Notes to start

1. It came to me to know more about few salient things. The most ignorant state is reluctant to get to know something we should know about but reluctant to do so. I agreed the well must be filled in order to pail them out.

2. As being yourself , anyting that build, influence and having closet connection with you is must to be fathom and considerablely well versed about. Getting deep into your origin and acquinted with all its intracacies how history made you into complete puzzle would fashioned you become someone inner and outer awareness. If we need to critised the economy of malay, diligently we must know about how our colonial master plan in organise the different races and in segregate ecomic responsibilities. To know how the mechanism of politics, how our premier in defined ‘controlled democracy’ . And to go in detail understand the belief work, wisely analyse how clashes of Islamism and Hinduism in 14th century and merchant from Arab and India interact and significant impact malay sultanate ruler relegate the belief and understand to all pupil under their rule.

3. Deciding the utmost important what need extensive knowlege and finding its core understand was bothering me lately.  I choose the themes of Malay and Islam as the start to cut the socio politic and better understand myself and how it has work from the early start. 

Give and Get

The principle of giving first and then you get back is fundamental and often forgotten. We rush to expect immediate outcome, and hope for abundant without giving anything. 

Even this reciprocital concept is contagious. ‘What you give, you get back’ and its karma. How you treat the person is how the person will do same thing. In this concept the meaning of giving can varies, more pragmatic sense. Financial perspectives would mean before you reap the benefits, giving first in investment .In general sense,  earning back your outcome only can expected after you put your toil and effort

Fear and uneasiness is wild ideas and imigination with no action plan or path to realise it. Money is better as seed to produce more money  rather that coins to buy things. 

Just Do it

Reading and learning something new give me a mix feelings. It combined with new fresh way thinking and some worries to try something different. Why the uneasy feelings be part of that new experience? I think I am now standing between the old habits of comfort and willingness to shift to another fresh paradigm.

I look this as positives challenge for start new horizon and experiences. I like to treat the uneasiness as must steps to overcome or breaking the old reluctant habits. 

Finding balance between what we like, we dont like, inclined and disinclined require through thoughts. Realising your meaningful dreams required you to keep aside awhile your hazardous desires or temptations. Starting up an efforts are most daunting experience but for sure it ended you up with fruitful results.  I had experience to work on enormous assigment, and did start very earlier and make it to smaller chunks.  The force was not much intense compare when we are in the corner of its due. Even greater forces are pushing when in pursuit the final minutes, but the feeling was totally different. Pressure tend to make us become stressful and finally jump into short cuts of doing things. The final product is dull and improper doesnt meet the real expection. Yup well say as long as it finish and this defeat the whole purpose.

Everytime the uneasiness arouses, which derived from new learning and urge me to move further, I convince myself to act freely. Just throw and pour the ideas and thrust the stumbling block. Because you are now not in comfort zone, and there always time to step behind and trim they raw effort and added its spice. All this while , I numb to act, many thoughts just criss crossing the mind saying you go no where by the mundane words.

Way

A destination is definitely derive from a way to it. The wrong way will not lead to the real destination. The road is often deviated and  misleading . Wrong  road direction also brings different destination. Which path is to be chosen ? God pointed me in a straight path to destination that pleased You..

7 habits revisited

Management or Leadership ? Which comes first ?  Leadership is to ensure the ladder lean agaist the right wall. The ladder is the  management itself, system and effort ensure the person climb to the top. I reading Covey 7 habits and found many of his principles are fundamental. I need to understand and continually fathom and how it is practice in our daily encounter. Other tools and concept which worth ponder  :

- inside - out approach
- maturrity continum - dependent , independent and interdependent
- P/PC Balance ( productivity and productivity capability)
- character and personality ethics
- Primary and secondary traits
- things are created twice
- rescript yourself
- paradigm and maps
- circle of influence and circle of concerns

why things go wrong

Prof. Sidney Dekker has some gems to share about 'why things go wrong' ...

# things sometimes go wrong because they usually go right..

# people are not the problem we need to control, but people are the solution that
   we should harness...

# if you want to stop and prevent failure, stop looking for it, start looking for what make your organisation successful.

