THE START OF A NEW YEAR
By: TTL
It is the start of another year at the Research and Development (R&D) department of Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (GSMI). As the leader of this small group consisting of seventeen (17) highly qualified, trained, competent and proficient chemists, chemical engineers and food technologists; I have to discuss the 2012 plans and programs of the department based on the strategy map and balanced scorecard developed in the latter part of 2011 ensuring alignment of the objectives with the top management. This is no longer new to the R&D team every first working day of the year. I usually start the discussion by reviewing the (a) mission and vision; (b) key objective; (c) critical objectives; (d) strategy map; and (e) specific objectives (SO) of R&D in 2012. The specific objectives in the balanced scorecard format are presented to show the set of measures in a comprehensive view from the four (4) different perspectives: (1) business/financial; (2) customer; (3) internal; and (4) innovation and learning.
I want to input something new on how we conduct our first day activity/meeting of the year. I have decided to pursue this new activity, a first in 17 years, in spite of the awkwardness it may bring to the R&D personnel.
It was yesterday, Jan 2, 2012, when we have our first meeting of the year with the team. At the start, I requested everyone in the room to stand up, recite the prayer I prepared in powerpoint format and then join in singing "Lead Me Lord" while the music video is playing. I can see from their faces the surprise especially when I requested them to stand up and join the hymn of the beautiful song. Manuscript of the prayer is as follows:
Thank you Lord for giving us again this beautiful day – our first working day in 2012.
As we enter this new year, help this small group – the R&D team of GSMI to be stronger, more determined, more focused and acquire more wisdom as we overcome all the hurdles, problems and challenges in our jobs.
Dear Lord, help us to worry less and laugh more and to teach others to love by loving them.
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Sa bagong taon na ito, turuan mo kami Panginoon na alalahanin mga pagkakamali at mga kabutihang nagawa namin ng nagdaang taon.
Ang mga ito sana'y magbigay aral sa aming lahat at magsilbing inspirasyon para lalo pa naming pagbutihin ang lahat ng aming mga ginagawa.
We pray also the R&D customers who are the primary reason of our existence in this company.
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May You continuously guide them always to observe work ethics to foster good working relationships at all times.
We ask Oh dear Lord to send forth your millions and billions of angels to protect us every time we travel to office and back home.
Bigyan ninyo po lagi kami ng lakas ng loob, lakas ng pangangatawan at lakas ng pag-iisip sa pang-araw araw naming trabaho.
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Bless also our families: our spouses, children, parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends who are the reason why we continuously strive to work hard.
Bless them all and keep them away from harm, evil and sickness all the times.
We ask all of these thru Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
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Another new idea that amazed the R&D team is the implementation of team learning activities in the innovation and learning specific objective. For the past years, typical SO under the innovation and learning perspective is the purposive attendance of personnel to various seminars, trainings and conventions primarily to enhance the technical knowledge of the R&D personnel. But this time, the team learning concept will require each R&D personnel to conduct research of assigned topic and prepare a presentation for discussion to the group. Topics include new product development, packaging materials, manufacturing processes, product registration to government agencies and IT concepts. With team learning, R&D team members share knowledge and complement each other skills.
Today marks the beginning of another journey of team R&D towards excellence and continual improvement.
It's always best to start off well. (benchmarking the MBA class learnings?) 4
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