11. REWARD SYSTEM

Ramesh Gulati, who is known as Reliability SHERPA, in his valuable book "Maintenance and Reliability Best Practices" stated that: "For decades, we have used a reward system that has created a misaligned culture. Design teams are rewarded for achieving functional capability at the lowest cost, not really concerned about the downstream problems for operations and maintenance and the true life-cycle cost of ownership of the asset. Production teams are rewarded when they beat a production number, regardless of any real demand for the product and without any concern for the effect their actions have on asset health. Maintenance teams have typically been rewarded for fixing asset failures and not improving reliability or availability. They get extra pay for coming in at inconvenient times when the asset is broken and get “well done!” from management when they fix it. If we are rewarded for failures, why would we want reliability? Who would step up and volunteer for a 15-20% pay cut for reduced overtime? People do not pay as much attention to what their managers say compared to what they actually do. If management says they want reliability — no failures or minimum failures — but they keep paying for failures, we will continue to get failures. This culture needs to be changed and improved."

I totally agree, as we often praise and reward people who create or are responsible for problems in the first place and then rush to solve them, rather than those who build reliable, trusted systems that work flawlessly. From the perspective of immature organizational culture, there is a lack of understanding and evaluation. The one who acts as a firefighter is seen as hardworking and always busy, while those who create an efficient system that results in reducing problems and issues are often undervalued and overlooked. Immature Organizations may think that the system works smoothly on its own and that those who created and control it are useless. However, when those individuals remove their hands, the system breaks down, leading to the same fires that need fighting, and the cycle starts again.

Finally, there is a tendency to reward reactive problem-solving rather than proactive system-building. Many organizations prioritize and reward immediate solutions over long-term strategies and plans, leading to a cycle of recurring issues. By shifting our focus towards building robust systems and recognizing the value of proactive thinking, we can create more sustainable and efficient organizations.

Article by Amr H. Abayazeed - November 16, 2024.

10. ARABIC REFERENCES

I attended a course on "Corporate Governance," expecting the lecturer to discuss the rules, processes, and practices by which organizations are directed and controlled, and how to balance the interests of an organization's stakeholders, and how to implement these principles practically. By the way, the last two points were the main reasons I enrolled in this course. However, I was surprised when the lecturer began as if he was translating the word "Governance" from the dictionary, then proceeded to build his interpretation based on this translation. He continued explaining the difference between حاكمية and حوكمة رشيدة and حوكمة which completely deviated from the core concept of "Governance" as outlined in most papers, handbooks, and in the formal definition of OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development).

I analyzed this situation and concluded that the lecturer had likely not read any English sources on that topic. His explanations seemed to come exclusively from Arabic references, combined with his personal views and his Arabic/Islamic background, which ultimately led to a loss of the topic’s meaning.

Based on many observations, which led me to write this article, I believe that one of our fatal problems in Egypt and the MENA region is that knowledge (as well as writing history) in Arabic content is very scarce, very poor, and, most importantly, very contaminated with ideology, personal opinions, and a lack of reliable, trusted references. As a result, anyone acquiring this knowledge will inevitably inherit these flaws.

Article by Amr H. Abayazeed - November 01, 2024.