Deploying armed personnel to the MH17 crash site is not a good idea

http://michellemarieantellg.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/blackroses/

How did we get ourselves into this predicament?

I am certain this is the feeling that some of the Malaysian leaders in their security council are asking themselves as they mull over their most immediate concern of securing the crash site of MH17.

Tomorrow will mark the 10^th day since the Malaysian carrier met its end in the skies above a conflict zone where not a single person onboard the flight was a stakeholder to the parties in the conflict. Securing the crash site is vital in order to continue retrieving remnant body parts of passengers; to prevent looters and tampering of the crash site; to be able to carry out investigations into the cause of the plane crash; and to ensure the safety of investigators on site. These seemingly simple tasks have just gotten more difficult with the presence of armed rebels who have declared control over the site.

The Malaysians have won my respect with the successful negotiations with the separatist rebels that resulted in the handing over of the black boxes and the first round retrieval of the bodies. Such a negotiation exercise is unbelievably complicated with so many variables to consider. Things can go very wrong. The fact that it was concluded so quickly in such a short time without prior media knowledge shows the decisiveness, courage and resolve of those involved in the negotiations.

However, all is not well. The safety of investigators cannot be guaranteed with the presence of ill-disciplined, armed men who belong to the organization that are potential suspects to the crime. Body parts are still lying in the field. The longer the situation drags on, the greater the opportunity for the geopolitical mess between all parties to deteriorate. The Aussies are proposing a joint coalition force of armed Aussies, Dutch and Malaysian police and military personnel to secure the crash site.

 “They must be nuts,” says Joerg Forbig, senior program officer for central and eastern Europe, German Marshall Fund – a think tank based in Berlin (26 July 2014, Sydney Morning Herald).

Indeed, this idea of involving armed representatives from countries aligned with the west is highly risky and possibly unwise. Unless the governments involved have access to information that we do not know, such a decision can lead to unwanted outcomes with global impact. Why is this such a bad idea?

1) Raw emotions – The Dutch, Malaysians and Aussies lost the most number of people on the flight. The cover story is that regular police officers and token military personnel are sent there. In reality, the personnel sent there are usually highly trained individuals from the various special forces units. These are Type A personalities who are highly patriotic and devoted to their cause to protect their people. They will not be too impressed with the rebels and might be tempted to act out of revenge.

2) Opportunity to create blame – Should the rebels seek the upper hand in preparation for subsequent rounds of negotiation, they can easily create an incident that will make them look like the victim, especially if the coalition force is armed. For instance, a rebel could deliberately fire a rifle into the sky to antagonize the coalition. Instinctively, a coalition member fires back but hits a civilian passerby, a child, instead. This creates distraction from the key issue at hand – the investigation of the crash site; and gives the rebels the upper hand.

3) Aggressive perception – Imagine for a moment, if you observed a convoy of trucks coming your way. They stop to unload soldiers and police officers who are armed with rifles. Get the picture? It certainly is intimidating, even if all of them flashed smiles at you. The argument is for self-defence purposes - that if they are armed, you have to be armed, if not more armed. This does not portray neutrality in an already volatile situation. This shows aggression, something that is not necessary.

With the inability to access the information that is privy to the respective governments, we will have no idea about how the decision making process was carried out. However, I would like to offer a few suggestions – nothing earth shattering, but certainly worth considering:

1) Involve a United Nations peacekeeping force – Arms should not be used but observers should wear body armour. The Russians must contribute influential personnel and a sizable number to this team.

2) Get assistance from a neutral country – This is not an easy option but a possible one where a country that is deemed co-operative with Russia and the west can send personnel to secure the crash site. Whether they are armed or not depends on the type of agreement negotiated.  

3) Get privately contracted security personnel – This is not the most ideal option when it comes to cost. However it does reduce the potential geopolitical repercussions should things go wrong (if a paid security contractor is killed accidentally, it is not perceived as inflammatory as when a Dutch or Aussie soldier gets killed). The nationality of the mercenary does matter. As far as possible, they should be obtained from Asia or South America so as to portray neutrality. The gurkhas are a fine example of someone who should be hired for this role. From a business point of view, I am for arming mercenaries as this is a case of protecting one’s ‘business concern’ (it’s sad but true, money does trump common sense). Pistols for self defence might be ideal in this case as it defers to the AK-47 assault rifles the rebels are using.

I am reminded of how countries are warned of future security threats that we will face in the near future. Threats are expected to be irregular, catastrophic and disruptive. The MH17 crash in a conflict zone can fall into the category of an irregular threat. Countries are placing strong emphasis on funding, recruiting and training their military or para-military special forces to deal with the many unknowns that the world will encounter.

I am hopeful that this situation will be resolved soon. Practically speaking, this looks like it will be a long drawn affair that will be heavily politicised, with the threat of missteps from all sides.   

6 paradoxes that get students ahead in school…and life

https://www.business-strategy-innovation.com

Like many teachers, I have taught hundreds of students over the years. Given the small classes that define the institutions I am based at, I have relatively intimate interaction with my students. Over the years, I have observed certain traits that make some students stand out over the others. These students may not necessarily be the top students but they do come close. In some of them, you can see highly visible improvements when you chart their progress from day one to the last day of class. They started the class as perceived dark horses but ended up close to the front when the final grades are released.

