Conventionally Unconventional
It has always been much more than the unique organizational culture that has set MAS Holdings apart; it has been the company’s almost adamant rule of thumb to step away from the accepted norms. A passionate resolve to be different won the company global accolades and recognition throughout their 25 years of operation.
The heart of the HR Strategy
From the inception, the organization differed from a traditional apparel manufacturing company, with superior work conditions, standards and relationship between the management and the employee. This evolved with the growth of the company to a participative management style that was based on mutual respect and a sense of belonging, which is strengthened by the company investment in the community and employee upliftment.
In 2005 MAS was the first Asian apparel manufacturer to introduce lean manufacturing principles. MAS’ culture of belonging provided fertile soil for the MAS Operating System (MOS) to take root and flourish. MOS provided a structured framework and a set of tools for MAS to leverage the high employee engagement towards organizational development, innovation and improved effectiveness.
The HR framework that evolved within the company is merely an expression of the values and processes that drive the organizational thinking. It is based on principles of mutual respect and recognition that all must contribute to drive the organization forward, and an unwritten understanding that the company will look after its employees routinely, and in times of need.
Challenged to experiment, challenged to discover
Introducing an unconventional product choice of lingerie to the region, MAS Holdings grew from a single factory in 1986 to one of Asia’s largest apparel manufacturers and the region’s fastest growing producer of performance- wear, solely due to a perfect blend of daring and visionary thinking. While the visionary thinking comes from the company’s senior management, the daring is found in abundance in the exceptional talent that MAS attracts. Not only is the company established as the preferred supplier of some of the world’s foremost fashion brands, but is also the sought after employer by the best talent in the country.
The bottom-line here is that MAS is a place where opportunities are created. In a saturated global apparel industry, where organizations need key differentiators to stay ahead of the competition, MAS Holdings has strictly adhered to their golden rule; to create opportunities for their associates, to expand their horizons and to stretch their accepted potential. It is a culture that promotes adventure and experimentation, it is a culture that promotes ‘ new thinking’ amongst all employees. Where most corporates set goals for their associates, MAS sets challenges, be it winning business, building communities or excelling at sport - from recreational to elite.
Employees are urged to do more, to become more.
The magnitude of these challenges aims to bring individuals together, to draw out their innate talents. Victories are celebrated and losses are shared, amongst teams, not individuals. At MAS, it is a 55,000 strong global workforce aligned to the same goals, the same aspiration for success. This culture at MAS also nurtures a highly competitive nature and unrestrained drive for achievement, grooming individuals to stay ahead of their game. Sport as a key part of corporate culture plays a large role in creating this environment. The resilient competitive instinct, triggered by an intolerable yearning to break away from conventional practices, is honed.
The company’s actions and practices when it comes to its own employees have always complemented a perfect balance between their professional and personal lives. While each associate is responsible for the decisions they make regarding their team’s performance and success, the ability to make those decisions also offers them a foundation of authority and empowerment. This shift of power to grassroots is what enables MAS to tap into a stream of creative talent that is hindered in most organizations.
Inherent in the operational profile are initiatives that empower and enable; promoting knowledge and skill development, bringing paradigm shifts in mind- sets where the individual and team takes pride in the role they perform for the success of the organization. The manufacturing floor is an organized structure of self- managed teams, where each team member has a significant say in the production output, and have been given the authority to correct any quality or technical glitch within the sewing process. More importantly, the company has ensured that each team- member is multi- skilled, enabling all associates to qualify themselves further and progress steadily in their careers. They are skilled and transformed, while their self-esteem and selfrespect is increased.
Sports is also widely advocated across the organization; MAS presently employs some of the best sporting talent in the country, amongst them Olympians, National cricketers, boxers, rugby players and fencers, along with athletes of more than 25 sporting disciplines. The company brings in rural talent, and nurtures young men and women into champions that the world reckons with. MAS’ contribution to developing talent extends to the community as well.
MAS also invests heavily in management development programmes that hone leadership, strategy, and sustainability imparted by globally acclaimed practitioners and teachers, while senior teams and achievers undergo development at Ivy League schools. The company encourages diversity of experience to broaden their perspectives. Leading a globally competitive company requires management that is entrepreneurial in style, highly skilled and adaptable to changing business conditions and industry perceptions.
Built to Change
The progression of MAS as an organization lies heavily on each individual’s ability to adapt, be it senior management or team member. It depends on the company’s dynamism; adapting, transforming and executing faster than its competition. Dynamism has always been instinct driven, and its key determinant is innovation. This is why during the past 5 years, MAS Holdings has invested in research & innovation, offering their customers inspirational designs, innovative products and technologies.
Experts of each area of the business were gathered into MAS’ very own centralized Research & Development Unit, to cater to the creative and innovative needs of the entire group. Instead of carrying the title of manufacturer, MAS became the partner of choice of billion-dollar conglomerates and international brands.
As the company promoted more entrepreneurial thinking amongst its employees, opportunities where the company could make a difference in technology, product and process were clearly identified. A visit by the Chairman himself to the Toyota facility in Japan saw the company launching its own version of Lean Manufacturing amongst its employees, increasing their speed of response, allowing MAS to see a steady growth during and post-reces- sion. The company was clearly shifting from manufacturing to research and innovation, and was willing to invest not only in the latest technologies, but also the right talent by working closely with other research institutions and universities, to complement this transition.
From a foundation of lean manufacturing, MAS is transforming into a lean enterprise. A more operationally empowered workforce and grass-root innovation is now the norm. The environment within the company steadily shifted to one where innovation takes center stage. The next step, naturally, was to nurture an innovation centric eco-system. The importance of creating an ‘ innovation eco- system’ to encourage and attract creative talent was understood by the senior management and 2012 is dedicated as the year of Innovation at MAS Holdings.
In such an environment, employees are constantly motivated and encouraged to see things differently, to voice their opinions. A place in which continuous improvement and learning is inherent in the very fabric of its being. This form of empowerment has been an important factor in the success MAS has to this day as a stimulating work place.
MAS Holdings strongly believes in value creation through people; and that investment in innovation and talent better positions them in a challenging market. This is what will move the organization forward; its ability to adapt and create, its leadership’s capacity to drive, and the team’s mindset to always stay on top of the game, proving that they are better than the competition, that they have the winning combination, and the will to overcome any challenge.