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Zia Ahmad Jan General Manager Human Resource National Database & Registration Authority State Bank Building, Shahrah-e-Jamhooriat G-5/2, Islamabad - Pakistan Ph: +92 51 9223128 Fax: +92 0519204262 E-mail: [email protected]

piqc.com.pk

Pakistan’s 10th International Convention on Quality Improvement ICQI`2006

© Pakistan Institute of Quality Control 2

CATALYST FOR CHANGE THE UNIQUE CULTURE BEHIND NADRA`S

SUCCESS – A CASE STUDY AUTHORS

Zia Ahmad Jan General Manager Human Resource National Database & Registration Authority State Bank Building, Shahrah-e-Jamhooriat G-5/2, Islamabad - Pakistan Ph: +92 51 9223128 Fax: +92 0519204262 E-mail: [email protected]

INTRODUCTION

National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) is the largest IT Company in Pakistan and employs a highly skilled work force of 11,100 technical and management personnel. The company has maintained its position among the top 50 companies of the world in the field of secure document solution integration (by ID WORLD magazine) in 2005 and 2006. NADRA not only takes pride in producing the Computerized National ID Card of Pakistan but also in producing the World’s first Machine Readable Multi-Biometric Electronic Passport. Mission Very few companies in the world have two conflicting missions. NADRA, being a semi-government Authority, houses one of the biggest assets of the country, the highly confidential National Data Warehouse. In addition, since the main aim of NADRA is to register the entire citizen base of Pakistan, the company needs to set up operations in far flung areas where it is not cost effective to do so. On the other hand, NADRA is also a self revenue generating authority that needs to calculate return on investment in order to sustain itself. NADRA balances the act of a national organization of strategic importance and a commercially viable business entity. Change Management NADRA specializes in change management and business process re-engineering of public and private sector. The successful and seamless paradigm shift from “form based data acquisition” and “manual registration system” to “interactive data acquisition” (Citizen Registration Project of Pakistan) proves NADRA’s capability and urge to continuously improve its processes, systems and procedures. In addition, NADRA is the first government authority to introduce a paperless office environment by implementing work flow solutions. Technology and Infrastructure NADRA has the experience of designing, implementing and maintaining one of the largest integrated citizen’s databases in the world. This database is centrally located and comprises of identity information of 71 million citizens and is completed backed by facial and fingerprint identification technologies. Today, the volume of this database stands at a staggering figure of 23.8 Tera Bytes and each passing day is amplifying it by additional data of 30,000 citizens. Every person in this database is linked to a family tree structure and can be



distinctively identified and found, within a fraction of a second, with the help of any of the linkages, and our in-house search engine developed by NADRA's R&D department. Transporting data from 350 data acquisition sites, which are geographically spread over an area of 144,000 Sq. Kilometers, is a challenge in itself. The requirement of secure, reliable, fast and online transfer of this data to the central data warehouse has enabled NADRA to create a state of the art network comprising of satellite, optical fiber, DSL and dial-up modes of connectivity. This network is designed to work with frame relay and ATM modes of data transfer and employs top of the line routers, switches, access servers, DSLAMs and satellite transceivers. NADRA has the largest data acquisition infrastructure in Pakistan today. With more than 350 National Swift Registration Centers (NSRC’s) and 120 Mobile Registration Vehicles all over Pakistan, NADRA ensures maximum accessibility by reaching out to its customers in far flung areas. In addition, NADRA has 6 NSRC’s abroad in UK and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Control Systems Creating and maintaining the largest data warehouse in the world is one thing but using it for the benefit of community at large is altogether a different ball game. Over a period of time, NADRA has developed expertise in data mining techniques and has developed applications pertaining to phonetic search, business intelligence, statistical analysis and verification. These techniques and applications have used the database not only to create platforms of transparency, efficiency and convenience for the general public but also for improving the situation of homeland security. In addition, NADRA has used MIS applications extensively to increase efficiency and productivity of its processes. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions have been successfully implemented to bring in transparency and efficiency by monitoring expenses, revenue, headcount, resource allocation etc. In addition, management has reliable tools to monitor progress of employees, production processes and value chains. Total Quality Management Production and personalization of secure documents is as much an art as it is a science. Over a period of five years, NADRA has printed more than 50 million Computerized ID cards and around 670,000 Machine Readable Passports with biometrics. These identity and travel documents are compliant to ICAO’s standards and contain security features like security substrate and laminate, Ultra Violet features, micro printing, holograms and Invisible Personal Information (IPI). Work Force NADRA’s workforce is made up of four main types of employees. The company is led by a retired army officer and almost the entire second tier comprises of retired/serving military men corresponding to the ranks of Colonels or Brigadiers. A few employees have been deputed from the Government of Pakistan as well. On the other hand, the bulk of entry level and mid-management comprises of IT and Management professionals from the corporate sector. In addition, 25% of the workforce is composed of employees from the Government’s Registration department (DGR) with obsolete skills sets for an IT environment. Conclusion To sum up, NADRA is one of the few companies in the world to have the synergy, experience and expertise to successfully design and implement extremely large sized projects that involve data acquisition from large populations belonging to



