Sold-out in just two weeks after the programme was launched – such was the overwhelming response towards the inaugural session of the three-part ‘SMU-WDA CXO Productivity, Service & Innovation Symposium Series’ held on 24 July at the Singapore Management University (SMU).

Organised from July through to November 2013, the Symposium is a first-ever joint effort by SMU and the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to help local service companies tackle the challenges they face in productivity, service quality management and innovation.  It also encourages companies to adopt a positive mindset about service productivity, and enable them to learn essential skills in innovation and strategies in implementation.

Indeed, as Singapore’s economy becomes increasingly service-oriented, there is a greater demand on our workforce to be productive, innovative and at the same time deliver great service.  Coupled with the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) business environment, companies are under tremendous pressure to perform.

With the programme targeted at the C-suites and leaders of local small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the team behind the programme clearly hopes to effect positive change from those right at the top; and judging from the very positive response, Singapore companies are taking a pro-active approach towards the right direction.

In a bid to maximise takeaways by participants, SMU’s Centre for Professional Studies designed the programme to be hands-on, practical and engaging.  Each Symposium features not only an experienced facilitator, but also an Industry Guest Speaker who will share his/her personal as well as organisational insights and experiences in the local context.

Helming the first symposium was guest speaker, Mr Foo Sek Min, Executive Vice President, Corporate, Changi Airport Group (CAG).  Mr Foo shared his insights on how CAG strikes the right balance between service innovation and service quality, as well as how the Group creates a service ecosystem that every staff relates well to, and provides their customers with a ONE CHANGI EXPERIENCE that will improve CAG’s overall service performance.  As the facilitator of the symposium, Mr Andrew Calvert, Regional Director and Solution Architect of Achieve Global, also engaged the participants in a series of group discussions and exercises that link back to service experience and taught participants how some innovation tools can be applied in specific settings to improve the overall customer experience and raise productivity.

[Photo: Mr Foo Sek Min, Executive Vice President, Corporate, Changi Airport Group (CAG) sharing his insights on service innovation at Singapore Changi Airport.]

On the collaboration with WDA, Associate Professor Annie Koh, Vice President, Business Development and External Relations, said, “In many ways, the partnership between SMU and WDA, like the pairing of the thought leader and industry veteran, aims to inspire and catalyse companies and participants into action, to make a difference and to lead the change in today’s dynamic times.”  Associate Professor Annie Koh is also the Academic Director for SMU’s Centre for Professional Studies.

Ms Julia Ng, Senior Director, Workforce Growth and Development Divisions of WDA, said that the agency has introduced various productivity capability development and training initiatives to enhance companies' workforce operational efficiencies and productivity levels in order to fulfil our national target of two to three percent productivity growth per annum.

“With the SME segment being an important pillar of Singapore's economy, I believe that the insights and experiences of the industry leaders and facilitators would be beneficial towards helping SME employers adopt progressive productivity and service innovation practices within their companies,” she shared, when speaking on the knowledge capability transfer that the Symposium Series facilitates.

The session was given the thumbs-up by Mr Phua Sian Chin, CFO, Teho International Inc Ltd, who had this to say at the end of the workshop: “Seeing and understanding the subject of innovation being brought to ‘live’ in a different perspective by an innovative speaker!”

The sessions on 18 September and 20 November are still open for registration.  The Industry Guest Speaker and Facilitator for 18 September symposium are Mr Liak Teng Lit, Group Chief Executive Officer of Alexandra Health System, and Dr Lim Yun Fong, Associate Professor of Singapore Management University (SMU) respectively.  The Industry Guest Speaker and Facilitator for 20 November symposium are Mrs Helen Khoo, Executive Director of Wing Tai Retail and Mr Robin Speculand, founder and Chief Executive of Bridges Business Consultancy International respectively.

More information on the three symposiums can be found here.

[Featured Photo: The inaugural session of the three-part SMU-WDA Symposium Series was a huge success.  Participants are seen here with facilitator, Andrew Calvert.]