are well defined, we can all work at our own pace and often independently towards these.  As a leader, I consider it my job to manage the exception and we address these head-on.  We talk a lot amongst ourselves but each conversation is expected to lead to an action item, a clarification or a closure of issue.  There is much that we have learnt at Oracle, not least of which is the culture of discipline that is inculcated in us. We value our own time and that of every person that we interact with, within our team or outside. Oracle’s professional culture has led us on many occasions to success whereas had any one of us been lax in any aspect of our performance, we may not have done too well. For me, being part of this formidable team in Pakistan has been a rare treat, one that I am humbled by and am grateful to be blessed with.”

On Leadership
“I agree with the premise that managers can be made but leaders are born.  I also believe that the responsibility carried by a leader is far greater than that of a manager. Having said that, I think a disciplined and thoroughly professional manager probably has a better shot at being positioned as an effective leader than others. I don’t know if I have provided good leadership or management to Oracle Pakistan but it seems I may have done reasonably well since we continue to sustain ourselves respectably in the market. I suppose I am somewhat proud of my achievement in making Oracle a popular platform in Pakistan, and for growing our family of partners, customers and skilled professionals.  I feel especially blessed when I hear a customer say something like ‘well, if Oracle says it is to be done this way, then it’s probably correct’.  This kind of credibility doesn’t happen overnight and it is strong and fragile at the same time. One misstep and the trust of a customer or partner could be compromised. As a leader, I consider it my duty to keep this fragile faith intact and strengthen it through every action, comment or initiative.”

Samina’s leadership values are also based on Oracle’s values of respect, trust customer Centricity, integrity, innovation and value creation.  “There are many cultural niceties at Oracle that I am impressed with and have imbibed into my self personally.  Researching thoroughly, adding value to a team, confirming facts before forming an opinion, using technology to overcome the constraints of geography, cultures and languages, respecting each and every culture and nationality, valuing colleagues for their performance, faithfully aligning my offering to a customer’s business needs, contributing to the community that I exist in – I have tried my best to remain true to all these learnings and have led by example where my team is concerned.  I have no ego issues where learning from my team members is concerned. At the same time, I try to contribute what I can, given my longer professional experience.  Overall, I think we have formed a great entity in Oracle Pakistan, one that will stand the test of time and periodic challenges.”

There are some leaders that lead, and others that lead by example. Samina Rizwan is one of those who we continue to learn from.