“Could I please have access to your strategic documents, your vision and goals that you are working according to now and in the next few years?” – I asked the technical director this question the other day. He looked at me, smiled and said: “we don’t have any, we sit down and have tea”.
From working with big companies and organizations in Norway, we are so used to having visions, goals, strategies for the next year, for the next five years etc. “Everything you need to know about the company” is written down and serves as guidelines for what you are supposed to focus on and how to move forward with your work. I found my self asking: “but how do you know what to do then?”. The director's answer was “we just know”.
This gives me, a newcomer in the company and in the country, some challenges in doing my research and trying to understand how this company works and where we want to be in the future. Since I am working with their identity and branding these questions are crucial for me to be able to do a good job.
So, what to do then? Well, I have to look a bit beyond the traditional way of doing research (reading lots of documents), and just make sure I am there when they have their tea. In other words I need to spend time with the people here, observe, talk, ask questions and drink tea!
Being flexible and take advantage of opportunities
“Having tea instead of written formal strategic documents makes us flexible and able to turn around and take the advantage of opportunities that comes”, said the Technical Director. This is true. Looking historically at Reco's business and product development through my “strategic eyes”, it might seem a bit random. But, I am sure every step and turn they have made had a good reason, it was an opportunity that came by and they took it. I just have to find out how and why.
The latest example of Reco taking new opportunities, is their development and production of “Ready to use Therapeutic Food” – RUTAFA. This was a project done together with USAID and NuLife. RUTAFA is made specifically for severely malnourished people, most of them living with HIV/AIDS. There is a big need for this kind of treatment and food supplements in Uganda.
“Having tea instead of written formal strategic documents makes us flexible and able to turn around and take the advantage of opportunities that comes”, said the Technical Director. This is true. Looking historically at Reco's business and product development through my “strategic eyes”, it might seem a bit random. But, I am sure every step and turn they have made had a good reason, it was an opportunity that came by and they took it. I just have to find out how and why.
The latest example of Reco taking new opportunities, is their development and production of “Ready to use Therapeutic Food” – RUTAFA. This was a project done together with USAID and NuLife. RUTAFA is made specifically for severely malnourished people, most of them living with HIV/AIDS. There is a big need for this kind of treatment and food supplements in Uganda.
Since suitable raw materials like peanuts, milk, sugar and vegetable oil are widely available in Uganda, why should these kind of products be imported and not produced locally? Well, Reco asked themselves this question, and they did something about it. The RUTAFA has been a very successful project and the products are now being used by Unicef and World Food Programme.
- I feel proud working with a flexible company that sits down and has tea!
More info on the RUTAFA project:
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