1. LEADERSHIP: THE BIG INTERVIEW: BEYOND BUSINESS: TECHNOLOGY:
INDONESIA. THE NEXT KOH BOON HWEE’S LESSONS FROM THE BEST BUSINESS
GREAT EXPORTER OF REFLECTIONS ON MILITARY APPS FOR LEADERS
TALENT? 42 LEADERSHIP 70 LEADERSHIP 78 ON THE MOVE 86
REDEFINING BUSINESS LEADERSHIP
SURVIVING THE
VUCA WORLD
The building blocks of success
W W W. H C L I .O R G
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04 H Q A S I A I S S U E 5 / 2013

3. hat kinds of leaders do you need for your
W current and future business? Good listen-
ers? Strong facilitators and collaborators?
Leaders with people skills and who can
manage multiple stakeholders? Recent research by
Dr Hora Tjitra of China’s Zhejiang University and his
colleagues Dr Hana Panggabean and Dr Juliana Murni-
ati from Atma Jaya University, Indonesia, suggest that
these are the common strengths of Indonesian leaders.
In a country that covers 17,000 islands and 300
different ethnic groups, Indonesians have long
had to manage diversity. But, for Indonesia to over-
come its current leadership shortage – let alone
become an exporter of leadership talent – much
more needs to be done.
M A N Y G E N E R A L I S T S, F EW S P E C I A L I S T S
Many Indonesians aspire for a generalist career rather
than that of a specialist one. For example, there are
more students who choose to be trained in general
business management fields or the humanities than
INDONESIA
in a specific science and engineering discipline. Sofjan
Wanandi, Chairman of the Indonesian Employers
Association, blames the country’s education system
for this problem. Indonesia, he argues, encourages
students to take too many disparate subjects, instead
THE NEXT
of promoting a focus on specific fields like engineering
and physical sciences.
There is perhaps an understandable reason for
this preference. In the past, companies in Indonesia
tended not to be big. Hence, these companies needed
GREAT EXPORTER
employees who could juggle many responsibilities
rather than immersing in a specific field. As such, ca-
reer opportunities in Indonesia have tended to attract
and reward generalists.
Because of this, leaders were expected to pick up
OF LEADERSHIP
broad skills of the trade quickly. However, those who
underwent a fast track career development programme
found themselves not having enough time to build
deep technical competence.
Today matters are changing. There is a growing
TALENT?
demand amongst employers for specialists with strong
technical skills. At the Global Indonesian Network
conference – organised by Atma Jaya University and
Alumni of Catholic Students in Europe – Hadi Kasim,
CEO of Triputra Group, complained of the difficulty of
finding workers with deep technical expertise.
Everyone from McKinsey to the World Bank is Without strong technical skills in engineering and
predicting Indonesia’s economy to boom while the science, Indonesians often lack the credibility to
talent shortage exacerbates. Mano Ramakrishnan progress in their careers. An exception to the rule is
spoke with Hora Tjitra to understand how the former CEO of IBM Indonesia, Yaya Winarno Junardy.
nation’s current shortfall of leadership talent Despite not having a university degree he rose to the
need not be permanent – Indonesia can be a great top because of his strong technical knowledge in com-
exporter of leadership talent. And, here’s why. puters and software programming.
42 H Q A S I A I S S U E 5 / 2013

4. LEADERSHIP
eed for your C O M M U N I CAT I N G
? Good listen- W I T H O U T I M PA CT
ollaborators? A common misconception is that
nd who can Indonesians do not possess strong
research by YOUNG English language skills. The busi-
ersity and his INDONESIANS ness leaders whom Tjitra and his
Juliana Murni- ARE TRAINED TO colleagues spoke to shared that
a, suggest that COMMUNICATE Indonesians’ English proficiency
nesian leaders. IN AN INDIRECT is comparable to their colleagues
s and 300 AND CONTEXTUAL from other parts of Asia, like
ve long WAY. THIS IS China. It is the way Indonesians
esia to over- craft their messages that puts
et alone
A RESULT OF them at a disadvantage.
– much
STRIVING TO As a result of striving to maintain
MAINTAIN SOCIAL social harmony in their diverse cul-
HARMONY IN ture, young Indonesians are trained
THEIR DIVERSE to communicate in an indirect
ECIALISTS CULTURE and contextual way. In present-
t career rather ing their strategy and plans, they
e, there are have not been trained to structure
in general their arguments based on data and
anities than analysis. As such, they do not stand
cipline. Sofjan out when compared to their other
Employers Asian counterparts.
tion system It is even harder to notice com-
ncourages petent Indonesian workers when
jects, instead they do not actively promote their
ke engineering strengths. Modesty and humil-
ity are important virtues for the
eason for Indonesian people. The common
n Indonesia Indonesian saying: “It is the mature
anies needed rice plant that bends its head low”
nsibilities speaks of mature individuals being
. As such, ca- more humble. Take Adi Prabowo,
nded to attract an Associate Director of Johnson &
Johnson Asia Pacific, as an example.
to pick up Prabowo came from an upper-class
er, those who family and studied in an elite school.
ent programme Even as a young child, he would
me to build sometimes choose to walk to school,
rather than to be chauffeured in his
a growing father’s luxury car. What is regarded
sts with strong as maturity and humility amongst
n Network Indonesians is unfortunately often
niversity and perceived as weakness in the West.
– Hadi Kasim,
he difficulty of
ertise. LACKING AMBITION?
ineering and Another challenge is that the
ibility to majority of Indonesian talent seem
o the rule is content with their current achieve-
narno Junardy. ments and do not aspire to leave
he rose to the their comfort zone.
IMAGE: CORBIS
wledge in com- One of their guiding principles is
the Javanese concept of ‘nrima’. >>
I S S U E 5 / 2013 H Q A S I A 43

