one same world of business and education

Good Tuesday to everyone ka!

I just read an article from LinkedIn, entitled, ‘The Six New Rules of Business’  by Alan Murray, Editor of the Fortune Magazine and think there are some interesting implications to our education world ka.

The Editor points out that in this new industrial revolution driven by technology, he’s got 6 points from what Fortune’s Geoff Colvin has written ka (I have yet to read the full article!) Though it refers to modern business (still hear quite a few say that business is different from education! Um! yes but no mai ka!?! If we can get some good thinking and learn the trends, we definitely will do a much better job!), I find it so useful for us to realize how our processes and results for quality graduates and other services need to align with what is and will happen ka.

His 6 points drawn from the article are:

1. You don’t need a lot of physical capital—more sharing economy is seen like Airbnb and Uber.
2. Human capital will matter more than ever—employees have to be carefully picked as ‘they are the company.’
3. The nature of employment will change—more gig work (self-employed, freelance) with much fewer employees in a company.
4. Winners will win bigger, and the rest will fight harder for the remains—only creators tend to make a fortune.  
5. Corporations will have shorter lives—let me quote from the article, which reads, ‘The average life span of companies in the S&P 500 has already fallen from 61 years in 1958 to 20 years today. It will fall further.’
6. Intellectual property knows no natural boundaries—as it creates both value and income to modern corporations.  

Have our universities been aware of the trends and the world our students and younger generations will live and work? Do our curriculums with so many standards imposed allow us to keep up with the reality?

For me the most important questions are for us to ask ourselves whether we as ‘the more experienced’ in the education community know that we don’t know much, what in fact that we need to learn more, and how to act accordingly by becoming very engaged while engaging our students since it will be for their world that could be so very different from ours!

A week for us to think more about our world of education that isn't far off from business na ka.

LGBTQ

Hope you all have greeted Monday with lots of positive energy ka!

 

I've been reading about and discussing LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning) for quite a while with several papers I co-authored with my Fulbright colleagues touching a little on this issue. Have seen more movements from there ka.

 

Most recently, I learned even more from the heart of an American gay who I know. He shared his pain, doubts and other mixed feelings, going through his personal whispers what he has thought he is before coming out to feel empowered as a proud gay.

 

In our Thai society, we are used to seeing many ladyboys or transvestites, as well as many more tomboys. What have we known about them, their real selves, and their outlook in life? We tend to take them lightly for their talents and fun-lovingness while some talk about them in negative ways.

In the case of my American friend, the situation could be quite similar to that of ours ka. He saw his friend suffering from telling the truth to his family who was aggressively unsupportive. He then was trying to act like he isn’t one during his college years and it made him feel miserable. After years of hiding, he finally realized he needed to be himself, to be what he is, and to feel good of himself! I sure am very proud of him too!

I’ve been thinking of us here in Thailand. It seems that Thailand has been known for our open-mindedness as we seem to ‘show off’ that we have quite a number of happy ladyboys or transvestites.

I’m not so sure we’re that open ka:

·         Are we open only when they aren’t members of our families!?!  

·         Do we know how to address them properly? I feel awkward and sort of impolite when calling my friends ‘ตุ๊ด’ and if I’m close enough to the person(s), I’ll ask what he prefers to be called (several said it is ok to call them so because they too use it for themselves ka!)  

Lately, I read an article about a journalist who had an appointment to interview one gay. The first lesson from his office was ‘Do’s and Don’ts’. I wish we could also have something like that as a framework for us as well so we maximize our understanding of them as equal human beings on ‘respect’ and benefit from another form of ‘diversity’ in our society and the world ka. 

In fact, there’re lots of implications from the changes. The traditional ‘gender issues’ have gone beyond what we’ve known (like their ‘rights’ about ‘gender choice after birth’, ‘medical treatment’, ‘preference of being addressed’, or even use of restrooms, etc. which should strike some sort of balance with the rest of the people.) We do need to get more serious and realistic…yet, be very careful not to overact in some aspects like going along with kids at too-earlier ages since they need time to know themselves and again, naturally, there could be some errors in between. 

Such a complicated and challenging world we are in ka!

Competitors vs competition

I was thinking of writing about another issue but happened to come across this article on 'LinkedIn' today about competition and competitors ka. If you haven't read it, let me share to you what it's about and what I think ka.

The article is entitled, 'Competition, Not Competitors' by Ramesh Srinivasan. The two seem so similar but when we think along of what he points out, the way of thinking could be changed loei ka.

The author: '....too much time being spent ......on analysing competitors, their tactics and motives.......if the competitor comes to know that you are so concerned about all their moves, they may make moves.....only to get you concerned.'