What makes these students so different from the rest of the cohort? My observation has shown that specific gender, educational and financial backgrounds have no direct influence on their traits. These are a special breed of students whom I feel every student has the potential to emulate. These are traits that can be learned if one possesses the attitude to follow through with it. The following traits are paradoxes – seemingly contradictory but strong in harmony. Allow me to explain:   

1) They listen but ask questions

When I mean listen, I mean that they both hear what I have to say in class (or instructions in my handouts) and can repeat to me exactly what I said to them. After listening, they digest and then ask questions based on the instructions I had provided. Such questions tend to be of high quality and a reflection of a well thought through process. To me, this is true intelligence. Interestingly, leadership guru and professor Warren Bennis is quoted as saying that failure to listen is the most common reason why CEOs fail. (http://iveybusinessjournal.com/departments/from-the-editor/in-conversation-warren-bennis#.U8FPifmSzT8)

2) They are persistent but know when to let go

Some years back, I have an reliable source who related a story of a group of military commandos from a certain Asian country who decided to participate in the Langkawi Ironman triathlon competition. These hardened soldiers were determined to complete the race in good time. However, the group was divided into two camps – those who believed in pushing through regardless of whatever their body was signalling to them; versus those who trained smart and gave themselves self-imposed checkpoints along the route both slow down into a lower gear and to measure their heart rate. Guess who posed the better time? Worse still, the former group ended up crossing the finish line totally exhausted and rather unglamorously.

Students can be very driven – and that is a great trait. However, one must know when to step back and either re-group or let go so that they can focus on more important issues. So you messed up on a project. Forget about the grades lost and look towards the next one. Students who are not able to let go end up bitter and hurt themselves and those around them.

3) They pay attention to detail but focus on the big picture

Very few people pay attention to detail. In the real world, this can cause the loss of profits or even life itself. And then there are those who pay too much attention on the details that they miss the woods for the trees. This takes some practice, but one must first pay attention to detail. Once the details are acknowledged and digested, the student must pull him or herself back and question whether the details make sense and where they fit in the bigger scale of things. This is by no means easy and is a concerted effort on the part of the individual. I have seen students do this, especially in times of stress. Observing from the side, it can be quite a joy to watch such leadership in action.

4) They are comfortable being different but are team players

In a university, you get all kinds of students. But very few are comfortable in their own skin. Many try to emulate others just because others are doing it. For instance, Sally sees that Mary is heading towards the library. Mary tells Sally that she is heading there to study. Sally feels insecure and loudly declares that she is going there later to do the same. The problem? Final exams have just ended last week!

And then there are those who are just rebels without a cause, wanting to be different, just because. While it takes some courage to overcome peer pressure, there are those who are able to do it in a way that is neither offensive nor snobbish. In fact, these students are great motivators and encouragers in their teams, helping the rest overcome their insecurities but yet not succumbing to them.

5) Confident but not complacent

I have come across many confident students. They are truly confident and not putting on a show. But my observation shows that confidence can many times lead to complacency. This is the reason why groups who do well in assignments early in the semester usually do worse towards the end. The converse is also quite true. Groups who are consistent throughout the semester always check themselves and keep each other on their toes. They are high self-monitors and regularly approach me to find out if they are on the right track – despite their good performance earlier on. This shows humility, knowing that they cannot let their guard down. If you find such students, treasure them – they are gems.

6) They take risks but hedge against setbacks

Part of my grading allows for some liberty in taking risks. Students are encouraged to think big and go big and success means rewards. But they must watch their step lest they fail spectacularly. There are those who recklessly take risks, ending up incurring my rebuke. “But you asked us to take risks,” they refrain. In such a case, I suggest they duck before my flying shoe hits their head.

The art to taking risk is to protect your downside as what Sir Richard Branson advocates. Using the simple example of investing, you set aside some money from your salary to invest in whatever instrument you desire. But you protect your downside (which in this case means losing all of your investment money) by first making sure you pay off all debts; cover expenses; and budget for savings. This is when you start making investments and you can do so without losing sleep should all of your investment is lost in a worst case scenario.

As an educator, I wish the very best for my students and hope they be more successful than me in life. Times are a changing though and it is essential that students learn skills to adapt while they are in school before they make it out there into what can be a very unforgiving world. If I may, here’s a framework for those who are keen on creating a foundation to fulfil all the above traits. I recommend the Boyd Loop, also known as the OODA Loop; and Warren Bennis’ ALA Loop.

OODA – Observe, Orient, Decide, Act

ALA – Act, Learn, Adapt

Integrating them, we have the OODALA Loop:

Observe, Orient, Decide, Act, Learn, Adapt

Here’s to the start of a great university journey!

Gen Ys bring their parents to job interviews

Singapore – Gen Y employees are known to have their quirks, but their latest one has got to be the most interesting one by far.

Members of this generation are getting their parents more involved in their careers, even going as far as allowing - or wanting - them to sit in on interviews and job offer negotiations.

A study by PricewaterhouseCoopers found 13% of global college graduates wanted their parents to receive a copy of their cover letters, while 8% wanted their parents to receive a copy of their performance review.

A separate report by Adecco last year found a third of 500 American Gen Y job seekers involve their parents in their job hunt, 13% leveraged on their parents’ network to improve their job search, and 3% have had a parent sit in on a job interview.

Earlier this year, the Malaysian Employers Federation revealed nearly a third of 200 companies said candidates have turned up at job interviews with their parents, and expect the number to increase over time.

Last week, we ran a survey by LinkedIn which found a significant number of Singaporean parents were unclear on what exactly their children did as a living.

An article on the Wall Street Journal, which explores this new trend of parents’ heavy involvement in their children’s careers, suggested that it is a result of the close relationship between Gen Ys and their parents.

The figures are also no surprise, considering Asian values promote strong family ties.

However, as a Gen Y, although I understand the importance of involving parents in the very important process of deciding on a career, I have to draw the line at inviting my folks to job interviews or performance reviews.

I can't help but think about how it must look to a potential employer to have his or her mum sitting in on a salary negotiation. Does it not make that person appear incapable of handling their own meetings? And if he or she can't manage a meeting about his own salary, will he be able to hold his own in a boardroom meeting?

To Gen Ys reading this article, I only have one thing to say: If you are in the habit of bringing mum or dad to interviews, or are considering doing so, please stop.

There is nothing wrong with consulting parents on an offer, or getting their advice on a career switch, but at the end of the day, you need to prove your own worth.

For those early in their careers, taking the leap from the classroom to boardroom can be a scary one. It’s perfectly normal to turn to our parents to sooth those jitters, but where’s the fun in that?

