In my long years’ in the business of consulting, grooming and training, coaching and preparing both the young and old for better outing in entrepreneurship and business, I have read quality books and worked with reputed consultants, in view of which I have acquired breakthrough experiences that are beneficial for growth and development of the private sector business operators in Nigeria. This sector is presently dominated by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and has huge capacity for wealth generation and job creation, but occupied and run mostly at the informal level by those lacking in orientation and awareness about economy, and are low in planning and organizing.
Aware that the informal sector can contribute significantly towards
poverty reduction, employment generation and fight against insecurity in
Nigeria, and knowing fundamentally that among the major challenges faced by the
informal sector in Nigeria is what business development experts classify as symptoms;
but allowed to accumulate, feed, grow and blossom without control, I have sensed
the need for me to start offering the antidotes required in addressing some of
the identified challenges, particularly those ones associated with poor orientation,
awareness and low capacity of most of the
personnel in the informal sector, hence the focus on planning and organizing in
this piece.
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Planning in the context of this piece refers to the processes of identifying and setting up modalities, and putting in place step-by-step approaches necessary in carrying out designated assignments, be they descriptive, demonstrative or a combination of both; while organizing refers to the processes of ensuring effective deployment/coordination of human and materials to attain predetermined goals.
The reader: informal sector businessman/woman, entrepreneur, MSME operator, and the ordinary person reading this piece, is here reminded that planning and organizing must be genuinely centered on providing the enabling environment for people of diverse background, need, skills and experience (employers, employees, customers and clients) to assemble conveniently, continually and to operate in a harmonious, supportive and secure environment and manner, as well as transact freely based on their separate mandates and enabled to deliver on their tasks economically, and effectively as a problem-solving team.
As a team they are comprised of those committed to resolving the challenges of transforming raw materials into finished goods and providing the associated services necessary to satisfy those in need of the product and those willing and genuinely providing other forms of services necessary to helping man conquer the earth and bring it under his control. I wish to underscore the fact that without a symbiotic relationship existing among and between the internal parties (employers and employees) and the external parties (customers, clients and governments) planning and organizing become a mere oxymoron, a fluke. If fairness, in terms of benefit-sharing is lacking, the two concepts of planning and organizing have not achieved their object, simply put are absent. I recognize equity or a balanced benefit-distribution-system. Equitable share of the returns on investment (ROI), profits, interests and commission as advanced in this piece entails sharing among the internal and external parties. This system envisages the following:
Satisfying the external parties of a business:
- Production of the right quality and quantity of goods/services at the right cost
- Availability and affordability of the goods/services produced (Reasonable pricing)
- Effective and efficient delivery of the products/services to the market,
- Fair share or contribution to the government (tax)
- Efficient waste disposal system
- Care for the community (social responsibility)
Satisfying the internal parties of a business:
In addition to the above is the need for the system to also recognize that a reasonable share of the bargain must accrue to the internal parties:
- To the Employee – fair salary.
- To the Employer: increased income, business continuity and remaining in business, etc
The foregoing must be done without frustrating the business by constantly meeting the need of not just producing but turning out improved quality and increased quantity in a sustainable manner.
Let me also note succinctly here that planning and organizing, seek to bring not only in an accessible manner but also implementable format what was generally agreed, and in view of this bring into account theoretical ideas as practical problem-solving and value creation instruments, not orthodoxy (conventions) which people without thinking conform to or obey. They are useful for data gathering, analysis and agenda setting, and very vital for changing the status of the informal sector operators by migrating them from enterprising people to entrepreneurs. Similarly, the knowledge and skills of projection and forecasting, business planning and visibility studies, budget and budgeting and financial literacy and loan administration which planning and organizing efforts bring to bear on the business are major drivers of success. They aid income generation and wealth creation capacity of the operators considered vital for business growth and sustainable development.
In particular, planning helps to create and establish a clear and functional framework or blueprint about: What? When? Where? Who? Which and How? It is useful in addressing issues of: What things are to be done, when to start, where the task will be carried out, Who should monitor and Who is to be monitored and What to monitor, Which operations are to be evaluated, When and How? Who and When will the growth and development efforts be analyzed? Similarly, organizing is helpful in ensuring that things work harmoniously, effectively and efficiently towards attainment of set goals.
BOOM SHOT: For Growth and Sustainable Development (FG&SD)
Nnabugwu Chizoba
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