By Michael Kamrath

Geo Strategies is writing the book for how future Romanian companies will operate An the global economy. Here are five secrets (and five lessons) from the Geo Strategies book that can help your company prosper in the Information Age.

When you think of "world class" high tech companies, Sibiu does not automatically spring to mind. But Sibiu is the "physical' (more about this later) headquarters site of Geo Strategies S.A., a three-year old British -Rorra nian joint venture, which provides digital mapping services to some of the most important companies in the global economy and which is, according to the World Bank, the largest mapping organization in Eastern Europe, Digital maps are important to the coming economy. Just like old, regular maps, digital maps refer to geographic locations. But, to compare a regular map to a digital map is like comparing an abacus to a computer. Because Geo Strategies maps are digital, they can be "layered" with an avalanche of different and related information. These digital maps can contain where the rivers are, yes. But they can also contain what the average temperatures are on a particular day, what the population trends have been over the past twenty years, the average age of the residents of a particular town, how may telephone lines that town has and how often they are used, where particular industries are located, and the routes used by public transport. Plus, a company (or for that Matter a country) can add its own information to even further customize, and protect, its digital map.

Adding to Geo Strategies "World Class" profile is a client list that reads like a "Who's Who' of the Information Age. In Romania this list includes Coca-Cola, both GSM license winners (MobiFon and Mobil Rom), Xerox, Amoco, NEI, and others, including Romanian departments of the government. Abroad, Geo Strategies services NEC (Japan), France Telecom, Motorola the BBC, and many others. 

Okay, so now you're convinced that Geo Strategies is a world class competitor. But how did they get that way, and what can you do to get your company on the same global trajectory as Geo Strategies? Unfortunately, there is not the space to tell the harrowing stories of overcoming the bureaucracy, the problems with customs, and all the fear and venality that has stood in the way of this company's success. Fortunately, this reporter was able to discover certain secrets to Geo Strategies success, and the lessons they provide - complete with quotes from Daniela Florea who co-founded Geo Strategies with her British partner Bill Metcalf three years ago -and is happy to share this information now with Invest Romania readers.

SECRET 1

Location: it's not physically important

First of all, it is necessary to understand that Geo is a totally digital company - they vie digital tools to create digital products to serve companies that rely on digital information. When you're a digital company, where you are located physically is of little, if any consequence, because your business environment is, really, "cyberspace " Geo Strategies markets itself on the Internet. And they can send their product out over the Internet.  They can, also "upgrade" or "enhance" a product they have already sold instantly, anywhere in the world, any time in the world, via the same vehicle of Internet transfer. In this way time zones, train or plane schedules, or other "physical" restraints have been removed from the business equation,

Quote: "Our presence on the World Wide Web is a major strength in the international market. Fundamentally. we are a "world player" and position ourselves as such. It is of total irrelevance that we are located in Transylvania. In fact, perversely, it seems to matter more in Romania that we are located in Sibiu (and not in Bucharest) than it does to the rest of the world!"

Lesson: Forget about atoms (bricks and mortar and things). Got your company digital as fast as you can. Pack information into everything you do and make sure you can digitize that information faster than your competitor. Get a life! GO digital!

SECRET 2

Environment: it is very important

Another group of reasons they are in Sibiu could be classified as "environmental," and not just in the "clean air, fresh grass" interpretation of the word, although Daniela feels that, ecologically speaking, Sibiu has many advantages over a city like Bucharest. And, since they operate mainly in cyberspace operating out of a congenial location is an advantage in both serenity and attracting a motivated workforce (think of those high-tech American firms located in gorgeous locales ranging from the Rocky Mountains to Redmond, Washington; from lovely Northern California communities and the austere High Western Plains to the rugged New England farmlands or Texas college towns). But, more importantly, the social environment of Sibiu is more conducive to the kind of environment they are trying to set up within Geo Strategies. In the world in which Geo Strategies operates, being the "biggest" has nothing to do with being the "best".

Quote: "We have established a corporate culture which is a hybrid of Romanian and British values - a hybrid of East and West. And, I like to think that we have combined the best of both worlds. Perhaps our Transylvanian way of life is more akin to Western attitudes and behavior -people trust each other more, and you can go by someone's word, and this reliance is very important to our company's growth."