HMAS Creswell

Cresswell had an idea to train his own Navy instead by British. He preferred officers  embellished in less hierarchical gaps, openness  and  less regimental in nature compare what British had trained theirs. The dream was realized when the first intake 1913 pioneered that Australian Navy and become among legendary  in World War 1.

Cerberus House, located on HMAS Creswell Navel College in Jervis Bay, was constructed in 1915 and was originally used to house 13 year old cadet midshipmen studying at the Royal Australian Naval College

Old Wollongong Heritage

Thots

Sometimes the greatest gift we can give someone is just to keep our mouths shut and let them empty themselves into our hands. When they’re finished, we don’t need to do anything with what they’ve given us. We just need to show them that we’re holding it for them till they can catch their breath

forty

someone remind me forty
they say bout last junction
i m stood and still
 jump in to pond
and go deep

mine  always mine
give me time.

Once a Gunners

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

I remember Sam

I remember Sam. Samsuddin Basrah. If there is one thing about Sam, it would be his smile. Yes his contagious smile. Warm, assuring and fatherly even. I have always wondered why his smile never left his face. Sam wore his smile like a mask and we never saw an ugly Sam. Never. Slim, clean, straight forward and personable. He would be akin to the Cliff Richard or Ricky Nelson of our generation. No, Sam does not sing. Not even like us after astengah at the bar. We did not catch him singing in the bathroom either. But on some very rare times Sam rose to the occasion and belted his heart (and voice) out. He stood up to be counted. Sam had the next door boyish image.

I had never served in the same Regiment or organisation with Sam. He was in 1 ARTY and I in 2 ARTY. I remained a field gunner throughout and Sam was a field gunner and air defender. Much of our interactions were at Corp activities, Corp mess nights, Corp games, conferences and army exercises.  We had not even attended one our courses together and I don’t play golf which was his favourite sport. He would always encourage me to play golf in every Corp golf competition. Come on Allen, he would always say as Director of Artillery.

Sam and I did not have the same feathers as we were close; yet not close. In the same flock but different birds. Sam was a couple of years older than me and those others of our vintage; circa 1960s. I believe this small age gap made him more responsible and matured. That is not to say Sam did not participate in our rowdy activities. Sam was never a leader in such ativities but was always dependable to participate, his smiles and all. Sam was a true thoroughbred team player. He was quiet and alert by nature. Always with a soft and encouraging voice. He would say his piece with full integrity and the truth matters most to him. He had left a good legacy for others to follow, which would be very difficult, as Sam had set an exemplary profile and left a high benchmark as a Gunner.

Sam left us too soon. Sadly and suddenly. Whilst he would no longer be with us, Sam and his quiet smiles would be missed by all of us.

Goodbye Sam, We are glad you were a Gunner.

Allen Lai

PS. Photo to be uploaded later. anybody got one?

Lust

Letting go, not as easy.
being better  is always  greasy
for the thrash no longer dizzy.

how much have to pay
just to brush away
the inch of dust
from undying lust.

pain n happiness

And I asking why pain's the only way to happiness
And  HE promise  you'll  always see the sun again

nothing is mine

if my life is for rent
I don't learn to buy
I deserve nothing more than I get
cause nothing I have is truly mine

lonely soldier

"Lonely Soldier"

Lonely soldier go home
Lonely, but never alone
Good eyes see nothing to shoot
Good feet feel good given up good boots 

Ask your father how do ya fall
Like a leave sitting on the ground
Good for nothing except kicking around

She died with her hand stretched out
She died with a hungry mouth
She died with a mind full of doubt
(And a pulse of weakening)

So may river never dry
May your mouth never lie
May you be satisfied to never know why
Sometimes, someone just wants to die
Where'd you get those cuts in your hand
I thought I told 'bout playing in the sand

There's always someone carelessly class 
There's always questions no one asks

Not just choosen but being tested

In a sense we feel that we are choosen but in real fact it was just registering ourself on trial journey. It is a starting line to embark  on withstanding our belief, to be fidel and prove our oath and agreement to One God that we confessed. Its not about being greate than others but to fulfill the given responsibility. Its about accountability that will be question and evaluate on the day of judgement. Its the time when we were call back to our creator and answering to all our deeds.