geographically dispersed locations, data transfer over multiple backbone and last mile technologies, data warehousing, data mining and secure printing.

OBJECTIVES OF CASE STUDY

The main objective of this case study is to ascertain the role of NADRA’s cultural change initiative to achieve complete turnaround and transformation of a semi-government organization into a dynamic, customer-driven, technologically advanced self reliant IT Company. The case study aims to:

• Identify and understand the effects of certain events/paradigm shifts that led to the creation of NADRA’s existing culture.

• Analyze existing culture by applying theoretical cultural frameworks.

(Hofstede’s model for cultural classification and Johnson’s “Cultural Web” have been selected).

In addition, this paper shall also examine the success factors that enable a diverse group of people with opposing working styles to collaborate for the accomplishment of strategic business objectives.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Primary research was carried out by randomly selecting employees from all Directorates and Departments to ensure representation by all. Questionnaires were administering and focus groups were carried out to obtain better understanding of the cultural elements at NADRA. (The questionnaire has been attached at Annex-A of this case study). Secondary research of existing data at NADRA and study of various frameworks to define/assess the culture of an organization was also done.

CLASSIFICATION OF CULTURE USING THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS

To assess the culture at NADRA a number of choices were available in terms of theoretical frameworks however we have selected two well known frameworks to analyze i.e Geert Hofstede’s model of classification of culture and Johnsons “cultural web”. Hofstede identified five characteristics of culture:

• Power distance - The degree to which a society expects there to be differences in the levels of power. A high score suggests that there is an expectation that some individuals wield larger amounts of power than others. A low score reflects the view that all people should have equal rights.

• Uncertainty avoidance reflects the extent to which a society accepts

uncertainty and risk. • Individualism vs. Collectivism - individualism is contrasted with

collectivism, and refers to the extent to which people are expected to stand up for themselves, or alternatively act predominantly as a member of the group or organization.

• Masculinity vs. femininity - refers to the value placed on traditionally

male or female values. Male values for example include competitiveness, assertiveness, ambition, and the accumulation of wealth and material possessions.

• Long vs. short term orientation - describes a society's "time horizon," or

the importance attached to the future versus the past and present. In long term oriented societies, thrift and perseverance are valued more; in short term oriented societies, respect for tradition and reciprocation of gifts and favors are valued more.



Johnson (1988) described a cultural web, identifying a number of elements that can be used to describe or influence Organizational Culture:

• The Paradigm: What the organization is about; what it does; its mission; its values.

• Organizational Structures: Reporting lines, hierarchies, and the way that

work flows through the business. • Power Structures: Who makes the decisions, how widely spread is

power, and on what is power based? • Symbols: These include the logos and designs, but would extend to

symbols of power, such as car parking spaces and executive washrooms! • Rituals and Routines: Management meetings, board reports and so on

may become more habitual than necessary. • Control Systems: The processes in place to monitor what is going on.

Role cultures would have vast rulebooks. There would be more reliance on individualism in a power culture.

• Stories and Myths: build up about people and events, and convey a

message about what is valued within the organization.