Embrace the fact that you are young, inexperienced and eager to learn. Again, there is absolutely no harm in making mistakes, in raising your hand and asking for help, and in taking time to identify your own weakness and strengths.  

 By: Sabrina Zolkifi, Singapore

reproduced from: http://www.humanresourcesonline.net/news/42441

Program to teach Gen Y on acceptable work behaviour

UK - Publishing house Debrett's, which is best known for having taught social etiquette to the Royal family for more than 200 years, is extending their services to Gen Y workers who are struggling at work.

Its new programme on ‘social intelligence' for under-30s has been established after a number of business leaders raised serious issues around young employees entering the modern workplace.

The courses have also come amidst accusations that schools and universities are not adequately developing well-rounded individuals, and are instead more focused on academic results, The Daily Mail reported.

 

Debrett's own research highlights the concerns that many young employees struggle to make eye contact at work or interact with senior colleagues.

It states that "manners, social intelligence, personal presentation and impact can be as important as academic qualifications".

"With so much focus on exam results and the hectic informality of modern family life and technology, social graces can be a casualty."

According to their research, 63% of senior executives said office juniors lack social skills, and a quarter of them admitted they have been embarrassed by them in front of clients.

A quarter of executives also said prospective candidates had inflated expectations about salary and were "over-confident" in interviews, while 21% sais young employees dressed "inappropriately" for work or drink too much at social events.

Louise Ruell, Debrett's director of training, said: "Young employees need to differentiate themselves beyond their academic achievements.

"The research clearly shows that this is often lacking."

re-posted from http://www.humanresourcesonline.net/news/42414

I have been trying to catch up on some reading of academic journals.

Now, don't get me wrong - I do not naturally fall in love with reading reams upon reams of journal articles. Frankly, most people, mere mortals, will find it boring. Words upon words upon words. Of course, there are those (the brilliant ones) who are more predisposed to reading such literature as their bed time reading.

To each his own.

The Academy of Management (AOM) sends me hard copies, in the mail, of their various series of journals. The most prestigious is the AOM Journal, and there are other specialized journals like the AOM Learning & Education. By far, the AOM series of journals are seen as the gold standard in the areas of business and management.  

What interests me is the Learning & Education series. You can certainly find useful information that is cutting edge - very helpful for me as an educator.

The following is a summary of selected papers from their latest edition that I found useful. Summarizing them is more an exercise for me as a means of future reference. But I think the average reader would certainly find them rather useful.

doctorlaughter.com

Title: Collaborating to Cheat: A Game Theoretic Exploration of Academic Dishonesty in Teams
Authors: Briggs, Workman & York

People cheat. Period.

But in Business Schools (MBA students), students are deemed to be the biggest cheats when compared across other disciplines in University (80% of business school students have self admitted to cheating). Finance and Accounting majors seem to be the biggest cheats - a sign of the times?

 Some findings:
- There is a lower probability of a student cheating individually as compared to when placed in a group or team.

- Given the increasing emphasis on teamwork in a global work environment, cheating will be commonplace or expected (opinion is mine).

- To reduce cheating in schools, honor codes and academic integrity policies must be strictly enforced with school administration following through on punishment meted out.

- To lower a student's perceived optimal level of cheating, either increase the amount of policing or decrease the tolerance of cheating, of which the latter is shown to be more efficient.

- Random assignment of students to teams reduces the incidences of cheating

- Cheating statistics should be announced at the beginning of the course to reduce students' impression and perception that other students are contemplating to cheat also (false consensus).

- Students who cheated in school will carry the same behavior to the workplace. As these people are promoted, they will almost certainly increase the incidences of cheating.

u-coaching.de

Title: When do Global Leaders Learn Best to Develop Cultural Intelligence? An Investigation of the Moderating Role of Experiential Learning Style.
Authors: Li, Mobley & Kelly

As borders continue to have their walls broken down, developing Cultural Quotient (CQ) amongst business executives becomes strategically important in order to maintain the competitive edge over global competitors. The number of executives with exposure to foreign cultures is increasing. However, many fail to learn from their international experiences.

Some findings:
- The length of overseas work experience is positively related to the level of CQ. However, the presence of international experience does not automatically lead to heightened levels of CQ.

- CQ does not develop overnight

- It takes an average of 5 years before an expatriate feels integrated into the new society

-  Adjustment to a new society is sped up if the individual suspends judgement/perceptions; a willingness and interest to learn from different cultures; and careful observation, reflection and practicing of local behaviors

- To help the executive in an overseas posting, cross cultural coaching is important. The organization should also be supportive in helping such executives succeed in their transition.

Get good grades, but...

image from kateonesuch.com

This piece is a reproduction (with permission) from Pamela Lim's entry on her Facebook page on 30th April 2013. A colleague of mine at SMU who is with the Strategy Department, I am in full agreement with her. 

Of course, this also conveniently justifies my decision to give my students less than perfect grades. 

To my students past, present and future: The most noble way to learn is from the mistakes of others. 



"Tell a little story about this fresh graduate. His GPA is ridiculous, 4.0 or perfect. To top it, he had a perfect A+ for like 90% of his subjects. If there were a 4.3 GPA, he would have come close to that. Unfortunately, he did not get a job offer while his classmates of lower GPA all had offers of $4000+ (he was from the highest paid faculty). He couldn't understand why, went for numerous interviews and all rejected him. In the end, he accepted the only job offer of $1,900. 

Looking at his achievements on the resume, you can understand why. He is one-dimensional. Excellent student, straight As all the way from primary school onwards, good CCA, and scored whatever he needed to score, but he did not stand out other than his academic results. What he needed was to show that he had something to contribute to an organization other than just academic brains. It is about the ability to lead, to bring diversity to an organization (or a university) that people want. Not just his scholastic achievement. To be honest, a 3.8 GPA is no different from a 4.0 GPA. If a child spends so much time working on that perfect score, and misses out other aspects, then he is not a valuable person in the university, or in the society. 

