Page 67 - Insight 2018

A note from

LEADER’S DIARY

By Amjad Iqbal
(EVP HR Talent
Management & Learning)

I can safely say that 2018 has been a year full of exciting opportunities. In the midst of the rapidly
evolving commercial landscape, increasing customer demands, and intensifying competition, our
ambition to make PTCL the most admired ICT provider in & for Pakistan remained persistent. It is well
known that the success of a company is not only determined by the products and services it offers, but
also by the way people identify with its brand; through the relationships they build and the experiences
they gain whilst interacting with it.
In my opinion, 2018 was a year in which this realisation was developed and cascaded at every level
of the organisation through the launch of the new corporate values; We Care, We Put Customer First,
We Work As One Team, & We Embrace Change. These values were designed to spark behaviours that
would in time foster an environment of customer centricity, care, responsibility, collaboration and
innovation, and ultimately enable us in fulfilling PTCL’s vision.
However, weaving these values within PTCL’s fabric and leading change was a journey that came with
its challenges, particularly because of PTCL’s magnificent size and due to its diverse workforce. This
suggested that reaching out to 16,000 employees who were geographically dispersed countrywide
would require a multidimensional approach to a) raise awareness regarding the realigned corporate
values, b) to help staff understand and believe in how living by these revamped values would ultimately
benefit the company.
I knew from the beginning that our efforts to raise awareness regarding PTCL’s redefined values and
their importance for PTCL would remain redundant unless I engaged PTCL Family and gained their
perspective regarding our impending need to change. We employed various strategies such as surveys
and focus groups to get them on board, after which four values were established. This was followed
by a number of sessions aimed at targeting different levels of management, beginning right from the
top. Once we received the endorsement from our senior leadership, we requested them to carry out
interactive sessions in their respective departments to help staff in internalising the newly launched
values, and in embedding them in their day-to-day practices.
For the frontline employees, we organised Train-the-Trainer sessions to ensure that the roll out of the
values programme was conducted in a consistent manner. Alongside, we launched bi-lingual booklets,
SMS and social media campaigns to detail desirable and undesirable behaviours associated with the
values to help PTCL Family rationalise how these values would enable us to fiercely conquer the
commercial arena. Thus, my team and I planned a transformation roadmap ensuring that all tiers of the
organisation were effectively engaged in the process.
In retrospect, these sessions were tremendous in helping us gain the support of our workforce and
showed us how to undertake the cultural transformation in PTCL’s context. Although it is still early to
say if we have garnered support from every individual at PTCL, I am confident that our perseverance
will help us turn every individual into a change enabler, and embolden us to overcome any hurdles faced
in this transformation journey. I look forward to continue driving this transformation, and I hope you
are ready to support our efforts and play your role in making PTCL the most admired ICT provider in
& for Pakistan!

Before turning to the next page, Team Insight would like you to stop and think about a) how you would
have carried out culture change at PTCL and, b) encouraged employees to adapt and embrace the
change, had you been tasked with these responsibilities. Put your thinking cap on and send us your
creative solutions at insight@ptcl.net.pk by 31st of August 2019, for a chance to win a prize! Please
note that only one winner will be selected. Good luck!

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