These elements may overlap. Power structures may depend on control systems, which may exploit the very rituals that generate stories. These characteristics were analyzed in NADRA’s environment by administering questionnaires and conducting focus groups with randomly selected employees across the organization, however, ensuring that each Department was represented. The elements are discussed below. The Paradigm NADRA is unique in its paradigm because as a Public Sector organization, NADRA had been created with the sole mission of registering citizens of Pakistan to issue them with a unique ID. The Mission Statement, as appearing in the NADRA Ordinance, 2000 is as follows:- “ To introduce new, improved and modernized systems of registration, databases and data warehousing for the country with their multiple beneficial uses and applications in order to achieve effective and efficient running of the affairs of State and the general public” With the passage of time and success of the civil registration project, there came about a realization that NADRA’s products had commercial viability in the domestic and international market. Also, with the establishment of the NADRA Swift Registration Centre (NSRC) and Mobile Registration Vehicle (MRV) network all over Pakistan, NADRA possessed the requisite infrastructure to undertake any large scale public sector project involving data acquisition. Another stimulus was the lack of government funding and the need to become self-reliant. Therefore, the Mission and Vision of NADRA were changed to include a commercialized aspect to NADRA’s products and services. In 2006, the vision statement is: NADRA having established itself as an industrial player of international stature envisions to:

• Become a World Class, leading Solution Provider in all areas of Homeland



Security. • Develop Human Potential that is considered the best in the word. • Register all Pakistani Residents and Citizens by 2008. • Become a World Leader in Technology Development. • Develop System Integration excellence to implement and integrate

proven, state-of-the-art technologies to achieve specific business objective.

NADRA’s renewed Mission Statement is defined as follows: “To create and maintain a secure, authentic and dynamic database that comprehensively covers the demographic, geographic, social and statistical aspects of the citizens of Pakistan and provide to our own and foreign governments effective homeland security solutions and assistance in good governance. We shall develop ourselves as a ‘Learning Organization’ in a culture that fosters creativity, innovation, commitment, dedication, continuous improvement and a desire to excel by its employees”.

Paradigm Shift

NADRA is one of the few companies in Pakistan that have succeeded in a revolutionary turnaround achieved primarily through cultural change. Noteworthy paradigm shift’s that have shaped NADRA’s existing culture are as follows:- • Change in Business Model • In-house competence development • Change in Mission and Vision

• Change in Business Model The Pakistani Civil Registration Project began with the establishment of the Census Exercise in 1998 along with the creation of the National Data Organization (NDO). A Data Form was designed by NDO to collect particulars of the citizens over the age of 18 years. Approximately 65 million forms were collected and stored for over two years all over Pakistan, before the first attempt was made in the middle of 2000 to digitalize them and create a National Database. Consequently, the National Database and Registration Authority was created for the purpose of collecting manual data forms from the entire citizen base of Pakistan and automating this data for use by the State in “Good Governance”.

One year after inception accompanied by a change in leadership, NADRA re-evaluated the entire business model of registration based on Manual Data Collection Forms followed by single data entry for automation. The following was realized:

o It was impractical to collect information via a manual data form

in a country with a literacy rate of only 37.24%

o Static Form Collection Centers with Urban bias did not work in an agrarian based country with more than 62% of the population living in rural areas where logistic infrastructure for distribution and passage of information is inadequate and difficulty exists to



distribute and collect manual forms.

o Agents should not be used for collecting fee directly from citizens without a fool proof system of auditing agents to track revenue collection. This is true especially in a society riddled with corrupt practices with an abundance of middle men and touts with the sole purpose of fleecing the poor.

o The quality of the photograph and thumb impression is

compromised with a manual form.

o It is not enough to acquire new hardware and develop requisite software without matching the existing social, political and cultural structure of the country.

o Data entry of manual forms by one person can compromise

validity and authenticity of data, especially when data entry operators are given volume based incentives.

To salvage this existing form based system, the concept of double data entry was introduced. This data entry system ensured that a single form was entered by two data entry operators at random. If a disparity existed between the data sets entered by these operators, then the form would be routed to a third examiner for final data entry. However, keeping in mind the reasons for failure of the manual system, NADRA introduced a new revolutionary concept of “Live Interactive Data Entry”. National Swift Registration Centers (NSRC) were formed all over the country, where data entry operators collected information directly from the applicant and verified the information after data entry to eliminate mistakes. This aided the largely uneducated population of Pakistan while increasing the quality of data entered. In addition, Mobile Registration Vans (MRV) were established to reach out to the applicants in inaccessible areas.

For the first time, the concept of customer care was introduced in a government organization. Furthermore, NADRA strived to become a learning organization driven by the needs of the customer. The following table summarizes the specific changes that the NSRC’s brought along with the effect they had on NADRA’s culture.