There will be people with perfect scores, but who can show that they did not spend all their lives just working on that. Their involvement in the society, their backgrounds, their ability to work with people, their contributions and their leadership qualities are what we are looking for. And, you can plan and plan and still not get there. Why? Because it has to come from the heart. And people miss that out. Parents plans too much for their kids and children just execute, without thinking or doing from their hearts. Schools demand and spoon feed too much for kids to do things from the heart. 

Another story. 

This is like a really average student. His GPA is nothing more than 3.2 in Poly. But this boy is so unique. He started a company, but it failed. He took time off (with his parents' approval) from school and used his skills to help a social enterprise. He did things free for charity organizations because he saw a need. He also helped out in his father's hawker stall and developed new recipes. He knew how to present these all in his resume. He went to a top uni, and then started his own business with funding from the government. I don't mean our kids should not work hard, they should. If a kid can do a perfect score with ENOUGH effort, I'd say go for it! But squeezing every ounce from him to get there because it is what the system tells us to may not be helpful. 

Often, we are led to chase after unimportant things and forget to bring the best out of our kids. The paper chase has gone too far, and our kids are asked to do things like CIP hours with no meaning attached. They do them grudgingly and these do not add one bit to their well-being or credentials. It is expensive to bring up a gifted child, of course, but it is expensive to bring up any kind of child. Problem is, with so much resources poured into it, our gifted children are still not having any advantage in the world, or scored any stunning achievement as adults. We should really ask ourselves why. But it is a complex problem, and I don't pretend I have an answer. Also, a good education does not equate good A level score, PSLE score or success in the GEP selection. There are many factors to do well in such tests, we keep forgetting. Some people know not to chase after the distractions, and go for the 'real' things. Those who know what they want, go for the right things, the rest are led to go round and round. 

Are you building your child up for his future or just chasing after things people ask you to chase?"

Got Social Resume?

Courtesy of: Online Colleges   

A turn off...in too many ways

Picking up today's 90 cents newspaper on a Sunday, a half page ad on the Life page caught my attention...for the wrong reasons.

The ad was sponsored by the Social Development Network (SDN), the matchmaking agency of the state under the Ministry of Social and Family Development. 

Within 2 seconds of seeing the ad, I cringed.

I immediately noticed a few issues:


1) Poor communication
The headline was "You can be The Right One" with the content from an article reproduced from another piece of literature. While the content was adapted from a book, the context of the article needs to be seen in its entirety. To have the content plonked in to fit the headline (or vice-versa) is advertising suicide.

I hate to add salt to the wound, but there was also no 'call to action'. Ok, so I know I need to achieve these 8 characteristics. I am hopeless in the game of love and I need help...so whom do I contact? There were no contact details or references to a website for further resources that one could use.

Pity, pity.


2) 8 characteristics to be the right one
With such a headline, it literally demotivates someone who is seeking a life partner. Must I possess these 8 steps before I am the 'Right One'?

I think I will pass...


3) Thou hath fallen short
Such an article unfortunately gives people the impression that if the other party does not possess these 8 characteristics, he/she is NOT the right one. *Ouch*




I did a quick check on the SDN website and noticed a couple of things - SDN does not have a Facebook page (gasp! horrors!) and SDN's office is located at *Scape, next to Orchard Cineleisure. Let me explain why having the office at *Scape is not such a good idea.

Statistics in recent time have shown that a Singaporean's desire to be married is highest between the ages of 18 to 25, or in other words, during tertiary studies. For the lady, if she remains single after tertiary education, her desire to search for a mate tapers off and drastically drops once she hits 30. For the guys, a huge reason to delay (to after their 30s) finding a mate was for the purpose of furthering one's career. And so the age group of people who need the most help will be those between 25 to 35.

So why place your office at *Scape, where teenagers and young adults in their early 20s hang out? Cheap rental I presume.

Perhaps, a better place might be in the downtown financial district area, Jurong/Tuas or MacPherson (yes, technical and blue collared workers are looking for love too). I am sure it is not too difficult to obtain information on where 25 to 35 year olds work in Singapore. It is essential to be where the action (or lack of action) is.

Lest anyone call me a naysayer, I am actually a huge advocate of people finding their soul mates. I got married rather early after meeting my wife while studying overseas. It wasn't my plan to marry early, but since I found the right one, better sign, seal and deliver first. These days, 'Chope' also not enough yah?

Lest anyone say that I am an arm chair critic, I have been encouraging (and nudging) singles and dating couples for years. Ladies and Gentlemen --- it is not easy, really! (sorry, 8 characteristics are not enough either)

And lest anyone say that I have not been trying to do something about what has been called today by Minister Ng Eng Hen as one of the 3 vital issues Singapore is facing (getting Singaporeans to marry and have kids), I actually applied for a job with the then MCYS to encourage people to get into marriage and stay married. I was even shortlisted to be among the final 3 candidates.

I got rejected.

= (

SDN is trying, I am sure they are. They could certainly do with more resources. I do hope for the government to place the same amount of importance in this area as they do in national security.

So, what do I think?

I believe that for people to get together, only one thing is needful --- Love.

Duh! So the sum of my whole rant is about Love? A little lame, you might suggest?

Not so.

"Love (agape - the highest form of love, sacrificial love) is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 (NAS Bible).

As I often say to others, it starts from your philosophy - what do you believe? If you believe that to be the right one is a hopeless cause for you, then your actions will never lead you to improvement. However, if you believe that Love is where you begin with, you will start to see things very differently and it will govern all that you do.

Learn to love, and I assure you that you will be loved.

Confessions...what is a leader to do?

Image from www.worshipmediahouse.com

What is a leader to do?

Product life cycles have shorten dramatically across a host of products. With globalization and technological advances, barriers-to-entry have also lowered and increased competition in the market. Customers have become more demanding and discerning for services that require near feats of superhuman effort at rock bottom prices. It certainly is not easy being a leader, especially if you are higher up in the hierarchy.

