Sky Cable Transformation

This article is a perfect example of how a leader can influence an organization. Imagine a team of people that cares to make things better continually, every day every opportunity, your team. Where would you begin? Here’s an Idea, Model, Connect, Involve. Model the behavior you want to see, connect with the people you lead, involve them whenever you can. 3 simple actions that sum up everything else. This is a perfect example of transformational leadership in action, in this case, we saw how the new Chief Operating Officer, Carlos Katigbak saved Sky Cable.

1. Can organization culture really be changed? How would you evaluate Sky Cable’s efforts at changing its culture?

I would give a big YES, to that question. Changing the culture of an organization is very possible but it could be a very daunting task to accomplish. The problem is that culture is largely invisible to those inside of it. It’s like water to a fish or air to a bird. It’s simply the environment we live in. To an ordinary employee, it’s really hard to accept change even when you can see it coming because they are already used to their environment, and changing an entire organization’s culture is like telling a fresh water fish to adapt to a salt water environment. This really pops into my mind when it comes to companies introducing change for the better, there are two things that force an organization to change, it would either be a Crisis or a Charismatic Leader. And I believe Sky Cable had both. They were in a crisis and they had a charismatic leader, in the form of Carlos Katigbak. The whole organization worked together in order to really change for the better, of course, with the leadership of the new COO. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes Sky Cable achieved what they once thought was impossible. The new COO became a role model for the company leaders, he acted and became what it is he wants to see more of. He did what he wanted everyone else to do. More Enthusiasm, Less Cynicism. More Results, Less Busyness. More Objectivity, Less wishing and guessing. More focus, less distraction. More time, effort and care, whatever it is he felt that is most important to creating that better experience for everyone. Whatever he felt will bring the best results, that’s what he modeled, regardless of circumstances, no exceptions. He fostered an environment with no borders, communication was an important pillar in his leadership. If I were to assess their efforts in changing their dysfunctional culture, I would give them a score of 10 out of 10 for the relentless effort.

2. The changes in Sky Cable were driven heavily by its leader. What are the pros and cons of this?

Yes because the leaders sets the company’s vision. It will be the company’s guiding light to wherever they want to be. And it is the leader’s job to take the whole organization and rally them towards that vision. A leader creates an inspiring vision of the future, Motivates and inspires people to engage with that vision, Manages delivery of the vision, Coaches and builds a team, so that it is more effective at achieving the vision. And this what Carlos Katgibak did for Sky Cable. A Leadership is good when it brings an entire organization to greater levels of business performance and bad if he fails and drags the whole company down with him.

It is the leader’s job to transform potential into reality. Sky Cable’s leadership style was mostly participative or democratic, leadership was mostly transparent and had an open door communication policy with it’s employess, Sky Cable management also seeked the sentiments of the employees, they were very much open to suggestions. But the leaders acted on what they thought was right for the company, and they made sure that the employees understand every decision they make. They continually communicated with the employees to make sure that everyone was on the same page with them. At least, every time they made a decision, the employees now know why it is so.

The risk here is that, you really need a very competent and influential leader. If the leader is influencial but not skilled, he might be leading the company to a cliff and the company would be willing to jump without any hesitation. 3. Sky Cable experienced a number of mergers. What were the difficulties encountered? What could have been done differently in managing these mergers?

The merger was a difficult process not only for Sky Cable but also for the other party as well. The transition took three years but they really failed to unite as one. They were merged as a company but not united as an organization. There was an invisible wall dividing the 2 former competitors. There was a clash of ideas between the employees, each had different ways of doing things that would often result to conflict.

Carlos Katigbak wasn’t the COO yet, during the merger. So, I guess, the absence of a good leader could have played a big role in the difficult times they have undergone. If there was a good transitioning officer, things might have been different. They were unable to address cultural issues within the two companies, in my opinion, in doing mergers they should not only unite the company but also the people involved as well. In unity, there should be only one body and one spirit but Sky Cable had 1 body with many spirits, that’s not a pleasant environment. People would just work for their own interests, not that of the company’s.

Leaders should align the employee’s vision with that of the company’s, to guide their them to the right path with unity. Unity happens when leaders are committed to and engaged in the process of building a united, winning team. It requires focus, time, and energy. Unity occurs when team members care more about the vision, purpose and health of the organization than they do their own personal agenda. Changing the mindset is essential. Unity happens when each person on the team can clearly see how their personal vision and effort contributes to the overall vision and success of the team. This involves meaningful conversations. And Unity results when you weed out the negativity that sabotages far too many organizations

4. Downsizing is a reality for many business organizations. What did the management of Sky Cable do well in implementing downsizing? What could they have done better? Under the management of the new COO, downsizing was the last resort in their efforts to cut costs. In my opinion, downsizing comes with a really heavy price, and that is the lives of the employees you have to let go.

The corporate leader who can axe the greatest number of jobs and, with the least emotional content, lay off the maximum number of people is extolled as a turnaround artist. Such organizational leaders, while obtaining ‘godlike’ status to shareholders, are perceived as the personification of terror to employees. Sadly, organizational downsizing has come to be recognized as a powerful tool in the corporate strategic toolkit.

There are many alternatives to downsizing, like Reducing hours. A policy is established that either places everyone in a particular job category on a flexible working arrangement or creates a flex-pool made up of volunteers from the department. The goal is to reduce the number of hours worked by each employee. Job sharing is a variation of flexitime and has been used successfully in many organizations. People divide a job between them with each person receiving proportionate benefits.

Another one would be to decrease wages rather than doing lay-offs. Wages are lowered in order to save money. Wage reduction programs vary. A typical element is that everyone in the institution is part of the wage reduction program. Additionally, executive compensation is reduced by the highest percentage, followed by middle management, with non-management staff suffering the smallest percentage of loss. This is usually a temporary program instituted to get through a downturn or until other reductions such as attrition can take place.

Or they could have alternative placements for the employees, the organization makes arrangements with similar institutions or suppliers for placement. The final alternative is downsizing – the last resort. Downsizing means that the organization makes a decision to terminate people against their will. But its good that sky cable made the employees understand why they needed to lay off employees, they just accepted their fate for the good of their beloved company.

School of Graduate Studies Central Philippine University Jaro, Iloilo City Critique Paper on “Sky Cable”

Presented to: Raquel L. Polec-eo, Ed.D

In partial fulfillment Of the Course Requirement In Human Behavior Organization

Submitted By: Deo Michael Gabriel R. Llamas MBA-2