The following table summarizes the impact of these decisions on the culture:

Sr. #

Measure Type New Value

1

Interactive Data Entry to eliminate the need for filling manual form by a largely uneducated applicant base

2

Eliminated the need for presenting ID documents by applicant to facilitate applicant

Customer Service

3

One window Operation by enabling applicant to simply walk in and get registered

Change inBusiness Model

Customer Facilitation



4

Review of data given by applicant to ensure accuracy of data

Excellence

5

Token system for queuing to serve applicants on a first come, first serve basis

Transparency

6 NSRC Process time of 8-10 Minutes Efficiency

7

Mobile Registration Vehicles to reach applicants in far flung areas

New Customer centric Vision

Customer Service

8

Live Thumb Scanning, Signatures and Photograph capturing to ensure high resolution of images

9

Introduction of a standardized address library while data entry

Introduction of Technology

Excellence

10 3 Call Centers for customer service and complaint handling

Customer Facilitation

11

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for tracking applicant's card at every step of the process

12 MIS Applications for checking revenue collection

13

Business Intelligence tools for checking productivity of centers

Technologically oriented Control System

Transparency

14

Introduction of Registration Policy, outlining NSRC processes, procedures and rules

Control Systems

Professionalism

15 Standardized layout and design of NSRC

Office Environment

Professionalism

16 Recruitment of MBA's and Engineers to man NSRC

17 Mandatory Dress Code

Change inmakeup of workforce

Professionalism

18 Total Processing and delivery time less than 30 days

Quality Management

Excellence



• Change in Focus: In-house Competence Development

Another noteworthy turning point for the company was witnessed in the form of a renewed focus on in-house competence development. Previously, NADRA had outsourced the important functions of Data Warehousing, Project Management and Networking along with the support functions of Finance and Accounts. In addition, there was absolutely no focus on software development or software integration. With the leadership change in 2001, there came about significant changes in human resource development, the working environment and thereby the culture of the organization.

The following table summarizes the important decisions and their impact on culture:-

Sr. # Measure Type New Value

1 Hiring of high-ended technical resources for in-house software development

Change in Workforce

Professionalism

2

Establishment of a proper human resource department focusing on Recruitment, HR Ops, HR Development and Training

Change in Workforce Value

3 Revamping of Office Environment- Focus on open floor plans and display of color

Office Environment

Professionalism

4 Introducing flexible timings for technical resources. Result

Orientation

5 Revision in Compensation and Grade Structures for technical resources

6 Re-visiting of HR policies, office timings

7 Flatter organizations Organizational structures

8 Participative Management Styles

Hiring of high-ended technical resources was done in all major line functions such as Technology and Development, Data Warehousing, Networking and Project Management. As a result, the company now has management and technical resources to the tune of almost 1,000. A detailed breakup of workforce qualifications is given in table below.

Workforce Qualification Status Strength Master (MBA/MS-IT/MCS/MSc-CS 1,232 Engineers 67 CA/ICMA/ACCA 27 Graduates (BCS/BIT) 2,822 Computer Literate 5,999 Administrative/Supporting Staff 1,253 Total 11,400



The only public service company in Pakistan that has a computer literate workforce comprising 80% of the total.

The company soon developed in-house expertise in the following fields:

o Data Acquisition – both Form Based and Interactive o Data Transportation through fully owned secure network o Security Printing including personalization o Database Management and Data Warehousing o Project Management o Program/Project Integration o Software, Web, Databases, design and development o Financial Management of IT Project o Business process re-engineering

Average ages have been calculated for all Directorates and are displayed in the table below. What can be seen is that the technically and commercially oriented departments have a lower average age as compared to the operations and support departments.

Average Age NADRA Employees

Sr # Directorate Average Age

1 Chairman Sect 35

2 CNIC Card Production 35

3 DWH 35

4 F&A 34

5 Logistics 40

6 Networking 30

7 Operations 35

8 Project 32

9 PSD 32

10 Registration 56

11 SRC 28

12 Procurement 37

13 T&D 29

14 Vigilance 54

Change in Focus: Importance given to Technology and Control Systems

With the change in leadership, came about a renewed focus on technology. Hardware and software needs were addressed and a new Department was created to house a team of software developers and



software integrators. The table below shows a trend of how the technological requirements and state has changed over the years.