No existence without purpose

Anything becomes meanigful if carry a purpose. Every existence , how tiny it may, must lurks some reason and purpose  that need to be  fulfilled. It become defect or astray when the purpose is not met It leads existence failure, if I may used the terms.

Whenever we enter any organization, much often  on their walls  plastered their vision and missions or purpose of their existence. Every department were reminded on each staff's  key performance index that need to realize in order the organizations are aligned with their long term business goals. The owner or benefactor of company inevitably to  determine  its  true purpose of existence so that they can survive and decide  direction to move. It provides foundation or based  subordinated and based upon whener some important decision to be made. They must clear what are the company seeking, what move them forord to achieve the purpose of existence.

Some may asked, if there is true purpose of like why human must die ? After fulfill all the purpose why it must be a tragic end in human life, ? So all the effort just in vain and to no avail. I'm not sure how human mind can cognitively bare with all these ambiguities.

Faith can respond to this dilemma. What is faith ? According to trusted Oxford dictionary faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something, or strong belief in doctrines of religion , based in spiritual convictions rather than proof. Human mind and intellectuals always thirsty for proof but it limitation must be accomdated by revealed sources that correspond to human fundamental inquiry such as do God exist or what is the purpose of our existence?

Holy Quran sheds some lights to all those truth seekers : 

-Did you then think that We created you in vain, and that you would not be returned to us? (23:115)

-And I created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone). (51:56)

-Who has created life and death so that He may try you which of you are best in deeds… 67:2)

-There has come to you from God a light and a luminous Book, through which God, by His grace, guides all who seek His good pleasure on the path of peace, and brings them out of the depths of darkness into light and guides them unto a Straight Path.(5:15-16)

God has guided people to the purpose of life—worshipping Him and seeking His pleasure—by sending His messengers, books and other means. But we have to want to please God to receive this guidance.The purpose of our life is the worship our Creator in the many ways there are to worship Him (prayer, helping others, seeking knowledge, etc.).The believers will not face the same afterlife as the corrupters. The pious will not be treated the same as sinners. The pleasure of God should be our goal.

Military Organization Structure and Promotion of Innovation

The way how organization is designed contributes to conduciveness in nurturing innovation and creativity. In turn, it would lead to rapid process of change in the organization. Organizational change must take into consideration of its structure to subsequently create the environment that allow the whole change process to take place. It’s almost impossible to decide the most appropriate organization structure that already exist since dinosaur like military, but to understand the way organizations are organize could spare some insight to military commander to exercise his command that could ignite some creativity dynamic. According to Draft (1998) in order to enable growth and seize opportunities in the organization, the managers have to deal with challenges involved in organization design. The six element that involve design decisions are work specialization, departmentalization, chain of command, span of control, centralization/decentralization and formalization.

Among the six-key element mentioned above, we often associate military with the tall structure in chain of command. For instance, in Army organization structure, the Chief of Army will be at the top of the hierarchy and commanded the vast operational, training   administrative and logistic division. This conventional setting is prevalent and common in commonwealth defence organizations. But in some flexibility, there are specialized small unit or brigade that directly report to the Chief of Army such as Special Force (Commandos), Quick Reaction Force (Parachute Brigade) and Army Aviation because of their exclusive nature of operations. In another word, the military organization support both span of control, flat and tall structure. Military also noted as its multi-layer work specialization in order to successfully conduct the assigned operational mission. For instance, in Army Brigade consists of different task specializations, the infantrymen (fought the battles as frontlines), Artillerymen (giving fire supremacy and support in the battlefield), Engineers (provide mobility and survivability) and signaler (provide communications). All the different specialization was grouped as sub unit (departmentalization) and formed a Brigade organization structure.

How does the military promote innovation in their original organization structure? From my observation military always maintain its tall regimental structure in its operational and administrative approach. Existed organization structure doesn’t hinder the cultivation of innovation and creativity as long it’s not interfere with defence government control of the service, the chain of command or disciplinary process. Innovation where emphasized throughout the organization levels, new ideas are welcome to be implemented by organizing innovation awards annually. Total Quality Management (TQM) become the key focus in the organization in order to provide Army   with a team that is  solid and balanced in terms of equipment, modern armaments and high technology. At larger scale, National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) is highly implemented, where it’s an inter-government department initiates to work cooperative and strategically to boast national economic outcome.