And now, with organizational leaders struggling to understand the basics of social media and its impact, we have now a potentially challenging issue to deal with - Facebook Confessions.

The idea of a Facebook Confessions page is a simple but powerful one - share your deepest darkest secrets from within your organization with almost complete anonymity, reaching potentially everyone with access to a Facebook account.

This is how it works - say you have something to get off your chest about your organization. It happens that someone or some people from within your organization have started a Confessions page. These people managing the page are called administrators. They maintain a consistent cloak of anonymity - good for them, good for you. You send them an anonymous message to an online form at a given website (which can be easily created by google docs or any free survey portal like survey monkey); or simply send a private Facebook message to the administrator (less privacy here since they can see your profile). The administrator then posts your comments on the Confessions page.   

Administrators will try and post as many comments online as possible. Most administrators might practice some self-censorship on certain inflammatory posts, but by and large, the majority of comments get through without the need for verification of authenticity.

Highly popular in the UK and the US among high school and university students, this is a new online phenomenon that is only a few of months old. However, it has also seen some pages being shut down in the US due to racial and sexually explicit content.

Confessions pages has now made its way to Singapore have not only sprouted up for schools, but also for the Singapore Armed Forces and the ruling political party. 

As a leader of any organization, such a page can be highly damaging for organization morale and its reputation in the eyes of the public. Even worse, such comments could potentially have been simply fabricated for the purpose of a personal vendetta against a person or the organization.

What should the organizational leadership approach be to the Confessions page phenomenon?  

Preventive
a) What is your organization's whistle blowing policy?
People write comments on Confessions pages generally to vent their frustrations (sense of helplessness or emotionally affected); see others' reactions to their comments (attention seeking); or to genuinely want change to take place (Voicing to see change - the 'V' of EVLN model).

If there is an avenue for members to speak out against any wrong doing in the organization with the guaranteed cloak of secrecy to prevent backlash, it will certainly dissuade many from commenting on a Confessions page. When people within the organization know that the whistle blowing mechanism is effective in addressing issues, trust will be in the system and not in the Confessions pages.

b) Managing change
Whenever change is introduced, people are likely to be unhappy, even though the change may be in all fairness, a change for the better. When change is managed badly or (worst still) not managed at all, members end up being disgruntled. As a former Brand Manager in the FMCG industry (fast moving consumer goods), I have always advocated getting Marketing folks to assist in crafting out a change strategy for HR. Since they are the folks who help influence customers to buy your organization's products or services, they can be very effective in helping influence and win minds in a major organizational change. 

c) Don't use the stick...yet
Despite your best efforts, some members will inadvertently comment on a Confessions page. It is not wise to internally post a memo to this effect,

"Please be reminded that all members are strictly forbidden from writing on XYZ Confessions page. Members caught will be severely dealt with".

Rather, see this as an opportunity to further refine your outreach efforts to those who have not bought-in to the organization's efforts to help solve their problems. A better message might sound like this,

"We sense your frustration as you have mentioned on the XYZ Confessions page and would like to reach out and assist you in this matter. We have helped many people solve their frustrations through the whistle blowing channel. Give us the opportunity to help you. Anyone who would like our assistance can contact us at Tel: 1234567....."


Defensive
a) When it hits the fan
According to social business intelligence provider CIC and Ogilvy PR China, a response within 8 hours of the situation is ideal. If not, the next best response time is within 24 hours. Crisis duration and negative influence will be greatly diminished according to their  report “2012 Crisis Management in the Microblog Era - 17 January 2013”.

Assuming a comment on a Confessions page that was created by people within your organization has gone viral and public. It is threatening your stock price and organization's reputation.

The first thing to do is to release a statement to inform the public and media that your organization is investigating the situation and then promise a follow up. Ideally, you should verify the online comments and release the facts within 24 hours. Organizations would do well not to forget about internal communications with your members and keep them up to speed on the situation. The best front an organization under fire can have is a united front where all members are of one mind, which makes it that much harder for the media to obtain a negative quote from an organizational member.     

b) Crisis management - people are emotional beings
While it is important for organizational leaders to verify the truth of the matter, it is more important that the public and organizational members be informed about the verification process and its results (via press releases or the official organization microblog).

Planning the execution of message delivery to the public and to organizational members is so vital, I cannot emphasize it enough. Even if the rumour was unsubstantiated, too harshly delivered and you are seen as heartless. Too soft and you could be seen as displaying poor leadership skills.

This principle has always helped me: 'Speak from your heart, to the heart'.

c) Penny wise pound foolish
If a situation potentially is spiralling fast and way out of control to be handled internally, the leadership needs to call in the experts. And while it may set the organization back by some thousands of dollars, this money is worth spending. Never underestimate the influencing power of social media.


After all said and done, the best plans and execution will come to nothing if the leader chooses to be less than transparent and show a lack of moral courage and determination to resolve the issue. Hiding the dirt under the rug is the attractive short term solution. But don't be surprised if one of your members starts confessing on a Confessions page - the dirty linen that could be airing may just be yours. 


Paul Lim is an adjunct faculty member with the Organizational Behaviour & Human Resources (OBHR) discipline at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University. He teaches courses in Leadership, Organizational Behaviour and Cross Generational Management. A doctoral candidate with French business school - Grenoble Ecole de Management, he is currently into the final phase of writing his thesis on 'Mentoring for the millennial (Gen Y) generation'. Prior to his move into academia, Paul spent 9 years in Advertisting and Brand Management.This article is based on the writer's personal opinion and is not representative of any organisation or persons he may be associated with.

Let common sense prevail

Those who know me, know that I choose to remain politically neutral so that I can maintain the credibility to comment across political lines. This is especially useful since I am often asked to comment on the actions of the various political parties. I can do this in an objective way as I am loyal to no one party. I choose to be loyal only to specific leaders and not political parties. One would know by now that blind loyalty to a party is foolish - both good and bad leaders make up any one party.

