I got to thinking recently about the high level of waste that’s prevalent in our region and pondered for a while on what the outcome would be if more careful management of our resources, leading to a decrease in wastage was pursued.
The rush of questions that came to mind were quite thought-provoking. In actual fact, I saw a number of huge opportunities.
What if we could identify and clear the waste out of our processes?
What if we could reduce the wastage of time consumed in production and the provision of services?
What if financial resources used for operating cost could be redirected for development on account of waste reductions and higher levels of efficiency?
What if we better understood the value of our resources and respectfully managed them to get optimum results?
We are obligated as a region to question ourselves on the extent to which we accept mediocrity as normal. Importantly as well we must ask ourselves to what extent we have become so acquainted with our pearls that we have lost sight of their value. That this impeded vision of value and tolerance of waste, has so quietly crept into and embed itself in our way of life, is quite interesting.
I truly wonder what the region would be positioned to accomplish in terms of savings, reduce borrowings and opportunities for development if every household, business and the governments of the day engaged in intentional, aggressive efforts to reduce and eliminate waste and better manage our resources. Seriously, I truly wonder.
Jerry DaC Blenman, Executive Director of the Caribbean Center for Organizational Excellence, is an experienced financial and business management analyst.