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Pakistanrailways 110826172758klllml Phpapp02
Pakistanrailways 110826172758klllml Phpapp02
TABLE OF CONTENTS S. # 1.
1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4
Topics Executive Summary Pakistan Railways the life line of the country
History At Present Organizational Structure Human Resource
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2.
2.1 2.2 2.3
3.
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4
4.
4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4
5.
5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5
Action Planning
Structural Design Downsizing Reengineering Alliance Intervention Network Intervention
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6.
Conclusion Bibliography
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Pakistan Railways (PR) is the state owned railway company of Pakistan. It is a large organization under the administration of Ministry of Railways. Pakistan Railways provides an important mode of transportation in the farthest corners of the country and brings them closer for business, sightseeing, pilgrimage and education. He current Chairman is Raja Shahid Hussain. Over the past many years, Pakistan Railways has been facing problems and is now on the verge of bankruptcy. With budget deficit of billions, eroding market share and corruption scandals, the future of Pakistan Railways once the life line of the country is grim. At the time of independence, both India and Pakistan, inherited the Railway Network laid down by British. While Indian Railways has emerged as a highly profitable organization, Pakistan Railways is struggling to keep itself running. This report summarizes how organization development can help Pakistan Railways revamp its image and goodwill. It is based on facts and hypothetical situations created by the group members to evaluate the applicability of OD interventions. He data is collected from various sources including books, newspaper articles and internet. The report provides introduction of Pakistan Railways, its history, organizational structure which is then followed by how the concepts of entering and contracting can be applied to this case. Diagnosis of the organization has been done with the help of data collected and hypothetical situations. Based on the diagnosis, OD interventions have been suggested for Pakistan railways which include technostructural interventions and collaborative interventions.
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1.2 At Present
At present Pakistan Railway comprises of 8,163 route km, 1,212 stations and 42 train halts. It has a fleet of 546 diesel electric locomotives, 25,815 wagons and 2,099 passenger coaches. Maintenance is provided by three major locomotive workshops and thirty-five smaller workshops. Signaling facilities at important stations are track circulated within interlocking limits. Most routes have VHF radio coverage for communication between train dispatchers and trains. Telephone Communication is over wire lines and microwave. Pakistan Railways is multi system and operates on three gauges, i.e. broad gauge, meter-gauge and narrow gauge.
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The biggest problem for Pakistan Railways is the soaring budget deficit. Although railways are traditionally not expected to earn profit. However, it is legitimate to expect from railways to meet at least operational expenses. Today Pakistan Railways with Rs.334 billion liabilities is at the verge of bankruptcy because of corruption, shortage of locomotives and losses incurred due to the running expenses. According to one report Rs 21 billion is spent on wages and pensions every month leaving the department less or nothing for maintenance of power and rolling stocks. In the light of above problems the Railway Board decided to hire external OD consultants to design interventions that can help in turning around the organization into a successful commercial entity.
3.3 OD Process
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To fix the problems faced by Pakistan Railways (PR), we recommend the process with following key steps: Selecting a design team: A team of 8-10 individuals will be selected which will include key policy makers for Pakistan Railways, representatives from various functional areas of the organization and workers unions. Diagnosing: Once the team is selected a joint diagnosis of the organization will be conducted which will include understanding organizations current strength and weaknesses, growth opportunities, organization culture and values etc. Action Planning: The first key output of the team is a 5 year action plan that describes where Pakistan Railway should move to, key activities and milestones, assigned responsibilities/accountabilities for those activities, and contingencies/assumptions that need to be monitored. Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation: As the plan is implemented, new information, changes in the environment and other issues always arise that need adjustment. In this phase the OD consultants along with the design team will monitor the implementations and collect feedback to evaluate whether action plan is on track or not and will fix any deviations. Also design team will conduct formal evaluation processes and discuss their learning about organization structure and change.
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The data collected help us in identifying the root causes behind the problems faced by Pakistan railways. Since the overall organization is facing problems, the diagnosis is carried out at organizational level. The findings of diagnosis are discussed in detailed as below:
4.2 Mismanagement
Currently Pakistan Railways is facing acute shortage of locomotives and spare parts for maintenance of out of service locomotives. Since independence little has been done to expand the railway network in Pakistan. As per the reports compiled by the design team, Pakistan Railways need 40 50 locomotives annually to run its operations effectively. However, during the past two decades only 100
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locomotives have been added. The management of PR has failed to generate revenues through use of assets like land, locomotive factory, carriage factory etc. The focus of Railway officials is on getting new locomotives while ignoring the improvement in operations and maintenance of existing locomotives. The plans to change broad gauge into standard gauge at this stage are not just costly but also unnecessary.