“The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country”

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”

- General George S. Patton

Change Dilemmas: Back to the Reality

Conundrum of change explained change will be ever complex process that’s impossible to fully control or predict. The prolonged uncertainties on change complexities have provoke us to make change that’s more make sense to our organization. Tiring and complex models, frameworks and concept plunged organization in rat race to embracing change in no time. I disagree in some way about explaining movement from current state to desired future state in linear change process, change would rather work and move in continuum. The logic is future state would soon be appeared as current state due to span of   time, with new people in flux into organization and changing of environment. What could be the ideal is to embrace change that uphold the pillar of sustainability and continuous growth. We should learnt not be content of our status quo, because the wheel of change may put us again at below.

Democritus, a Greek philosopher concludes that change only happen in their positioning and space, while Heraclitus in his famous analogy of life to the river wisely saying that ‘no man ever steps in the same river twice, for tits not the same river and his not the same man.’ Both universal and fluid entities theories unravel the deep understanding the whole purpose of change. Covey mentioned that change is the journey to reached the goals of certain purpose, and we must hold to our objectives compass so it will always redirect us whenever we deviate from right way. Covey again asserted that people don’t make the change but principles does. As long as we hold tightly to the underpinned principles, they change is always on his way.

Another paradox is the gap in defining the outcome of the change. It is very critical decision in realizing change especially involves creativity and innovation because of different perspectives in change result.  For instance, the British Railway in the verge of implementing the computerized system for its train operation, received multiple respond from different stake holders especially the worker’s union. They finally success in implementing the system after engage in long participative communication to realizing the importance of the system for the organization. Beer and Nohra (2000) in ‘cracking the code of change’ bravely stated the brutal facts that about 70% initiative fails. When there is no silver bullet or magical wands on how to manage change successfully, its urging that organizations embraced some distilling principles of change to resort paradoxes and ongoing ambiguity. Six distilling principles required organization to fathom are learn from the past, maintain peripheral vision, exploit and explore, diversify, games changes and be mindful of larger scale change.

Effective leaders always provide advantages to changes and determine the efficient of the change process.  Kotter argues that there is some tension between the leadership and management terms. Management while carrying the set of process, leadership in different aspect creates vision of the future, the strategies to get there, motivates and inspires to make it reality. Leaders always grab hidden opportunities and extensively set the standard that compatible to the organization.

Change need back to reality, going to its root and foundation. Organizational change would be less success if the individual within resist to change or disunite.  How collective we are but the substance always the individual particles. To endeavor and strive change as a team there must element of integration and coherent of purpose. I do agree it’s always practical and demanding to answer ‘how’ to change (theories, framework) but in reality, what really propel the process of change is the question ‘why’ we need to change….

From Buchanan & Badham to Jabri and Dawson.

Bundles of models and frameworks are offered to organisation to promotes their change process. Some frameworks are simplified in the form liner stages model and others more updated approaches such as non-liner time. Kurt Lewin ideally put planned approach for change while Dunphy & Stace are more inclined towards situational approach. Kotter believed in effective leading in order to secure successful change.  Organizational Development evolution in another hand develop new Appreciative Inquiry to promote sustainable change.

In reality change is full of uncertainties and paradoxes. As asserted by Alvesson (2008) organizational change is not mainly a matter of carrying out a sequential list of steps. It’s too complex and chaotic in reality with unforeseen sequences, resistance, political process, ambiguity and diverse interpretations.  This non-liner nature of change has shifts the model of change from sequential model to process oriented approach. More recent powerful change tool of storytelling and narratives approach has added the spices to modern concept organizational change. Buchanan & Badham (1999) advocate the power political dimension to change, standing that the need of expertise of the change agent and political astuteness in managing change. The smooth going of this approach would largely depend on the degree of acceptance and contest from employee. If the change more incline toward contested, it will less collaboration and need more forceful and manipulative strategy.

