Success from Solidarity and Creativity

A company has a lot of problems but always keeps a very high growth rate. It is possibly a story of luck if the thing happens in one year but it is not easy to explain a story of 20-year success. On the occasion of 20^th birthday of the Corporation for Financing and Promoting Technology (FPT), the ViB Forum had a talk with Mr Hoang Minh Chau, Vice Chairman of FPT, to learn more about this successful story.

 

If FPT develops faster than other companies, it is because FPT people (FPTers) work more. If you have any doubts, you can visit FPT after the working and you will see that FPTers are still working. Not only on weekdays, they also work on weekends.

 

I think they have the common reason. If their incomes are the same whether they work or play, they will surely play. The employees only devote to work if their leaders know and assess their capacity correctly. Before 2000, the salary and bonus at FPT were considered averagely good and working spirits of employees are also were quite good. At the end of that year, FPT decided to pay salary by revenues earned. The sales then surged. This result shocked Mr. Truong Gia Binh, General Director of FPT, because he still believed that FPTers, with FPT spirit, had worked with more than 100 per cent of their capacity. It turned out that the thing was different. Economic driver had undeniable strength. This discovery was vital for the growth of FPT. Immediately after that, FPT issued new policies under which incomes of employees depend on their skills, capacities, efforts and results at work. With the same qualification and seniority, two employees now still have two very different incomes. In my opinion, this was the most important milestone as it sent FPT to a new era of fast growth and expansion. Thus, the size of FPT in 2008 was more than 10 times bigger than in 2001.

 

I remembered that, in 1998, our rival asked me: “Why do FPT people play with each other for so long?” We were very proud when our rival knew that. At FPT, “teamwork spirit” is one of the most important core values. The strength of a collective is the solidarity. A disunited collective is unable to form a powerful entity. This is why a million Manchu people could dominate hundreds of millions of Han people. In our generations, we never forget the image Uncle Ho conduct the singing of “Solidarity” song. Before he went, he repeated in his will that “solidarity should be kept as the pupils of the eyes.” FPT can overcome all difficulties if we have solidarity.

Yes, of course. In the past, FPT had many unsuccessful projects. Pilots and failures are normal in doing business. Over-prudence will lead to loss of opportunities. When a company spends time to look forth and look back the pros and cons of a project to ensure the success, FPT has already carried out 10 projects. Maybe we have three unsuccessful projects and have seven successful ones. This also encourages the creativity in the company.

 

“For e-citizen.” This strategy is based on the belief that internet has and will make changes to the world and this is the opportunity for Vietnam on the road to integrate into the world. Essential needs of the human beings may not change but the methods to satisfy the needs are increasingly changed to adopt the expansion of the internet. Electronic services will be important means to help organisations to operate and compete more effectively as well as bring comfort and convenience to people’s lives. These organisations and individuals are called e-citizens by FPT. Customers can use mobile phones, personal digital assistance devices (DPA), Ipod, ADSL, WiFi and WiMax anywhere anytime. And, the strategy of FPT is to create a value-added system to satisfy their needs to the maximum.