4.4 Corruption
Corruption is the biggest problem Pakistan Railways is facing today. The Railway Department has been suffering losses since years long. Contractor system is one of the causes of such losses. Moreover, there are enormous irregularities in local purchases. The number of officers cadre has increased considerably since 1977, mostly due to political appointments. It has been revealed that the crises are self generated creating a space for more corruption and PRACS-Pakistan Railways Advisory Commute Services is responsible for this mess. Selective services have been privatized by allotting its contract to different private parties to operate those privatized trains. Ironically the contract has been awarded only for ticketing and like buss conductors those private firms after selling out the ticket deposits payments into the Railways account. As per agreement after
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deducting its commission the contractors are legally bound to deposit the funds into the Railway account but due to the nexuses between Railways bosses and private contractors deposit the funds in private accounts. This illegal practice has confronted Railways with financial crunch where as the officials of Railways are least bothered for the interest of Pakistan. Some Railways circles insist that Pakistan Railways is still a viable and progressive organization, provided the rampant corruption could be controlled. In short Pakistan Railways is a classic example of bad governance, poor policies, corruption and mismanagement.
5. ACTION PLANNING
After a careful diagnosis, the results were feedback to the main clients. Several meetings were conducted with key clients to determine the type of OD interventions that will most appropriately suit the needs of Pakistan Railways. The clients and consultants jointly agree that Pakistan Railways need a mixture of techno-structural and collaborative interventions to recover from the current crisis.
The structure needs to be revamped into a more leaner and flexible one. A combination of divisional and network structure will be most appropriate for Pakistan railways. The PR management can retain the structure based on current divisions and create a network of these divisions for better management of operations and resources.
5.2 Downsizing
The Pakistan Railways is an over staffed organization. Political appointments over the years have added to the problem and are the major reason behind organizations financial troubles. Departments like Railway Police, Stores &
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Purchase need to be abolished. Other over staffed departments like Audit & Accounts, General Administration etc. need drastic cuts in workforce. For successful implementation of downsizing, the PR management must follow the following steps: Clarify organizations strategy to its members and provide ample opportunities for them to voice their concerns ask questions and obtain counseling. In case of PR, the structural change will help in eliminating unnecessary layers, merge units and non productive staff can be reduced through layoffs and buyout packages. While implementing methods of downsizing, management should use a top down approach. It should target inefficient and high cost areas. Keep people informed throughout the process about restructuring activities. Address the needs of survivors and those who leave to help them overcome the stress of structural changes.
5.3 Reengineering
Pakistan Railways have great potential for growth. However, the current process and technology does not provide much room for implementing growth strategies. Pakistan Railways can improve the performance of its various functions and department through proper use of information technology. The areas where information technology can play a vital role include: Seat Reservations Freight Management Asset Management Track Management Rolling stock inventory Electric Billing Timetable
During diagnosis many members of Pakistan Railways suggested that the organization should be privatized like PTCL to improve performance efficiency. However, research suggested that key state owned enterprises like Railways, Airlines, and Road Transport etc. should remained publically owned for the overall benefit of the customers. However, Pakistan Railways can privatize some of its units like The Locomotive Factory, The Carriage Factory and other large manufacturing units.
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6. CONCLUSION
With growing interest in the development of Trans-Asian rail links, one might think that Pakistan Railways has a promising future. However, the Railway Ministry, the Railway Board and all the relevant agencies have to play their role to return Pakistan Railways to its glorious days. Before allocating any further funds to bail out the organization, government should force the management to undergo vast structural changes as recommended by OD consultants in this report. These changes can be implemented within a period of 3 5 years and once the changes have been made and evaluated then new investment plans can be made.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Organization Development & Change 8th Edition by Cummings & Worley. - www.pakrail.com - www.railwaygazette.com - www.wikipedia.com - www.pakistaniat.com - Article Corruption in Pakistan Railways published in Pukhtoonistan Gazette on Friday, 26 November, 2010 - http://pak1stanfirst.com/201102253236/pakistan/economy/fixingpakistan-railways.html - Various articles and editorials published in Daily Dawn and The Nation from July 2010 March 2011 - http://www.privatisation.gov.pk/Transport/Pakistan%20Railways.htm
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