But the time has come for me to take a stand on some issues that have been affecting our society. The following is a speech made in parliament on 5th Feb 2013 and is reproduced from his facebook page. Mr Inderjit Singh belongs to the ruling People's Action Party. But he has broken party discipline to speak out against front-benchers. 

Many of the issues resonate with me. Some I know to be true from first hand experience. Others, because people I have met confirmed it from their own experiences.

Something to consider - Mr Singh is one of the MPs of Ang Mo Kio GRC, where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also happens to be an MP. This is certainly an interesting point to note and will lead to much speculation - Did he speak on his own accord? Is this a strategic move to prove that there is no groupthink in the ruling party? Or is he a pawn in a larger grand strategy to transmit a message from the general?  

Finally, this post does not represent the views of the organizations I am associated with. The purpose of this post is to provoke discussion by asking ourselves tough questions and to push for common sense to prevail.  

 


Speech by Mr Inderjit Singh, 
MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC
 On the White Paper on Population
Madam Speaker, thank you for allowing me to join the debate on the White Paper on Population.

While the report has some compelling arguments for the 6.9m population figure projected, we all know it is based mainly on economic considerations. Had we focused on things like building a cohesive nation with a strong national identity, the outcome would likely be very different.
I feel the time has come for us to find a better balance between economic growth and social cohesion and yes there will have to be tradeoffs of economic growth but I would rather trade some of these for a cohesive, united nation where people feel taken care of at home and are confident of their future. I am not saying we go for low or no growth. Instead I am willing to adjust my growth expectations for a more comfortable life for all Singaporeans. I am confident we will still be able to pursue respectable economic growth when companies and Singaporeans are faced with a situation of tightened labour availability by focusing on improving ourselves through productivity and higher value capabilities. Finland and other small nations have done, we can do it too.
Our past decade of rapid population growth has already created too many problems which need to be solved first before we take the next step. I call on the government to take a breather for five years, solve all the problems created by the past policies of rapid economic and population growth. We can safely say that we have failed to achieve the goal set by the then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, of a Swiss standard of living for most Singaporeans, except for the higher income Singaporeans including foreigners who just recently decided to make Singapore their home. So I call for a breather in this quest of growing the population and focus on improving the lives of Singaporeans and achieve that promised Swiss Standard of living for most Singaporeans first before we plan our next growth trajectory.
Taking Care of the Singaporean Core
I have a big issue with the number of PRs and new citizens we are planning to add to our population. I don’t see the necessity to be as aggressive when the key consideration of the population growth is the economy. We have already added too many new citizens and PRs and need time for integration and social cohesion to happen. Looking at history, our population grew from around 2.4m in 1980 to 3m in 1990 and then to 4m in 2000, reaching 5.3m last year. Just looking at the resident population alone, we grew the numbers from 2.3m in 1980 to 2.7m in 1990, 3.3m in the year 2000 and then to 3.8m last year. So in the last decade we added more than 1m to the resident population, and the in last 25 years, which is close to 1 generation of Singaporeans, we have added another close to 50% more to our resident population. I believe this must be the fastest rate of population growth in the world and I feel this is just too much for us to comfortably go back and build a national identity and social cohesion which was progressing very well till the 1990s. Adding another 500,000 to 800,000 more PRs and citizens as proposed by the white paper will be disastrous and add to our already difficult infrastructure and social problems.
If it is economic growth we want then let’s just adopt the Dubai model of a transient workforce which will give us a lot more flexibility to manage numbers in the longer term. On PRs, today we already have too many of them and they are enjoying full citizen privileges without the citizens’ responsibilities. For example;

• Far too many PR boys who skip NS when they turn 18. After enjoying the privileges they have a choice of not doing NS and then leave the country. I believe only around 30% of all PR boys do NS today. Well, our Singapore sons don’t have a choice but to do NS, it is an office(sic) not to do it.
• PR children study at their International system schools sticking to their home cultures.
• PRs can buy HDB flats from the open market driving prices of HDB flats too high.