Lesson: Once you' re digital begin thinking about Quality Of Life issues concerning your company, your employees, and for yourself.

SECRET 3

Management techniques: use the latest

Daniela studied management techniques at Cambridge, and the company reflects "cutting edge" worldwide management thinking which all, ultimately, comes down to "empowerment" of the company's workers. Re-engineering, Total Quality Management, Corporate Focus, Project Teams, and a host of other current concepts which may be regarded as "fads" in some companies in the West, are taken very seriously by Geo Strategies. And if you look at any of the new management techniques, what they ail boil down to in the end is trusting and empowering your employees and causing them to function as a team.

Quote : " I spent a very happy year at Cambridge and, on reflection, I think there was a very important lesson I learned there. And that lesson is that management is a science. That there is a huge new body of literature about management of people: acknowledging that individuals have their strengths and weaknesses and that the manager's task is to accommodate and develop the individuals under his or her control, I learned, and am learning, that my main task is to provide the environment so that individuals can perform to the best of their ability.

Lesson: It doesn't matter how big or small your company is we are all operating in a new environment a new age, and the rules have yet to be established. The only lesson from the past that works is that there are very few lessons from the past that apply now. The only guideline is to keep learning new things, new lessons; and to keep trying to keep current with what is going on around the world.

SECRET 4

People: they are what teams are made from

Finding the right people to keep a business growing is a major challenge for any company and Geo Strategies is no exception. Geo Strategies ended 1995 with 18 staff members and by the end of 1996 the staff had grown to 37. Currently, they need at least another 12 people. And this is particularly acute for Geo Strategies because the people who work there have to be more than just "qualified". They have to have the right "fit" for the company. Daniela has worked very hard to create the right environment for her employees. To her this is the meaning of "leadership". To this end she has established a dress cod (no blue jeans!) and a "no smoking" policy. And she has insisted that everything everyone does in terms of the job - from answering the phone, the style of the letters they write, the visits they make outside of the office, the way the staff works with each other - is dedicated to quality.

Quote: "Our staff is our major asset. Period. As a company - as a corporate entity - we can only do so much, We have provided the environment; we have provided all the technology imaginable - we are very well equipped; we have provided training. But, in the end, it is up to the individuals not to work as individuals, but as a team As individuals, we can't be perfect but, as a team, we can strive for perfection. In addition, we can benchmark ourselves against world best practices."

Lesson: You should invest (time and money) in your people because: People = Power, People = $,  People = The Future People = Your Company.

SECRET 5

Sense of humor: "Life's a stage"

It's no secret that doing regular business in Romania is not easy. We all knew that before we got into business, and we know it even better now, as we've tried to make our businesses grow. But often we forget that we were willing to forgo the hardships because the opportunities are so great. Geo Strategies doesn't forget. In fact, it is a company focus. Because they deal in maps and mapping information. which was a strictly forbidden area in "previous times", they are constantly running into the ludicrous lingering legacy of the past. When added to the "normal" bureaucratic inanities of the present it would be enough to make a manager give up. Geo Strategies knows this. And they expect the kind of obstacles that are thrown in their way. And they feel the only way to deal with them is to treat them as they are: ludicrous. They really do try to laugh at the situations as they come up. But they are very serious about this "sense of humor". If they lose it, their survival is at stake.

Quote: "In business there are frequently no right answers. There are conflicting opinions, conflicting information, conflicting interpretations. The manager's job is to behave in an objective, rational manner. And keep things in perspective. Unfortunately, because of our recent past, objectivity is frequently in short supply in this country. I feel it is my job, as a manager, to often find the comedy in such situations, rather than simply complain and whine about current conditions. I know this strengthens our feeling as a "team" -a sort of "us against them" mentality develops that binds us closer together. And if we can do this with a smile or a laugh or two, so much the better!"

Lesson: Learn to laugh or learn to quit. It's a business requirement. 

If you want to see for yourself what Geo Strategies is all about, check out its web site at http://wvvw.geo.strategies.ro - you can get a real sense of what the company is trying to do. (Plus, it has cool graphics. neat maps, and real people.).

INVEST ROMANIA September 1997