PRESIDENT of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Andy Armstrong, wants an end to the stereotype that Barbados is suffering from an implementation deficit.
He has told a group of businessmen that in doing so, Barbadians need to embrace change and to shape it to the needs of our country.
“Let us banish the stereotype that Barbados suffers from implementation deficit and instead become known as a country that can do and does,” Armstrong told yesterday’s luncheon of the BCCI.
Armstrong lamented the fact that while there is a general commitment towards change, very often nothing comes out of it.
“We have a tendency in Barbados to be agreeable and then deflect and delay and do everything possible to ensure that change does not happen. As leaders and thus drivers of change we have to keep pressing. We have to be persistent,” Armstrong told the event.
He said that there is a commitment in both the private and public sector that layoffs will be the last option. “We continue to support that principle but I believe that we need to allow for flexibility within that commitment,” he stated.
According to him, “The commitment should be that – you might lose this job that you are doing now but we will do our utmost to ensure that you are moved to another job that is more critical to the needs of the company or country,” Armstrong said.
“We will ensure that you are trained to do this job and that when you have the training you will be given the opportunity,” he further noted.
The BCCI President said that many employees in both public and private sector put in a lot of effort to get extra qualifications and too often they end up back in the same job. He contended that their new skills need to be utilised by placing them into positions where they can be engaged for their benefit and the benefit of the enterprise.
He explained to the audience that the BCCI represents the private sector on the Barbados Competitiveness Program.
This programme, according to Armstrong, seeks to improve Barbados’ competiveness and to reduce the cost of living.
It will review and implement new systems and procedures at Town and Country Planning and Immigration and implement a central examination facility and an electronic single window at the Port.
“If we can achieve the intent of this programme it will significantly improve Barbados’ competitiveness. There is the temptation for any committee to think that we have achieved our goal when we have completed a report. We have already discussed guarding against that temptation. We agreed that we will have achieved our goal when the change we set out to effect has been implemented. In all that we do, let us not lose sight of that,” he said. (JB).
(Source http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=business&NewsID=21119)
