28GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT PROFILEConnecting people tofacilitate collaborationA silo mentality is one of the biggest destroyers of corporate value.Altron’s young leaders have decided to play a different game.The Altron YPC aims to:Identify, promote <strong>and</strong> protect the future leaders of AltronBe a platform for leadership development <strong>and</strong> personalgrowth opportunitiesFacilitate a leadership development strategywith measurable ROIWorking together is not anew concept, but the AltronYoung Presidents Club(YPC) is making collaborationits own, says Altron YPC exco member,Arno Geldenhuys. “Our goal is to helpbuild a unified Altron group through theinteraction <strong>and</strong> input of talented youngleaders from across the group.”The curse of silosTurf battles happen everywhere – inhospitals, government departments,
GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT PROFILE 29None of us are as smart as all of usJapanese proverbassociations, schools <strong>and</strong> private industry.Silos can be created around an individual,a group, a division, a function, oreven a product line. Wherever it’s found,silo mentality becomes synonymous withpower struggles, lack of cooperation <strong>and</strong>loss of productivity. And always, the clientis the ultimate loser.Silos cause teams to disintegrate intoa collection of isolated camps, with littleincentive to collaborate, share informationor join forces to pursue criticaloutcomes. Local leaders focus on servingtheir individual agendas - often at theexpense of the goals of the greater group.The resulting internal battles over authority,finances <strong>and</strong> resources destroyproductivity, <strong>and</strong> jeopardise the achievementof corporate objectives. Talented(<strong>and</strong> frustrated) employees walk out thedoor – or worse yet, stay <strong>and</strong> simplystop caring.Not on our watchArno says the Altron YPC membersasked themselves how they couldcontribute to tear down silos, reduceconflicts, promote innovation <strong>and</strong>increase collaboration. “We realised thatthe Club gives us a unique opportunityto make a difference. Through the AltronYPC we can connect the businesses werepresent <strong>and</strong> use our young leadersto change our group culture to one ofcollaboration. At the Altron YPC weconnect people to facilitate collaboration.When these talented young leaders cometogether they bring different perspectives<strong>and</strong> expertise from their differentbackgrounds <strong>and</strong> industries. The AltronYPC provides these bright minds with aplatform to network <strong>and</strong> learn.”Why collaborateThe benefits of collaboration are numerous.It accelerates the rate of innovationin organisations, leads to higherproductivity <strong>and</strong> better use of resources,<strong>and</strong> it leads to employees who are moreengaged <strong>and</strong> effective.Collaboration seldom requiresinventions. It is often just a matterof combining <strong>and</strong> recombiningcapabilities across disciplines,organisations <strong>and</strong> sectors. Innovationis triggered when the “right” peoplemeet at the right time <strong>and</strong> discover thateach has information needed by theother. A crosspollination of ideas canlead to creative breakthroughs.Collaborative relationships thrive inan environment of personal trust. Wellplacedtrust grows out of experience <strong>and</strong>interaction over time. But it is also builtby getting to know people as individuals.The Altron YPC encourages collaborationthrough formal <strong>and</strong> informal networks.Formal networks such as groups,forums, workshops <strong>and</strong> training acceleratethe flow of knowledge <strong>and</strong> information.Informal networks on the otherh<strong>and</strong> build personal relationships <strong>and</strong>trust. The Altron YPC builds informalnetworks through events, social media<strong>and</strong> networking.View the Altron YPC collaborationvideo at bit.ly/ODJGSh.A br<strong>and</strong> new lookThe Altron YPC executive committee decided at its strategicplanning session earlier this year that the time had come to relaunchthe Club. “We realised that we needed a fresh approachto create broad spectrum awareness of the Club’s objectives <strong>and</strong>its value proposition,” says Wayne Munilall, Altron YPC chairman.Believing that a new Club has to look like a new Club, thecommittee initiated the process to create a new br<strong>and</strong> for theAltron YPC. The first step was to find a new look.The new br<strong>and</strong>ing was officially launched at theAltron Awards on 18 July, in conjunction with a revitalisedmembership drive.“We are excited about our new br<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> believe itrepresents the fresh, dynamic <strong>and</strong> professional nature ofthe Club,” concludes Wayne.
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