Sr. # Name of Item 2001 2006

1 Number of Computers 1424 8700

2 Number of Servers 12 486

3 Number of NSRC's 3 320

4 Mobile Vans 0 103

5 Total Bandwidth 1.54 mbps 8.512 mbps

6 Internet Bandwidth 1 Mhz 3 Mhz

Since transparency was the new value that NADRA had inculcated, MIS applications were developed to enhance visibility into all areas of business. Also, technology enabled faster processing time and greater reliability and authenticity of data. The automation initiative was rolled out across the board, in support and line departments, regardless of commercial or non-commercial vision. Table below summarizes the software developed and being used in NADRA for productive organizational performance.

• Power Structures & Power Distance:

Power distance is defined as "the extent to which it the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally". (Hofstede, 1991,p. 28). Power Structure (Johnson 1988) is also defined as who makes the decisions, how widely spread is power, and on what is power based? In order to identify, the power distance or the willingness to accept a certain "inequality" in power that allows for some who lead and others to follow, important characteristics of power distance were analyzed. Some of the indicators describing Power Distance are organizational structure, status symbols, importance of face, participative management and the role of manager. These are explained below:

Organizational Structure NADRA has a mix of typical bureaucratic hierarchical structure with the modern matrix structure. With the base at corporate headquarters it operates in a matrix structure with the regions which are geographically located. Within the regions and the corporate headquarters it has tall hierarchies in some departments and flatter structures in the technology/IT dominated departments. This mix creates a unique assortment which is not only difficult to manage it also results in diversity of direction by the departments and lack of communications within and outside departments. The organizational structure is at Annex B. Status Symbols NADRA places a lot of importance on status and privilege. Being a government organization, the employees of NADRA enjoy a certain clout that brings with it an element of power. These symbols are discussed



below: Office Environment: NADRA Headquarters are housed in the 9 storey, ex-Parliament Building of Pakistan where Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto served their two consecutive tenures each as Prime Ministers of Pakistan. The building appears on the 500 Rs official currency note and it was at the National Assembly in this building that the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan was passed. In addition, to the important history of the building, the first impression one gets is the large size of the Headquarters upon entering. However with respect to the office décor and arrangement there is far greater variation and freedom of choice in selection of environment then is afforded to many organizations. It is due to the freedom of choice that

The office décor and environment differs across the organization. For the commercially oriented group of departments, the offices are based on an open floor plan, with an emphasis on vibrant colors in non-traditional color schemes such as red and black, yellow and lime green etc. These departments do not conform to the bureaucratic or military style with smaller, more compact and convenient office furniture.



Government Clout: One example of the power element associated with being a government employee with power, influence and clout can be described as the privilege associated with the green number plate of the corporate car given to a NADRA employee as a benefit. Heads of regions retained the title “Director General” as opposed to General Manager since it brought more clout to effectively conduct operational activities. Vehicles are also provided to the younger lot of high ended employees with the same government number plates which serves as a status symbol for them. Facilities & Symbols of power: There is a wide disparity between exempt and non-exempt individuals in NADRA. Exempt employees or officers are entitled to privileges such as executive washrooms, VIP parking facilities, Messing Facilities etc. In addition, there exists a power distance between officers as well i.e. between middle management and senior management. Since a large number of senior management is composed of ex-military men, the power distance is high to keep them motivated. Bigger office spaces, larger desks, access to protocol facilities, access to manpower etc are the hallmarks for motivating and retaining this category of employees. Compensation and Benefits: NADRA has different grade, compensation and benefits structures for operational and technical employees. The technical employees are compensated as per prevailing market rates which are much higher than the compensation structure for employees involved in operational work. The government grades apply to NADRA employees providing the newly inducted and technology oriented an opportunity to call themselves a Grade-18 or Grade -19 officer, thus adding to the clout.

Management Style:

For the commercially oriented companies, the managers practice a more participative style of management. On the other extreme, non-commercial, managers with military backgrounds are fond of an authoritative style of no-dissent.

The non-commercial departments with ex-military officers as heads display larger offices, bigger desks, wood paneling and visibility of extra attendants etc. The bureaucrats and military men tend to have big closed and lavish offices whereas the technical people and younger lot likes open offices



What is interesting to observe, is the way in which the leader of the organization cuts across hierarchical levels and obtains feedback directly from middle management and technical resources in a participative manner, while on the other extreme, we’ve seen heads of Directorates practice a no-dissent policy in high level decision making. Not one style is prevalent in the organization especially with the leader, who mostly practices participative style yet on occasions is highly Autocratic and on others uses a free reign style of management. Free Reign is mostly used with highly literate and technical people once the projects have been launched.

