HR & Education Commentaries

Psy to pi: Leadership Korean-style

Dr Chang-Gyu Hwang has a passion for technology - its power to change lives and deliver solutions to our biggest challenges. Read ››

What Singaporeans must know about the importance of insight

The world is full of people who provide ideas. Ideas are common in business as evidenced by hundreds of books by so called gurus on any subject. Read ››

After the NTUC May Day Rally 2013, what now Singapore? (Part 2)

As shared in NTUC May Day Rally 2013 Afterthoughts Part 1, my virgin experience at our nation's labour movement rally held at D’Marquee, Downtown East was surprisingly pleasant! Read ››

Find out what is the ultimate productivity booster for Singaporeans

What is the ultimate enhancer of productivity? Some managers in Singapore say it’s automation, skills upgrade, good teamwork and even better health. Read ››

What Singaporean employees must do in their first 100 days at work

So you have gone through 3 rounds of gruesome interviews and you finally got the job. Read ››

How Chinese culture can convince Singapore staff to be team players

‘Teams’ has long been a popular concept in the workplace, as it’s common sense that “two heads are better than one” and “many hands make light the work”. Read ››

Is a design degree necessary in Singapore's marketplace today?

Contrary to what many designers and aspiring designers believe, some form of higher learning qualification is very important in today’s job market. Read ››

How weak willpower will ruin Singaporeans' decision-making at work

  In Singapore, there is a popular belief that the temperature in the government office buildings is maintained at an optimal level to aid productivity. Read ››

How women in Singapore can get better education benefits

By Ms Tan Gek Khim, PBM, Senior Director of MDIS Just a few weeks ago on Feb 28, 2013, Ms Park Geun-hye made history by becoming South Korea's first female president. Read ››

Why letting employees work from home is a big business gain

There has been more than a storm in a tea cup following Marissa Mayer’s directive for people to show up in the Yahoo offices and cut back on working from home.  Her decision needs to be viewed in the context of Yahoo’s stage in their journey as a business and more importantly as a new team that is trying to rally around a new strategy. Trying to generalise the decision will meaninglessly dilute both what Yahoo is attempting and the issue of flexible working conditions. Read ››

4 dangers of an office romance

There has been a survey conducted recently that 8 out of 10 Singaporeans are fine with office romances. Read ››

Here's how Singapore's industry leaders manage across generations

One of the widely discussed contemporary management topics is about managing across generations at the workplace. Read ››

How Singapore bosses can engage employees the right way

A recent survey in Singapore suggested that 46% of companies did not see engaging their employees as a priority. Read ››

Let your participants star in your Singapore trainings

Trainings in Singapore and elsewhere often resemble pop concerts, with the trainers as stars, as sages on stages. Read ››

Why mishandled reengineering could lead to disaster for Singapore companies

Recently we were approached by a government linked organisation which had gone through some drastic changes. Read ››

Top 3 secrets to high performance teams

Productivity is a big buzzword in Singapore today, and companies are always looking for ways to increase productivity through their employees. Read ››

How to attract Singapore women to rejoin the workforce

Just a few weeks ago on Feb 28, 2013, Ms Park Geun-hye made history by becoming South Korea's first female president. Read ››

The ultimate killer of productivity in Singapore

What is the ultimate killer of productivity? Many business leaders in Singapore responded with, “machine breakdown, lack of skills, conflict, mindset or even stress.” No one replied, “the ultimate killer of productivity is when one of their best people leaves.” Of late, the Singapore government has indicated that, “productivity is the only sustainable way to increase our value-add and grow our incomes and it must be the key driver of our economic growth” (source: Ministry of Manpower website). Read ››

3 business lessons Singaporeans can learn from Genghis Khan

  Not too long ago, we done this Consultancy project for a Singapore SME to help his company address their high attrition rate and I posed this question to the boss: “Will you consider Genghis Khan as your CEO or CHRO?” the immediate reaction was “No Way!” So, I asked the next question: “How can he be the conqueror of the biggest empire ever established, of nearly 12-million square miles, had he not been a great boss?” So he pondered for a while and agreed: “You are right, he cannot be the best conqueror without being a good CEO or CHRO as his conquest are achieved through people” Exactly, he might be a bloodthirsty and ruthless 13th century dictator with a taste for world domination but he had eyes for talents, embrace change, a capacity to lead, inspire and motivate, driven by a bold vision and the desire to succeed. Read ››