Organizational Sustainability Through Building Brands

Superior University recently held a seminar on “Organizational Sustainability Through Building Brands”. The talk centered on the preparedness of Pakistani companies in the face of global competition.  The questions about our local organizations were thought provoking because even though we see a surge of local brands in Pakistan, we often do not know what is really happening behind the scenes. It is mostly through word-of-mouth or sometimes the Pakistani media, that one gets to hear things which are not very flattering or encouraging about the state of our organizations.

Recently a newspaper published an article about the disorganization of our fashion designers at a very famous fashion event in Paris. Most of the fashion designers when quizzed about their lack of professionalism defended their behavior by blaming the other party. Some of the panelists gave the example of our fashion industry as a strong brand for Pakistan. I disagree. If we don’t have our inner workings right and defend our bad practices, we will have difficulty in maintaining our international presence. It is time we look at ourselves from the eyes of the people who interact with us.

The brands in the educational system are in business because of high fees and a monopoly. If you talk about the quality of education they deliver, you are left wanting. Parents are dissatisfied with the lack of homework, creativity in the kids and the attitude of teachers. If a new brand enters the market promising better quality with lower fees, these schools will get a run for their money. What unique selling proposition do they actually have? Does only the architecture differentiate them or is there quality in everything they do?

One can examine many other brands in Pakistan as critically and reach the same conclusion that improvement is needed on many fronts. Organizational sustainability will come only through imbibing a philosophy that centers around the consumer. All the stakeholders of an organization, including employees, must feel a powerful connection and loyalty to the brand and own it. The whole objective of sustainability in the future is to keep the stakeholders happy by delivering goods above expectations and creating  a level of excitement that sustains the brand through good and bad times.

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