FOR Transcom Worldwide CEO (Global English Region) Mark Lyndsell, transformation is more than just a byword. It is a personal mantra of sorts that he breathes and preaches.
The chief executive believes transformation, including allied concepts evolution and innovation, have far-reaching effects and transcend the leadership that instituted them.
Lyndsell knows all too well the terms and technologies that drive the tangible factors involved: automation, artificial intelligence and robotic processes, which are quite common across various industries. He believes, however, that the human element will ultimately drive the difference for businesses and organizations.
“We have invested quite heavily in recruiting product managers, specialists and leaders in all those key fields of operations in the Philippines,” Lyndsell told the BusinessMirror in a recent interview held in their avant-garde office in Mandaluyong City.
Case in point: Its Philippine arm has invested heavily in digital-recruitment initiatives—an endeavor that has earned commendations from other Transcom offices for its quick manpower processing. Getting an applicant on-board has been greatly streamlined, as it now only takes six to seven minutes—not hours.
“Of course, there is still a lot of paperwork required in the hiring process in the Philippines,” he quipped, citing government requirements and others that go along in the process.
Lyndsell has also directed to implement conducting interviews through the Web to save time for both the company and the interviewee.
He also revealed the local office is harnessing the power of social media more than ever to develop a stronger affinity with millennials, as well as members of Generations Y and Z: “We need to reach out to them in a similar way they communicate. We are trying to be more progressive, and hopefully attract quality candidates in the process.”
Inclusivity, diversity
THE global executive is also spearheading cultural transformation to promote inclusivity and diversity. For one, it has recently forged a partnership with advocacy group Red Whistle for free and voluntary human immunodeficiency virus testing for Transcom staff members.
“That’s one of the things I am quite proud of this organization: That we have indeed stepped up in more ways than one. We’re quite vocal [with regard to those issues,] even though it might be a bit controversial in a conservative country like the Philippines,” the CEO explained.
Beyond that, Transcom is also advocating the promotion of mental-health awareness in the Philippines, which Lyndsell observed was not much of a big issue 10 years ago.
The business-process outsourcing (BPO) executive takes pride that the enterprise was one of the first in the country to provide mental-health support through their health maintenance organization partner.
Right now, he sees that things have changed differently, as the youth of today are more open to tackle controversial matters, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (or LGBT) rights and mental health.
In their journey toward transformation, Lyndsell acknowledged that it would not always be smooth sailing as tough choices also had to be dealt with. (In the course of such, the company had to sever ties with some members of its work force who were “differently aligned” to the “new organization” and in their new way of working.)
From a leadership standpoint, Lyndsell said it was important to retain some of the homegrown talent and blend them with some new folks with different experiences from the outside. For him, it’s important that Transcom gets the right mix and balance of foreigners and Filipinos, both in terms of cultural blend and gender diversity.
“We are a Swedish company, and Swedes are known for their inclusivity, tolerance and openness. In many ways, we align ourselves to these values. Of course we won’t instantly get it right, but this is something that I’m really focused on,” he elaborated.
Expat executive
PERHAPS the laser-like focus was ingrained in Lyndsell early on in life, when he first joined the British military in his teens.
He first came to the Philippines in 2009 with “just two suitcases, and a local working package,” sans the proverbial “expat bubble” that other foreigners are privileged to enjoy when they work here.
That same year, he personally witnessed the resilience of Filipino BPO workers who suffered the wrath of Typhoon Ondoy as they waded through chest-deep waters of C-5 Road just to get themselves to report for work.
“I was like, ‘Oh, my God…. This is a kind of commitment I’ve never known….’ It was then that I realized I have a completely different level of responsibility and [a heightened sense of duty to] care.”
Just as deep as those floodwaters were went the intensity of his emotional investment to the people under his headship in the country. “I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.”
In terms of leadership, Lyndsell pointed out the company’s focus on the welfare of its people. This means providing its personnel the amenities that add value to their everyday lives, including in-house facilities, such as gyms, cafés, child-care facilities, and even in-house pharmacies.
Outside the Philippines, where he currently leads about 11,500 people, Lyndsell also directs a staff of more than 2,000 in North America and in his native United Kingdom.
Flat organization
A LARGE global organization that it is, Transcom has, in the last two years, done away with several layers of its corporate hierarchy that ultimately resulted in a flatter organization.
Currently, the company’s senior leaders undergo some sort of emotional-quotient and intellectual-quotient assessments geared toward helping the company develop a set of common values and cultural traits specifically built around transparency and authenticity.
“The assessments are also meant to help us have the right fit and the right behaviors, and ensure that we have a stronger mix of leaders that can deal with very complex and stressful work situations and environment,” the global CEO revealed.
Although Transcom’s transformation involves growing organically, Lyndsell said the company is also very much keen on tactical acquisitions. He spoke highly of a recent take over of a Davao-based firm, Awesome OS, whose founders were all from California and boasts of a small satellite office in the aforementioned state.
The strategic move effectively augmented Transcom’s manpower complement with 2,000 team members to further its business.
Proof of the strength of its core, the parent company itself has just acquired three new businesses in Germany in the last few months.
Human factor
THE longtime expat-executive intimated that the success of Transcom should be credited to the men and women who have worked hard to make it one of the top BPOs in the country.
Despite its successes and accolades, he prefers to stay in the background, while constantly working on improving himself and along with that, the company as well.
Based on company indicators, Lyndsell described Transcom as in a far better shape that it was about two years ago. “Our attrition rate is now at a record low. I think, quite honestly, people vote with their feet in a very competitive environment in the Philippines.”
Despite all these feathers in his cap, the Transcom executive prefers to be working behind the scenes, reflecting his success onto the organization he spearheads.
“My desire is that it will be known for the people within it, and not the leader. I’d rather be in the background and allow my team to be in the limelight.”
Looking ahead, Lyndsell declared: “We’re expanding our capabilities and competencies in multifaceted means. In many ways, we are now looking at a different Transcom that I joined 10 years ago.”
Speaking of change, the British BPO exec borrowed a quote from former Prime Minister Winston Churchill that serves as a motivation of sorts: “If you don’t take change by the hand, it will take you by the throat… Something said more than 70 years ago, and it still makes sense today.”
Some corporate philosophy was served toward the end of the interview. “I think that anybody who thinks that they can live on the past’s success is fooling himself. With the shift in technology, customer expectations, as well as employee expectations, [one has] to be constantly changing to be better—on a personal level, and on a wider business perspective. It is something that I’ve been focused on and constantly driving over the past years.”
Image credits: Jimbo Albano