SPECIAL Feature:
PT John Clements Consultants Indonesia: Envisioning the Next 5 Years
By Paul Catiang

In 1993, PT John Clements Consultants Indonesia opened and began offering executive search and selection services in Jakarta, applying the same stringent and exacting human resources standards practiced by John Clements Consultants in Manila. Seven years later, the division expanded its services to include outsourced payroll and staff support and augmentation services. Now, after enjoying over 20 years of success in the human resources field in Indonesia, PT John Clements Consultants is poised for further expansion. But what exactly awaits the company in the future?

At the Helm

Charting the course of the company is Mr. Andi Mohammad Hatta, a veteran human resources executive, formerly a Vice President of the Bank Niaga, one of the largest and most prestigious banks in Indonesia, and recently named President-Director in November 2005.

“I met the late Mr. Dominguez in 1986,” he recounts, “when John Clements Consultants partnered with the Bank Niaga to train around 20 or so of our personnel. We were very happy with the results, and John Clements consistently trained our people every year until 1990. The next year, Mr. Dominguez came to me again. He wanted to open an operation in Jakarta for John Clements. Unfortunately, I could not directly join the company at the time, as I was still an officer of the bank.”

Still, this did not stop the establishment of the Indonesian firm. Since then, the quality for which John Clements Consultants was known became available in Indonesia. Mr. Hatta continues, “John Clements earned a very good name, especially in Indonesia, where the training programs are well known, mainly because we promoted these programs at the Bank Niaga. When it comes to human resources, the Bank Niaga’s training programs are benchmarked by other banks. When they asked us who conducted the programs for us, we of course said it was John Clements. The company has a good reputation in the banking industry in Indonesia as a result.”

Today, Mr. Hatta is excited about what the future holds for PT John Clements Consultants Indonesia, and intends to carefully study how to make the company even more successful in 2006. “I find this to be a very big challenge,” he states. “Change is very important to me. For example, if before you did very well because of the economic environment, or any other factors that might have contributed to your success, it won’t necessarily be the same thing in the future. We really have to understand our environment to know where we will be going. We need to study what’s going to happen, for example, in three to four years so we can make the right strategic plans.”

Dropping Anchor in Jakarta

Recently, the executives of John Clements Consultants attended the corplanning sessions of PT John Clements Consultants Indonesia to take a step back, reexamine the company’s position and see where to go from there.

Firstly, the board made some client calls, visiting multinational giants like JP Morgan Chase, IBM, HSBC and Cisco, as well as local monoliths such as Bank Sumimoto, the Bank Niaga and Citra Sari Makmur. These client calls explored what partnering initiatives can be had with the prospects, based on what John Clements has offered before and what the company is prepared to offer in the future.

Secondly, a licensing seminar on Targeted Selection was conducted by Grace Sorongon, Vice President and Managing Director of Professional Staffers. The consultants of the Indonesia office underwent a two-day standard training session as a certification course, attesting to the skill and thoroughness with which PT John Clements screens its candidates. “This was a very timely thing to do,” says Ms. Sorongon, “and it will really help their operations in Jakarta immensely.”

Last and most importantly, the board finalized and signed the 5-year strategic plan of PT John Clements Consultants entitled Vision 2010.

Plotting a Course for the Future

Vision 2010 is the brainchild of Mr. Hatta, a plan that details the strategies PT John Clements Consultants will employ—and adapt and improve as necessary—over the next five years.

The core goals of the strategic plan are as follows: to place PT John Clements Consultants among the top three human resources providers in Indonesia by 2010; to be the premier, one-stop human resources solutions provider in Indonesia through recruitment, outsourcing, training, and consultancy services; and to provide quality and value-added services to clients and stakeholders through continuous enforcement of corporate and core values.

And what are these values? Mr. Hatta is a strong advocate of change, and he places a premium on adaptability. “You have to change or die,” he advises, drawing on years of experience as a human resources director.

Vision 2010 also details how, with a foundation built on a comprehensive and productive human resources team, the company’s infrastructure can be further improved, leading to greater financial support and a more refined quality in the services provided.

With the next five years plotted out, all that’s left is the execution. The John Clements board stands by Mr. Hatta’s plan and supports every initiative detailed in it.