Jahangir's World Times First Comprehensive Magazine for students/teachers of competitive exams and general readers as well.
Recently, I was invited to a conference in Paris to introduce smart card platform in Pakistan, which according to the organizers will change the way governments deliver services.
But, to me the greatest invention is organization! Numerous definitions of organization can be found in books; but, it’s just people working to achieve a common goal. Working as ONE team can achieve far beyond anything that could be accomplished individually.
Pakistan, at present, needs leaders to bring about radical changes in organizations. It’s a good omen that government has started the competitive process to hire such competent leaders.
Today, our country is entangled in myriad problems, so, organizations must operate at peak levels. For this, we need leaders who achieve organizational excellence and sustain it too.
Smart organizations are ‘learning organizations’. These are difficult to build if CEOs and chairmen aren’t allowed to learn from mistakes. Technological innovations can’t be introduced in an environment of fear and ruthless accountability.
Fiscally-responsible, result-oriented organizations have mixed structures that leverage internal conflicts to the benefit of organization. The business model of such organizations is based on ‘collaboration and teamwork’, instead of ‘Line of Business’ or ‘Command and Control’. According to a research by Lund University, Sweden, it is important that smart organizations should also be stupid, as critical reflection and shrewdness can help to avoid crises.
Such transformation has been taking place in NADRA for the last few years. NADRA needs to innovate consistently to become smarter organization, and that’s the reason we are introducing new products like Smart Cards. Back in 2008, we were left with just two months’ salary, but today, we are a profitable organization. We pay salaries and technology upgrades from our own earnings through national and international projects.
We have issued nearly 30 million identity cards in the last five years absolutely free of cost. Adult registration has been increased to 73% with female registration almost doubled in 2013 as compared to 2008. An identity card is a secure and smart entitlement card now, giving accidental life insurance, with many more to be introduced in future. Not only legacy products like teslin-based Urdu identity cards have been transformed into futuristic products like multilingual chip-based smart cards, acceptable at all international airports but many innovative products and services have also been introduced. Helping document economy, digging out tax-evaders and ghost workers, identifying bogus voters, highlighting ineligible Zakat beneficiaries, and targeting the deserving for financial inclusion and most vulnerable flood victims for cash disbursements are a few NADRA solutions.
Pakistan is entering into a ruthless phase of wrenching change where we need evolutionary advantage in organizations. This can only happen by innovating and creating smart organizations.
In government, most reform programs may fail if corporations and companies like PIA, Pakistan Steel Mills, Railways, etc. won’t be allowed to operate without political influence and bureaucratic slavery.
