Botswana’s Productivity Movement
and its Implication to Ethiopia
May 17, 2011
Addis Ababa
Daniel Kitaw (Dr.-Ing.)
Associate Professor and chair ofIndustrial Engineering
Addis Ababa Institute of Technology
Addis Ababa University

Special thanks and appreciation goes to Mr. Parmod Chandna, Executive Director (Acting) – BNPC, Mr.
Teedzani Majaule, Manager - Productivity & Quality Awareness Program- BNPC and to the kind and open
Botswanas’ officials. Many thanks are also due to Prof. Kenichi and Izumi Ohno and their team, GRIPS
and Mr Amare Matebu a PhD candidate at AAU.

Outline
1. Introduction and Basic Facts
2. Why Quality and Productivity ?
3. Botswana’s Productivity Movement
4. Institutional Framework of Productivity Movement
5. Lessons from Singapore’s Productivity Movement.
6. Botswana’s International Cooperation.
7. Conclusion and its implication to Ethiopia

Botswana’s Mission(FEB 13– FEB 20/2011)

 Productivity Movement in Botswana
 Botswana National Productivity Center (BNPC) Scaling up Productivity Movement in Botswana
 Lessons from Singapore’s productivity Movement
 Botswana’s International Cooperation.
 Lessons for Ethiopia

1. Introduction and Basic Facts
Key Statistics of Botswana (2010)
 Land Area 581,730 sq km Population 1.99 million (2009 estimate) Labor Force 663,000 (2006 estimate) GDP Growth 5.0 % Contribution of sectors to employment:- Agriculture 30 %- Wholesale and Retail 14 %- Public Administration 11 %- Education 8 %- Manufacturing 7%- Mining 3%

Introduction and Basic Facts Botswana’s growth remains heavily dependent
on the mining sector (Diamond Mining).
 Since 1990s, the Government of Botswana
had decided to obtain more growth from
non-mining sector by promoting productivity
in all sectors of the economy.

Introduction and Basic Facts Accordingindex

toglobal

2009/2010

competitiveness

report,Botswana

ranked 66th, and in 2010/2011 it hasgone down to 76th among 139 countries
worldwide.

2. Why Quality and Productivity ?
1. Customer
 Today is the customer economy.
 Customer has upper hand.
2. Competition
 Competition is agenda for survival.
 Lowest price, highest quality and best services is
the standard of the day.
3. Change The nature of change becomes fast, flexible
 Nothing is constant or predictable

Change?

Change?

Change?

Change?

Change?

Change?

Challenges can be turnedinto opportunities by
QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY
MOVEMENTQuality, (KAIZEN) if it is introduced andmanaged correctly, will: Eliminate waste; Cut inventories; Improve customer satisfaction; and Enhance profitability.

At the heart of Total Quality (KAIZEN)
are two simple aims, they are:
1. Make things right the first time andevery time.
2. Work for continual improvement.

Productivity concept“Productivity is a state of mind… an attitude thatseeks the continuous improvement of whatexists. It is a conviction that one can do better
today than yesterday and that tomorrow will bebetter than today.”European Productivity Agency(1959)

Productivity concept“We cannot solve problems using thesame kind of thinking we used when
we created them”
Albert EinsteinProductivity Concept“ Productivity is an attitude of mind thatstrives for and achieves the habit forimprovements, as well as the systems
and the set of practices that translate
the attitude into action”

National Productivity Board, Singapore

Productivity Concept

GlobalHigherQuality

HigherProductivity

HigherCompetitivenessInternational
MultinationalExport3. Botswana’s Productivity Movement
Early Years The

productivity

movementinBotswana

started in the early 1990’s. The leadership hadrealized that the work culture was not goodand people needed to change their attitudes.

Botswana’s Productivity Movement (Cont…)

President of the country, Sir Ketumile
Masire, complained about• “the culture of laxity” that prevailed in
the civil service.
• Unreliable work habits” in the Botswana
public sector and rapidly declining laborproductivity.

Botswana’s Productivity Movement (Cont…)

 Therefore, the government decided topromote and increase productivity in all
sectors of the economy through BNPC.

Botswana’s Productivity Movement (Cont…)
Some of the major objectives of BNPC are:

 To stimulate and generate productivity
consciousness in Botswana.
 To promote productivity in all sectors of theeconomy.
 To foster equitable sharing of productivity
gains among management, workers & consumers.

Botswana’s Productivity Movement (Cont…)
The policy process in Botswana is characterized by:i) Tripartite cooperation among government, labor
unions, and industry.
ii)A multi-sectoral and multi-functional approach
involving all relevant government ministries andagencies in good collaboration.

Botswana’s Productivity Movement (Cont…)

The government of Botswana has a motto of 5D:- Democracy,- Development,- Dignity,- Discipline and- Delivery

4. Institutional Framework for Productivity Movement

BOARD

Audit

DirectorateFinance

HRDP&QIRSPSPBNPC Organizational Structure

ESP

CS
DMarketingFramework for Prod’vity Movement (Cont)…
The basic programs of BNPC are:
 The Board reports to the Minister for
Presidential Affairs and Public Administration.
 Directorate:- Is overseer of corporate & strategic matters.
-Develops strategic plans (Ex. period 2009/10 to 2016.)

Framework for Prod’vity Movement (Cont)…

 Productivity and Quality (P&Q)- Frontline advocacy and mobilization arm of the BNPC
- Promote public awareness, knowledge & utilization ofproductivity and quality tools/concepts.