In another hand, Jabri chooses to be subtler and sustainability in his idea of change. He advocates the need for talk, dialogue and conversation in engaging everybody in the change process. Jabri in his view of force-field analysis draws an illustration model of how important communication take place in ahead to build readiness from resisting forces and promoting forces.

Dawson (1994) in his processual perspectives identified the important of ongoing processes engage with substance, contexts and political of change. He strongly encourages examine multiple voices, capturing and retelling of change histories and viewing change as complex non-liner process. The outcome of the process will provide readable narrative of how change unfolds in practice and enables distillation of practical guidelines.

How far we have advanced in change conceptually, I always remember the core of it is to shift from defective to betterment progressivel and gradually. Changing people as told by beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is like to shift a mountain to another place. It will not be smooth sailing and easy going but took a lot of courageous, sacrifices and sincerity in action.

“He among you who sees something abominable should modify it with the help of his hand; and if he has not strength enough to do it, then he should do it with his tongue; and if he has not strength enough to do it, (even) then he should (abhor it) by his heart; and that is the least of faith” (Muslim).

   

other thots

3 Beginnings of Organizational Development

Living in the era of blossoming trees, we often have mislead in understanding the whole picture and fail to retract from where is everything originated. High rises and multiple facet of organizations, implementing hybrid and complex development concept and frameworks ended up us with ambiguity and perplex of what underlying entity that contribute to organization success. In McLagan’s model, what define the state of successful competitive organization: productivity, quality, Innovation and human resource fulfillment. These are powerful element and great catalyst form to shift their state to readiness to change.

Bob Marshak explained that Organizational development, relate it the concept of growing tree. OD has progressing on long and winding journey and now has reached at the peak of organizational framework complexities. In more structural understanding, OD has grown from its roots to foundations and subsequently branches. Currently OD at its blossoming state and bear the fruits of sophistication in organizational practice. But what has been the roots that allow such lush blooming of organization? According to Kurt Lewin 3 beginnings, what has been the initial underlying core element of OD are value, method and principles. Derived from these 3 beginnings, over timely OD has shift from deficit focus thinking to positive-focused thinking where organizations are more interested to ponder on what really works and what is most effective. OD at blossoming stage no longer advocate of finding the main problems but focus on period of high enthusiasm and how to create sustain engagement and positive feelings.

My reflection on the organization where I served, military also inevitable to be part of parcel of OD blooming state. From regimental top down orders and instructions, we have emphasized on charismatic leadership that uphold to win heart and mind of our subordinates. Even in our directive and structural culture, nevertheless we still welcoming participation of ideas and illuminate group dynamic. In new military generation upbringing, even how far we have move to newly form of identity, we still always going back to our basic, our 3 beginnings: value, methods and principles.

On urgency, heart and mind.

I always have this notion: Mind is the prime minister and the heart is the king. Although prime minister does most of the works, but the king will be the authoritive deciding power. That is a human nature, mind do the thinking which the cognitive part, but the behavioral part do the doings. Thinking may have some trigger to our feeling but the heart is predominant black box the remain mysterious to ponder. Kotter urged for organization leader to hit the feeling part rather the thinking part of employee. He denoted that in most firms, 90 % manager only focus for cognitive reason but only 10 % have initiatives to ignite the emotional part.

During Malayan Emergency campaign (1948 to 1960), my country fought guerrilla war in pre-and post-independence. Winning the "hearts and minds" of the people has become enshrined as a pivotal component of counter-insurgency warfare ever since 1952 when General Sir Gerald Templers declared it would be the key to success in fighting the communist. We did it successfully and this shinning paradigm of heart and mind was considered most applicable in fighting counter insurgency warfare.

Is there urgency for change? Real or spurious? According to Kotter false urgency make people become resistance to change. Change for sake to change solely a disastrous kind of urgency to organization. Urgency for change must first rooted from effectiveness (do the right thing) and follow by efficient (do the thing right).  The urgency for Malaysia in 1957 to gain his independent from British empire was the conscious move and urgency to reunite multi races and cultures at that time which now become the fruits of social everlasting social integration and harmony.  

