The firm, which provides financial management software for the public sector, had experience tracking government spending, but that was in western countries with computerized systems.
Afghanistan’s director general of treasury told OBJ he was once horrified to hear from a deputy official that money was being shipped interprovincially in oil drums protected by nothing more than a thin plastic cover. Those days are gladly behind him now, he added.
“Everyone is talking about the corruption in Afghanistan, but no one is talking about the achievements in the system,” said Mohammad Aqa in an interview at FreeBalance’s office on Prince of Wales Drive.
After eight years of working to expand computerized tracking to all of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces – where some offices initially didn’t even have a desktop – FreeBalance spokesperson James Elrick said it’s also been a journey in learning to work with other cultures.
To make sure there was enough communication between Ottawa and Afghanistan, FreeBalance used its office in Kosovo, which is strategically located almost halfway between the two countries.
If a technical problem came up in Afghanistan, it would be handed off to Kosovo and then, if there still were lingering issues at the end of the workday there, fresh engineers in Ottawa could take over when the morning shift came.
Mr. Elrick added the pains were worth it, and have taught the company how to liaise with other clients in countries such as Uganda and Timor-Leste, the former East Timor.
“An informed citizenry makes better decisions, and with our software, anybody can go in and see how the money is being spent,” said Mr. Elrick.
Cultural clashes and, in extreme cases, the possibility of civil unrest means companies should be prepared for working overseas, said John Proctor, vice-president of risk operations at iHR Solutions. The Ottawa-based firm specializes in helping companies and individuals deal with the fallout of “human interactions (gone) wrong,” including violent situations like robbery and kidnapping.
“You can do all the online research about culture, but if you’ve never been to a country, (the best thing to do) is grab a coffee and watch the world go past,” he said.
“Everything from spacing between people, holding hands, whatever. You need to start becoming comfortable with that culture before you communicate.”
And before going into any country, companies must develop a plan that includes a risk assessment for employees, as well as how workers should conduct themselves in their new environment.
This would even have been useful for expats in Japan, he pointed out.
“What if there was an earthquake? What if the guide gets kidnapped? … You’ve got to train the traveller, and that is really scaled to what that traveller might face.”