 Human Resources Development (HRD):- Deals with the sourcing and provision of human capitalFramework for Prod’vity Movement (Cont)…
 Enterprise Support Program (ESP)- Quality management systems- Project management- Service quality, SMME productivity

Framework for Prod’vity Movement (Cont)…
 Public Service Program (PSP):- Aimed at improving service quality.
- Facilitate the culture of high performance Information & Research Services (IRS):- Conducts research on productivity and related areas- It avails productivity and quality information

Framework for Prod’vity Movement (Cont)…

 Marketing Department- Marketing department deals with all marketing
related issues about the BNPC and its products.

Framework for Prod’vity Movement (Cont)…
District Productivity Improvement Forum The District Productivity Improvement
Forum’s (DPIFs) are networks of change
agents from government, private sector
organizations, community and NGOs.

Framework for Prod’vity Movement (Cont)…

 Francis town (regional office of BNPC)
has conducted advocacy campaigns at
the rate of one per month.
 Advocacies focus on 5S.

5. Lessons from Singapore’s Productivity Movement
Phases of Productivity Movement
The three stages of Productivity

In a similar way, Botswana had

Movement in Singapore include:

planned to use the three stages

1- Awareness Stage (1981-85),- Focuses on positive work
attitude and teamwork
2- Action Stage (1986-88),- Translate “awareness” into
specific programs3- Ownership Stage (1989-90s).
- Focus on self-sustaining
productivity movementof productivity movement:
1. Awareness Stage- Spent much time on awareness2. Action Stage- On an early stage to translateawareness into action.
3. Ownership Stage- Not yet start ownership stage

Lessons from Singapore’s Productivity Movement (Cont…)

 Singapore had achieved the three stages of
productivity movement in about 10 years(1981 – 1990s).
 But Botswana took about 20 years (1991 –2011) and yet it is still on the awarenessstage and on an early stage of implementing
productivity improvement program.

Lessons from Singapore’s Productivity Movement (Cont…)

 ProductivityawarenessinBotswanahassignificantly increased through BNPC.
 But, with such a high level of awareness, thequestion is: why are there still resound concernsof low productivity and poor work ethics?
 Awareness alone is not a sufficient condition for
productivity improvement.

6.Botswana’s International Cooperationin Industry Sector
BNPC and Japan Productivity Center
 BNPC has been collaborating with Japan
Productivity Center in the areas of capacity
building for almost five years.
 BNPC consultants have been to Japan to learn
howtheJapanese

conduct

productivity

improvement in various institutions.

Botswana’s International Cooperation (Cont…)

 The Japanese have been in Botswana to assist
BNPC to improve productivity of organizations
in Botswana and have recommended a number oftools such as Kaizen

Botswana’s International Cooperation (Cont…)

BNPC and SADC
 SADC has a regional productivity center and its
objective is to assist countries to establish
NationalProductivityOrganizations

and to capacitate existing NPOs.

(NPO)Botswana’s International Cooperation (Cont…)
BNPC and Asian Productivity Organization

 AsianProductivityOrganization(APO)

imparts skills to African Practitioners.

 For instance in 2009, five BNPC consultants
attendedanproductivity
Johannesburg.

advancedpractitioners

coursefor

heldin7. Conclusion and its Implication to Ethiopia

 AccordingtoBQW

2010

surveyreport,productivity in Botswana is generally still lower
than the required level which is a reflection of
inadequate leadership and management ofBNPC.

Conclusion and its Implication to Ethiopia (cont…)

Lessons to learn from BNPC The leadership realized poor work culture andrequest change of attitude.
 BNPC is a parastatal with a tripartite board.
 Department of Labour Union is the strongest link,in tripartite and social dialogue in Botswana.
 BNPC follows three stages (Awareness, Actionand Ownership) of productivity movement.

Conclusion and its Implication to Ethiopia (cont…)
Practices to avoid from BNPC

 Spent longer time on awareness stage;
 A non existent Triple helix interaction.
 Tripartite partnership too weak; Limited impact on the private sector ; Limited research/measurement capability;
 Skills attraction and retention is low; and Productivity development is not homegrown.

Conclusion and its Implication to Ethiopia (cont…)

Its implication to Ethiopia:
 Since 1999, Botswana is moving with:- Productivity dilemma- Unreliable work habits and- Declining labor productivity
 Due to the limitation of BNPC’s effort on
bringing paradigm shift in the society.

Conclusion and its Implication to Ethiopia (cont…)

 The situation in Ethiopia is the same. And it
indicates that Productivity is a change inmental attitude that leads to practical action
and due attention should be given to paradigm
shift.
 Currently, the leadership in Ethiopia hasrecognized the need for attitude change inworking culture.

Conclusion and its Implication to Ethiopia (cont…)
Commitment of Higher officials, organizations, and individuals

 BNPC was lacking due attention by the Office ofthe President and is left on its own in recentdays.
 This is a good lesson for Ethiopia that
Productivity needs strong commitment of higher
officials, organizations, and individuals.

Conclusion and its Implication to Ethiopia (cont…)

 BNPC is comprising of three parties (Government,Private sector, and workers).
 We need to involve the labor unions as early aspossible ( they are the foot soldiers).

 The organizational structure and the programsof BNPC can be taken as a starting point thatcan be adapted to productivity movement inEthiopia.

Conclusion and its Implication to Ethiopia (cont…)
Productivity Promotion

 BNPC’s promotional work is limited on few
economic sectors & unable to cover all sectors
countrywide.
 This may be a good signal to Ethiopia to search
for all possible ways of promoting productivity.

Three Golden Rules
Rule Number 1: Do it rightthe first time andevery time.

Rule Number 2:There is always a better way of

doing things.
Rule Number 3 :Don't forget Rule
Number 1 & 2.
52

Thank you