So I urge the government to reduce the number of projected new PRs and citizens just to the population replacement levels and be more selective and differentiate their privileges from citizens. I have a few suggestions for the government to consider;
• The government in the past couple of years has tried to draw the distinction between PRs and citizens by increasing school fees and healthcare fees for them. But I wonder would it not have been better to instead partially subsidize these same fees for Singapore citizens? So do it the other way round, reduce fees for Singaporeans not just increase for PRs.
• PR children must be made do national service – it should no longer be a choice and we should make it an offence if they don’t do it. We should not grant PRs to families who don’t commit their sons to National Service.
• HDB – if a PR buys a HDB flat from the open market, charge a levy of say $50k and allow them to sell only to Singaporeans. If the PR takes up citizenship within 5 years, we can refund the levy.
• Children of PRs should be made to study in our national schools so that we increase the chance of integrating them at the next generation.
• On the employment front, it is time we implement a Singaporean first hiring policy like what is done in some developed countries like Canada. Companies should show proof first that they were not able to fill a position with a Singaporean before they are allowed to hire a foreigner.
• Reconsider the dependents policy – I have come across a number of cases where our targeted one child from China brings in 2 parents who then bring 2 parents each as their dependents – Net is that we gain one young one child who we brought in for our future but also inherited 6 older people – making our ageing population issue worse not better.
I feel the differentiated privileges will separate the genuine ones from those who are here for a ride. We should grant PRs to those who are most likely going to take up citizenships so these differentiated privileges should not stifle our plans to attract quality PRs and new citizens.
This brings me to the point of how many Singaporeans are feeling about the presence of such huge numbers of new citizens, PRs and foreigners amongst our midst. First for housing – there is no doubt that the influx of foreigners in Singapore has driven up our property prices. PRs are buying HDB flats from the open market which drives up prices.
Just last week I had a dialogue session with my private estates residents and one of my residents complained that a new citizens recently bought a landed property in this old estate and was building a 3 and a half storey towering house. Well the, new citizen, the owner of the house was also present and when, I spoke with him during the tea session I found out that he was a new citizen formerly from China, just gained his citizenship and bought not 1 but 3 landed properties in Kebun Baru alone. I was surprised and saddened because many Singaporeans cannot afford to do the same, and this new citizen, no matter how he may have made his wealth is able to do so.
Many young Singaporeans I talk to, especially those who have recently graduated and have just entered the workforce feel demoralized because many of the things that they grew up aspiring to have are now beyond their reach. Our aggressive growth strategies, which allowed cheaper foreign workers, including professionals to easily gain employment passes degraded or depressed wage levels of many Singaporeans, not just the lower income Singaporeans. I remember when I started work in 1985, my salary was $1900 as an entry level engineer. After a few years I could afford a house and a car. Today, 28 years later, an entry level engineer in Singapore earns $2600, just $700 more than what I earned when I started. The mathematics is very simple, the cost of living did not just go up by 1.3% per annum the last 27 years and even more, the cost of owning a HDB flat is did not just go up by 37% since 1985.
Finally, I am perturbed by the banquet analogy used by Minister Khaw. We are talking about lives of Singaporeans. Our banquet guests come for one night and leave when the function is over. There is no turning back when we grant PR and citizenships. We must be more exact about the numbers we want to add to the Singapore population and not plan on a basis of ‘hoping we hit some number”. Because if overdo things and end up with a population of more than 7m, it may be too late to stop the fast moving train of population growth when we fire up all the engines of growing the population. We missed the mark the last 10 years, and are already paying a high price for that mistake.
In my speech in this house in 2008 during the committee of supply debate on the population I urged the government to abandon the “the instant tree mentality” in trying to grow the population in response to the declining birth rates. At that time, I did not agree with the rate of growth pursued and we know the consequences and the hardship Singaporeans faced as a result of the rapid growth, Instant trees cannot grow strong roots and can be uprooted in difficult times. I once again urge the government to slow down and plan on reaching their population target over a longer time horizon. I don’t think we can live with a 6.9m population in 2030. We may be able to handle it in 2050, no one really knows. Please abandon this ‘instant tree” mentality as we cannot afford to make Singaporeans lives more difficult as a result. I rather we err on the side of caution when it comes to growing our population. We cannot keep paying a high price for planning misjudgements.
In conclusion, I would like to see us take a breather from re-growing our population again. We have too many problems as a result of the last breath taking population growth rate. As a government we need to rebuild the trust and confidence among Singaporeans that our citizens matter most to us and that we are willing take a break from our relentless drive for growth to solve their problems, make their lives more comfortable, give them a better quality of life and show them that any future growth of population will not create similar social and cost of living problems. At this stage many Singaporeans from all walks of life don’t have the confidence that we can handle another steep growth of the population, so let’s not push it. I would like all of us, including the government to spend the time creating and environment that gives us confidence in our future and one where our young can see a sense of hope of opportunity and if we fail to instil a sense of hope and opportunity for our future generations, we will not be able to root them here and build a strong national identity and a strong nation. This is what building a strong Singapore core should entail. So let’s delay all plans for further population growth for now.

Priority Seating - an alternative point of view

A new invention by Ngee Ann Polytechnic students serves to prevent conflict from taking place over the use of priority seats on MRT trains, and to allow those who truly need the seat to gain access to it. The seat, in its original form, is folded. Once a user is in need of it, they would tap their ez-link card onto the sensor and the seat can be pulled down.

For priority passengers other than senior citizens such as the pregnant and the ill, the students suggested that a doctor's note be used to support their need for the seat. Their ez-link cards can be activated for a limited period of time.

First off, I would like to commend the students for coming up with such an idea, no doubt with some help and guidance from their lecturer. But they have made this invention their own, and it is worth something. I encourage more students to follow their example to step up and innovate to create a better society.

From the usage policy point of view, it is worth a closer look at the human behaviour that might result from such an invention.

If the purpose is solely for the passengers in need of a seat, then it will fulfill its purpose. However, the students created this invention after viewing videos on passengers fighting over the use of the seat. Assigning the seat to needy passengers was secondary (http://www.asianewsnet.net/Smart-seat-to-prevent-train-rows-41097.html)

Influencing change in human behaviour is one of the most difficult things to master. There are no set rules; the rules keep changing; the rules is often difficult to replicate across borders; and measures that work now may not work in the future.

One of the giants in the field of psychology, BF Skinner, introduced the Reinforcement Theory of Motivation, in that an individual's behaviour is a function of its consequences.Simply said, if we receive positive consequences, it is likely we will continue in that behaviour. The converse is then also true.

To apply Skinner's theory to the Priority Seat invention, we are simply removing the right of able bodied passengers to use the Priority Seat (Extinction); and we are 'rewarding' needy passengers with a specially activated ez-link card so that they gain the right to use the seat (Positive reinforcement).

On the surface, it looks like the problem is solved. However, humans can be strange creatures. What happens when there is more than 1 needy passenger in the train carriage? My take? The conflict over seats will be shifted from the Priority Seat to the regular seats.

Furthermore, remember that the Extinction of rights of able bodied passengers from the Priority Seats will generally be perceived as a punitive measure (meaning: we cannot trust able bodied passengers to give up priority seats to the needy, so their rights to the seats must be removed). Able bodied passengers might then perceive that it is then now their sovereign right to the remaining seats and thus result in more competitive and aggressive skirmishes.

At the other end of the spectrum, giving needy passengers the access to Priority Seats will be perceived as a reward to those who are senior citizens, pregnant or ill. As such, if the Priority Seats are already taken by another needy passenger, other needy passengers might see it as an automatic right to gain access to another seat, no matter the cost, resulting in possible conflict.

My view - passenger behaviour may end up more aggressive and at worst, resentment against needy passengers will rise.