Military and Change

Military and Change

Having served in defense sector for almost 20 years, I observed the ever-changing facets of change that the ministry ever trying to embrace and embed. Long term-vision and periodical objectives intermingle which ponder as prerequisite of modernization agenda of change.  Ironically, at the height of certain level of change, there was still slogan ‘back to basic’ for the organization to revert and this realize how important for the organization to stay rooted of its core belief. I always have stern stand that there should be no compromise over basic requirements of defense operational. Even defense has lately considered as most highly reduce budget compare to other sectors, but cost reduction over deployment and operational capabilities impede the whole organization credibility and consider undermining type of change. We always believe that change is catalyst for any organization survivability but consistency of performing foundation roles of defense cannot be put at peril.  Business organization have their products values for financial outcome, but military service agendas offer product of sovereignty with no pecuniary values to compare.

‘Organic’ aspects of  military organizations  

In general, and common understanding, military organizations uphold mechanistic form of organizations. Its complex, formal and specialized with tightly controlled roles. Procedural and rules are imminent in executing conventional operations and this inevitable when man and machines are integrated to accomplished objective and mission. In what aspect that this vast, regimental organization can be informal and focus to ‘rejection of the one best way approach’ (contingencies theory)?

When man and machine are modus operandi of securing organizational objections and missions, socio technical system (STS) play important roles to ensure how effective objectives can be achieved. This had respond to more organic form of approach in military, and how significant innovation and responsiveness to today revolutionized threats. At strategic level, military organizations need to be flexible to overcome unpredictable threat and roles of military personnel no longer revolve around ‘bread and butter’ but has expand to more global environment demand.

The implementation of National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) is one novel initiatives towards innovation, creativity and responsiveness of armed forces. The participative evolution combined with charismatic transformations illuminates the critical need for each governmental sector combined as teams to prosper national progress and development . Even in term procedural and execution still concrete mechanistic form, but the whole effort strategically promotes to more organic form of military organizations.

Failure of change?

Do we still stand for larger and conscript defense force? Or we have tremendously downsized our organization for better manage of change? Why now the security guard of restricted military camp shifted to privatized company to play the roles? What are underlying rationale behind this change, intended, unintended or partially intended? This questions remains in black box our change agents in defense sector. Are the organizations respond to newly accepted trending of change or its consequences of failure to change in military realm?

On Change

Human as civilized beings are constantly change, and this natural process marked how we are progressing through ages. There are three types of people denoted their life conditions, passive reactive and proactive. In facing modern world challenges, and to, we require to plan and manage our change in such way that leads us to betterment in life. Like saying, in order to predict our future is best by design it ourselves…

Modern Long - Term Organizational Success

Today increasingly for organization to stand successful, is largely based on their capability to manage change, nurture creativity and to promote innovation. Creativity, innovation and change are intertwined catalyst to give organization competitive advantage to stay ahead in changing world of business.

Taylor ( 1856-1917)  vs Mayo (1880 -1949)

Taylor was first initiated modern scientific management in British Industrial Revolutions (1730-1850) and spelled the mechanism of efficiency in modern industry by replicate ‘human machines’. His studies provided big leap in productivity but has led to discontent among industrial workers on the way human are treated. He further assumed on his approach: money motivates people and people have tendency to idleness (I think it stills relevant nowadays where most workers need to be monitored on their job by timely performance appraisal, punch card and overtime pay)

Later Elton Mayo came in to scene to improve above concept with his Human Relations Theory. He against Taylor remarks and expand ideas on productivities by his infamous Hawthorne Study for Western Electric Company. He delved on how the physical conditions of work effects productivity and came out with findings that Human factors rather than physical working conditions determine worker satisfaction and performance. (It can be observed how ergonomics now being emphasized in factories from the chair, lighting and tables they used in industry).

Change in Nut Shell

It is vividly shown here how important change has become and inevitable in our daily life. Change is not just about new ideas but also useful and for betterment, this meant positive change. In order to achieve this, change has to be plan and manage meticulously so that the impacts are sound and beneficial to society at large. In nutshell ,change is the movement over time from current ways of doing things to new ways of workings.