A summary of these variables is given below:

Power Distance & Management Styles

Sr. #

Directorate Org Structure

Status Symbols

Importance of Face

Participative Management

Role of Manager

1 SRC + NICOP 2 Ops 3 Registration 4 Log and HR 5 F&A 6 Proc 7 Chairman Sect 8 PSD

hierarchical pyramid

Not participative

Expert

9 Project Both Both Both 10 NW 11 Card Prod 12 NDW 13 T&D

14 NTL (Mktg, CS, BD)

relatively flat

Very Important

Very Important

Participative

Facilitator

Uncertainty Avoidance:

Uncertainty Avoidance reflects the extent to which an organization accepts uncertainty and risk. By looking at how different departments deal with and view the importance of corporate plans, competition, budgeting systems, control systems and risk, we are able to assess the overall degree of uncertainty avoidance. As an organization NADRA is very low on uncertainty avoidance which means that risk taking is dominant. Some of the elements of uncertainty avoidance are discusses here. Acceptance to Change Acceptance to change is one of the unique variables that is common to all Directorates organization wide. During the process of change in the business model, the entire organization was willing to go ahead with whatever changes were being proposed. Change in the total model i.e. a form based system to a highly interactive system of the Swift Registration System warranted a proactive approach from the organization. The success of the model was possible due to acceptance to change.



Risk Taking

The degree of risk taking in NADRA is quite pronounced. NADRA has delved into Projects requiring intensive budget and manpower requirements, because of its strong belief in people, concepts and technology. The risks involved in these projects were huge. Major examples are:-

The Multi-Biometric Passport Once it was launched no other country in the world had ventured into the arena of 3 security features in the passport, viz Facial Recognition, All Fingers Match and an RFID Chip with a 2D barcode linking it to the CNIC which in itself has more security features. The entire technology and software etc were developed in-house. A failure of the product would have been catastrophic. The organization did take a lot of risk in the project.

International Projects

NADRA’s bidding for international projects like the Bangladesh Driving License, South African ID project and others where the competition is with the market giants like IBM, Microsoft, Sagem etc have a high risk factor.

Control Systems

NADRA has very strong MIS applications to ensure visibility and transparency of its operations. However, the policies and framework are not that strict to ensure flexibility to a growing, dynamic organization. Some of the applications and their benefits are listed below: Oracle Financials- to automate all payment and receivable processes in Finance and Accounts. With this implementation, Managers can now see how much NADRA is spending on telephone expenses or operating costs etc. at the click of a button Payroll- brought visibility to compensation and benefits data. Almost 65% of NADRA’s overall expenses are payroll based and therefore, the need to monitor this expense is stressed.

Oracle Human Resource Management System (HRMS)- was implemented to eliminate ghost employees and to optimize workforce. Rightsizing has only been possible because of the HRMS. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for Registration Tracking of CNIC Applicants- At the click of a button, anyone can see where an applicant’s ID card is in the entire process from data acquisition to card delivery.

The following applications have been instrumental in making management subservient to technology. Therefore, no matter what the management style of the supervisor, success is achieved due to free flow of pertinent information.

Uncertainty Avoidance

Sr. #

Directorate Corporate Plans

Competition

Budgeting Systems

Control Systems

Risk

1 SRC + NICOP Seen as Seen Flexible Tight Is



3 Reg 4 Log and HR 5 F&A 6 Proc 7 Chairman Sect

existent

8 PSD

to follow

9 Project Both 10 NW

11 Card Prod

12 NDW

13 T&D

14

NTL (Mktg, CS, BD)

Seen as guidelines

Seen as advantageous

NADRA is very unique in its approach towards risk. One of the main reasons why NADRA has achieved so much growth in the past 6 years is primarily due to risk orientation- that is, not bound by rules and regulations, preferring an entrepreneurial spirit as opposed to a bureaucratic one. In addition, change is perceived as continuous and treated as a constant. The Authority is always trying to improve upon a product, process or technology. This is primarily due to NADRA’s mission to be a “learning organization driven by the customer’s needs”- whether the customer is a citizen of Pakistan or a high paying commercial client.