One might counter that society has always expected senior citizens, the pregnant or ill to naturally receive special treatment. Such an invention is no different from other benefits made available to them by the state.

True.

But  if I may - if we as a society truly value the needs of needy passengers, then why have the students created the Priority Seat invention in the first place?

Beyond Academics

Full e-mail interview transcript - Blue & Gold (Issue 17) 

1) First off, please tell me more about yourself- what is your specialty, and what were you doing before you decided to take into your hands the education of young adults?

I used to be a Brand Manager in my previous life, managing the Singapore arm of a publicly listed Malaysian company. After more than 7 years in the business of marketing, I decided to take the plunge and switch careers 5 years ago, pursuing my interest in teaching and helping leaders manage their organizational challenges. Specifically, I have a passion to nurture leaders for the future and I have not regretted it my decision!

My research interests lie in Mentoring and Multi-Generational Leadership. I enjoy teaching topics related to Organizational Behaviour, especially those related to Conflict Resolution, Negotiation and Power & Influence.

2) As a professor, or an academic yourself, what do you expect from your students when they sit in your class?

I am aware that different students have different motivations for signing up for a class. Some do so because they are interested in learning. Others, because their friends have signed up for it. And there are others who are there to fulfill the school’s requirements for graduation. Whatever the reasons are, I welcome all students to my class. Students who benefit the most are those who come with an open mind; ask good questions; and put in some thought when doing their work.

3) There is definitely a huge difference between 'academics' and 'learning' even though both are closely related. What are your views on the difference?

Academic research study is important and is one of the three tenets of a good university – the other two being teaching and industrial engagement.

Academic study will most definitely lead to an increase in knowledge in the researcher. However, whether the researcher has learned well from the results of the study is another thing. I have this belief that learning is comprised of Knowledge, Understanding and Application.

First, you obtain Knowledge from your readings or other people. One has to then Understand and digest the information obtained. Lastly, Application sees you putting what you have understood into action, thus completing the cycle of learning.

So yes, Academic study has the potential to increase one’s learning of a subject.

4) Other than for the sake of a degree and a "better future", why do you think people go to university, and what do YOU think people should go to university for? Could you list some examples of students you know who do not go to university for academics only?

To seek your future spouse? And why not? I found mine when she was on exchange program with the university I was studying at!

The process of attending university is to gain theoretical knowledge and to go through the rigours of a higher education in preparation for the demands of the workplace. Most of us attend university because it is expected of us to do so upon completion of our pre-university. However, it is important to ask ourselves why we attend university and what we hope to achieve upon graduation.

Some people I know attend university to network with the ‘right’ crowd – those interested in start-ups and IT go to schools in San Francisco, near the Silicon Valley. Others attend a certain university in order to understand an emerging market – this is especially so in the case of students going to China to study.

5) In relation to questions 3 and 4, how do you think the notion "beyond academics" can be applied to our university education?

You should enjoy your time in university. I can well appreciate that workload at SMU can be rather heavy, but I think with a little time management and a conscious effort not to overstretch yourself, one can definitely have a more rounded experience at SMU. Some of our foreign friends attend my class on the exchange program. Every semester, I am slightly amused when the quiz results are finalized. Despite their frequent travels during the school term, they seem to be getting top grades. Local students would put in a whole lot of effort to study for the quiz and would end up getting the same top grades. I discovered that when these exchange students studied during their travels, they would either do it on the plane, at the airport or by the beach.

Hard work is a virtue. But studying smart certainly makes the process more bearable!      

6) Do you think that "creativity" and "fun" are impossible to achieve in schools (other than university)?

Absolutely not.

Research has shown that we learn better when we enjoy our lessons. At least one institution in Singapore has made an effort to make classes fun and promote creativity in their lessons. The challenge though, is to ensure that ‘fun’ and ‘creative’ lessons will lead to measurable results and good ones at that.

That said, it does take a lot of effort and resources to ensure that lessons are engaging, but this is necessary for the benefit of the Generation Y population and beyond.

7) I am aware that you have a blog and I read your entry "Is there hope for Generation Y?". You wrote that "speed is not an option" but an "expectation" for post-1980 babies. How do you think this has affected students these days while pursuing their education? How do you think they can ensure that this does not negatively influence the way they lead their university life?

It is not wrong to find shortcuts in life. Louis Pasteur once said that “Fortune favours the prepared mind”, and a ‘prepared mind’ usually leads you to find the best and shortest way towards your goal. In the past, people were more willing to accept the process of time before achieving gratification. With the inception and proliferation of the internet, we are now in a world that moves at lightning speed, affecting the way we work and see life. Generation Y (millennials) are the result of such an environment. There will be changes in the way millennials view school work. Completing the assignment might be foremost on their minds rather than taking time to verify from quality sources. Plagiarism may not be viewed as morally wrong but as a means of expediting one’s work. We can see precedence in Harvard University’s school of government’s widespread cheating case in one of their take-home exams, in which almost the whole class cheated. As of 1^st Sept, the case is still being investigated.

We will also see fewer students enroll for PhD programs, given its rigour and intensity without a tangible and quick enough return on investment.

In order not to fall into the trap of the ‘need for speed’, it is important to go back to basics and ask yourself many questions – why have you embarked on a university education at SMU? What do you want out of your time here? Is the faster way the better way in the long run? Who can I get objective advice from when I have to decide on courses or majors? My friends are all choosing this path – is this the right path for me? 

8) Again, with reference to the notion "beyond academics", do you have any advise to students as to how to make their university life more fulfilling?

Take it easy – grades are important but are not the only thing employers look for in a graduate. University time is a great time for you to discover yourself and to do some serious self-reflection. Don’t just join CCAs for the sake of looking good on your resume – will you be able to do a good job and contribute well once you signed up for it? Remember, to preserve your good reputation – what goes around comes around.

Finally, make many friends and build up your network within SMU. Such an opportunity is only opened to those within the SMU community – take advantage of it – you might just end up finding your life partner here!