Human resources is often considered to be the people who look after documents, holidays and benefits. But human resources is more than that, especially for DTGO.
At DTGO, human resources follows the concept of “Do Good, Do Great, Do It with Happiness”. Here’s how Ms. Kannikar Sethi, Executive Vice President, explains the group’s culture, which recently won the HR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2022 (Thailand Edition) award from HR Asia magazine.
HOW DOES DTGO DEVELOP ITS PEOPLE UNDER THE CONCEPT OF “DO GOOD, DO GREAT, DO IT WITH HAPPINESS”?
At DTGO, human resource management is called “Corporate Culture Development”. We believe that culture is the key to developing human potential. Building a corporate culture is therefore our main task. We don’t have employees but “organisation members” because membership means participation in a society with duties and roles.
This is about “People Branding” or creating a society of smart and good-hearted people according to DTGO’s “Core Values”. We look to develop talented and ethical people who enjoy giving. Before our members can apply our core values in the world, they must have coherent principles and values to succeed.
Our organisation’s name reflects its values in four letters: D, T, G, O.
“D” is for “Dynamic”, which means to honour your words and your time. Keeping your word is to honour yourself and others so that you receive trust and support in everything you do. Our time in life is precious and limited. Once it’s gone, we cannot regain even a second. We must throw ourselves into what we aim to do. If we follow both principles, we’ll be dynamic and successful. “T” is for “Teamwork”. We must work as a team, always ready to help one another, respectful of others and grateful for their differences, which lets everyone reach their potential to bring success to the team. “G” is for “Goodwill”, which involves “Good thoughts, good words, good deeds”, the basis of humanity in every society. “O” is for “Open-Minded”, to listen and think positively. Open-mindedness and positive thinking are the key to happiness. Generosity helps us listen carefully and opens a boundless sea of knowledge.
Apart from the “Core Values” that help enhance our corporate culture, we have 21 “Good People” life principles and the 14 precepts of our “Moral Code”, which guide our members in how to think, speak and treat each other, aiming to create a community full of love and unity to benefit people at large.
In the part of “Do Great”, we support limitless learning for our members, under a “University Model” for them to select and manage their personalised training. We have career choices for members to choose a path aligned with their interests and abilities. They can plan their roadmap through an “Individual Development Plan”, setting challenges and constantly creating diverse career opportunities.
Finally, we believe everyone performs well when they are happy. We take care of our members in all aspects, including their physical, emotional, economic and social well-being. An appropriate workplace helps ensure good quality of life and happiness, leaving members free from stress and ready to work and live a meaningful life each day.
DTGO doesn’t prioritise profit. We create a culture where members think of contributing to society first. Under the philosophy of Senior Chairman Dhanin Chearavanont: “All our undertakings, to which we devote our intellect, our strength and our time, must benefit the people at large, the society we live in, our organisation and all other stakeholders.”
WHICH KEY FACTOR LED DTGO TO BECOME ONE OF THE BEST ORGANISATIONS TO WORK FOR IN ASIA?
The HR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2022 (Thailand Edition) award from HR Asia magazine comes from building the strong corporate culture I’ve described.
DTGO has a “Mother Tree” concept. We see DTGO as a forest. Big trees pass on nutrients, information and alerts to other plants to keep the forest in balance.
DTGO’s organigram therefore has top management at its base, not its top. They are like the roots that help their subordinates – the trunk, leaves and branches – to grow and bear fruit. What matters most is nurturing leaders with a giving mindset who can inspire subordinates to grow happily, bloom and bear fruit, creating a strong ecosystem. We believe in roles rather than positions, so we use forest roles. The Chairman, for example, is Taproot Captain and the CEO is Root Captain, moving along the tree to the tips of the leaves. Our understanding of our roles lets us work across functional lines to be flexible, not sticking to the original format.
HOW DID DTGO DEVELOP INTO A LEARNING ORGANISATION?
We believe that everyone who joins us is talented. But we want to help people gain new skills. We have a wide variety of businesses, not just real estate but also finance, investment, entertainment. Everyone who works with us, regardless of their expertise, will eventually gain new skills.
For our people to learn new skills we also need a learning strategy that meets different needs and levels of expertise. We have compulsory courses for core values. Other skills are in the “Individual Development Plan”, which always assesses core competencies. We also encourage members to study outside the organisation.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN DTGO’S ‘WORK ANYWHERE’ POLICY, PREDATING COVID?
In a few months it’ll be 2023. We’re going through a pandemic that has changed the whole world of work. People are now used to working together without having to sit in the same place.
But this is not unusual for us. The company’s “Work Anywhere” policy was piloted before the COVID-19 pandemic because we understand the world must change. The new generation has different needs from the old generation. We looked into it and found there was no need to come and sit and work at the office for effective working.
With our mission to be a global organisation, flexible remote working lets us work across the world with foreign partners. This policy is therefore a key element to achieve that goal.
Next year, DTGO will focus even more on diversity and inclusion. This is another challenge in the world of work as everything changes fast. The group now has many generations as well as members working in branches around the world.
It is crucial to create an organisational culture that values diversity and participation. The ultimate answer is giving everyone equal opportunities, regardless of age or gender, under the vision of an organisation that nurtures everyone’s happiness, goodness and talent.