5. In simple terms, it means if you want to live your life in Indonesia. No longer should organisations choose
to the fullest, you need not achieve more – but accept task-oriented leaders for these assignments. Instead,
what you have now. Often misunderstood as an apa- they should prioritise expatriate managers with the
thetic willingness to swallow everything, nrima actu- ability to develop others.
ally promotes a positive attitude towards life, especial-
ly in the face of adversity. Yet sometimes, this attitude
can hold Indonesians back from achieving top roles. G R A D UA L P R U N I N G FO R
However, a strong motivator for Indonesians is collec- G R A D UA L B L O O M I N G
tive ambition. Many of the nation’s business leaders are Many organisations believe in throwing their high
driven by the ambitions of their organisations, rather potentials into the metaphorical ‘deep end of the pool’.
than their own careers. And, these leaders are more than They assume that these high potentials will eventually
willing to make sacrifices for the greater collective – be swim and build confidence. Doing the same to Indone-
it their organisation, town or country. sian talent may work less well, as Indonesians tend to
appreciate gradual exposure and development through
stages. We suggest the following course of exposure:
R E C O M M E N DAT I O N S
Overcoming the above challenges is important for Indo- Stage 1: Station a foreign leader in Indonesia
nesian talent to realise their potential, and for businesses This kind of opportunity allows Indonesians to experi-
to benefit from this new type of leadership. After conver- ence the complexity of cross-cultural management in
sations with many successful Indonesian leaders, Tjitra the comfort of their home country. Facing intercultural
and his colleagues discovered a few approaches that difficulties at this stage is manageable, as they still have
organisations can take in order to develop local talent. the social support of their family and friends. It is also
recommended that Indonesian talent embark on this
stage as early as possible in their career. The experi-
E X PAT R I AT E M A N A G E R S H AV E A R O L E ence and mentorship from their foreign bosses will
Many progressive companies in Indonesia are keen prove instrumental in developing their communication
to reduce their dependence on expatriate managers. skills and working styles.
While this is generally helpful in empowering local
leaders, companies should not go too far. Successful Stage 2: Take part in international assignments
Indonesian leaders consistently attributed their devel- This takes Indonesians beyond the comfort of their
opment to foreign mentors. home to international regions. It could be either a short
Some critical roles that expatriate managers play in assignment of up to six months, or managing projects
developing Indonesian talent are: and virtual teams that span multiple countries. Such an
approach allows Indonesians to gradually improve their
cross-border management and leadership skills.
thinking, data-driven decision-making and impactful
communication skills; Stage 3: Become global leaders
This is the stage where Indonesians take up the chal-
‘stretch assignments’ to develop them; lenge of leading in another country for an extended
period of time (at least three years). Once successful,
in an international environment; they will become role models who will inspire the next
wave of Indonesian leaders. At this stage, it is impor-
visible in organisations’ global networks. tant to define clear development competencies and
goals, which the assignees will need to achieve at the
Recognising the important roles that foreign end of their assignment.
expatriates play calls for a change in the way multi-
national organisations structure their international In 2009, the World Bank predicted that Indonesia
assignments. Often, such assignments are designed would add two million new workers into the economy
as a means of personal development for expatriates, every year over the next 10 years. Imagine if the nation
or for the setting up of new functions in local offices. could build just 1% of these workers into true global
While these goals are still important and necessary, it leaders – that would be a good start in not just alleviating
is equally critical to endorse clear objectives, such as leadership shortfalls in Indonesia, but elsewhere in Asia.
developing local talent for global roles.
Simultaneously, this understanding should also
change the selection criteria for foreign expatriates Mano Ramakrishnan is the Head of Research at HCLI.
44 H Q A S I A I S S U E 5 / 2013