INDIVIDUALISM VERSUS COLLECTIVISM

Individualism is contrasted with collectivism and refers to the extent to which people are expected to stand up for themselves, or alternatively act predominantly as a member of the group or organization. Prevalence of a dominant cultural element cannot be pinpointed because the success of the organization has been because of the collective efforts of the entire team. Collectivism is the norm yet individuals are encouraged to be innovative, creative and forthcoming. Individuals contributing to the growth and development of the organization and enhancement of its image are rewarded heavily.

SHORT TERM VERSUS LONG TERM ORIENTATION

Once the strategic plans of the organization were being developed, all directorates were encouraged to create their own vision and mission statements. There were a lot of interesting statements but one of the most fascinating one was “Removing corruption from the society”. This statement appeared strange coming from an IT company making ID cards. The team was asked to elaborate. The reply was simple and wholesome and it was “removing corruption from the society by documenting everything and providing ID to everything and everyone. This shows the orientation of the organization. The mission statement includes the final statement as to provide and facilitate in good governance. The organization has a long term orientation which is also visible in its strategic plan looking at long term. Short term solutions are also not uncommon in NADRA projects plans are developed at short notices firefighting is mostly visible in the day to day activities and plans undergo sudden changes.

CONCLUSION

As defined by Geert Hofstede as the "software of the mind or mental programming," Culture is a critical variable that guides people’s actions and reactions. It is not rare for sub-cultures to exist within cultures in large organizations, however, what is truly unique, is for two opposing cultures to exist and flourish simultaneously without creating imbalance or disharmony.



NADRA’s uniqueness lies in its ability to balance an Autocratic and Democratic culture simultaneously. For some departments, power distances are high, risk taking is lower as compared to others and collectivism prevails. For others, participative styles of management are practiced, flatter organizations are preferred and lower power distances are experienced. However, what is common amongst all is the degree of risk taking, the important and dependence on control systems and the large scale, unanimous acceptance to change.

SUCCESS FACTORS

• Strong Leadership. High involvement of chairman. Participative style of management. The leader has a transformational style which has resulted in the transformation of the organization from a public sector redundant organization to a dynamic, creative and vibrant organization which is self sustaining.

• In-house Capability Development. A strong culture of developing in=house capabilities is also a success factor. The entire workforce of NADRA is technically developed into one of the best in the country and whatever projects or products are being delivered are purely indigenous.

• Control systems are very tight and help in bringing visibility and transparency into processes and procedures.

• Power Distance is high in areas where management is motivated by privileges and power symbols. Lower power distances are observed in IT departments. Management by the military men and the military style of working coupled with the brilliance of techies is also a success factor.

• Entrepreneurial spirit prevails in departments with technical and management professionals and a more commercial perspective of business. Risk taking is another success factor

• Open communication channels with techies, top down communication with the rest.

• Innovation. The organization in its pursuit to become a learning organization encourages and thrives on innovation. As stated earlier taking calculated risks has been the norm, innovative products have been introduced and successfully launched.

Annex-A

The following table outlines the number of professional resources employed by NADRA today:

S # Qualification Strength

1 PhD 1

2 Engineers (MS.c/B.E/BS-SW Engineer) 65

3 CA 3

4 ACMA/ACCA 26

5 MBA/MPA 295

6 MCS/MS-IT/MSc-CS 310

7 BCS/BIT 222

8 LL.B 15

9 Masters 596



10 Graduates 2535

11 Intermediate 2096

12 Matric 3078

13 Part Professional Qualifications 21

Gender Analysis

Sr. # Directorate Officers Non-Officers Total

Male Female Mal

e Female Male Female Bot

h

1 Project 79 7 283 37 362 44 406

2 Chairman Sect 16 0 131 0 147 0 147

3 CNIC Card Production 8 1 101 14 109 15 124

4 DWH 16 0 27 5 43 5 48

5 Finance & Accounts 56 0 60 2 116 2 118

6 Logistics 77 9 939 18 1003 27 103

0

7 Networking 50 1 43 3 93 4 97

8 Nicop/Poc 13 0 152 52 165 52 217

9 Operations 44 2 556 91 600 93 693

10 PSD 22 1 112 3 134 4 138

11 Registration 129 0 2630 39 275

9 39 2798

12 SRC 750 26 4167 627 491

7 653 5570

13 Procurement 17 0 37 0 54 0 54

14 T&D 43 3 10 1 53 4 57

TOTAL 1307 50 924

8 892 10555 942 114

97

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