'The primary job of your competitors is to distract you from your purpose, your goals.'

Ptk: So true in our situation when we started introducing TQA/EdPEx na ka....it's become one of the issues raised for discussion with how and why, etc.

For me, with or without this question about competitors, Thai universities always think of competing with their Thai universities yoo laew na ka. Questions are that, 'Have we tried too much or overdone it?', or 'Have we simply raised as an issue of complaint without much in action?', or  'Have we felt concerned about competitors over our purpose and goals?'

The author: 'Your competition, however, serve to raise the benchmark for your growth plans. Your true competition.....remind you that you too coujld be doing things as well as they are doing.'

'Competitors invoke competitive emotions such as envy, rage, fear......your competition should invoke respect and admiration in you......In effect, an obsession with competitors will engage you in a 'deadly embrace' while attention to competition will show you avenues for your own advancement.'

'You are your best competition-to be better than you were last week, last year or even yesterday.'

Ptk: It's very self-assesment and self-reflection oriented approach to do the very best every day to progress toward the goals set ka. Competitors only help us see the benchmark we may wish to reach and to stimulate our enthusiasm and energy to explore how they can and whether we could pick out some strategies or whether it is us really to pursue along the same paths.....all for our own advancement in our universities na ka.

Enjoy reading it with some hope that our universities see the competition in their own work more than make efforts to compete against another Thai university. In today's situation of our quality of education, university performance has become one of the few process and results that could revive and step up our advancement out of the 'lost decade' we have painfully witnessed ka.

Let's enter into our own self competition! We can kaaaa!

 

 

New Normal in the Thai Culture

These days, the term, 'New Normal' really hits me hard, for both better and worse and yet, it's part of the 'changes' we have to go through with the speed the world is moving na ka.

I'd like to share what I think is a positive 'New Normal' in our cultural traditions ka.

On a few occasions, I was in a situation where things didn't go as it should have, either with insufficient preparations, miscommunication, or misinterpretation.

Normally, Thai people could just let go (and some may discuss the issue outside the meeting rooms or have left the meeting with increased frustration). This time, things didn't go quite the same 'normal' way.

- The issue was raised nicely with understanding where the gap could have been.

- The issue was reemphasized to voice the concerns of those who 'were affected', and with some possible gaps.

- Solutions were given without mentioning much at all about the issues, which could be left for the audience to read between the lines, and those issues were obviously seen anyway ka.

I thought to myself from the forums I attended, "This must be a 'New Normal' in our Thai culture, particularly in the bureaucracy system when we face the confrontation nicely."

- It is much less a 'top down instructions' approach.

- It is a friendly and assertive way to identify the concerns.

- It is a straightforward manner to point out what could have been wrong with some suggestions for improvement.

This 'New Normal' in our Thai meeting culture is so very positive to me that I now yearn for the next step of 'following to see if corrective actions or any form of actual improvements could be seen', which is even better as we will move together toward the same goal with genuine collective efforts beyond just 'nice and kind words showering each other with empty happiness, or just counting on/waiting for authority to order!'

National Leadership on International Education

Hello all!

A few days, I had a chance to attend a great session given by Assistant Professor Surakit Nathisuwan, former vice president for international affairs of Mahidol, who shared his views on expectations of Thai universities of the Office of Higher Education Commission (OHEC).

He started by saying that it is a blessing that internationalization (IZN) of education is now mentioned at all levels. This makes life easier for Bureau of International Cooperation Strategy (BICS) to move forward and here are key roles it should play:

1. Enhance visibility of Thailand in the eyes of the education world through:

- branding with strong on-line presence (he cited a 'Study in Germany' websit with a slogan on 'Land of Ideas', which has caught attention and 'search' that is based on interest and specific requirements of webpage visitors. VDO clips of students are available to share their thoughts and observations about their studies in Germany.

 

- representation and leadership in important forums regionally and internationally that could promote partnership and secure possible funding for joint projects/cooperation.

 

This would engage dialogue partners for increased opportunities and at the same time, promote in-country networking among Thai universities.

 

2. BICS/OHEC has to be responsible for over 150 universities nationwide while it has only around 30 staff. It can't possibly do everything on its own. Rather, it needs to be strategic to maximize resources available, working more closely with Thai universities on strategic issues crucial to the overall development of higher education.

3. It has to show to the Thai university community that whatever it has been doing will generate benefits to universities and the Thai society for the former to buy in and lend their hands.

 

4. It should facilitate student/staff mobility through forums or different platforms related to IZN.

5. IROs should be assisted to be more capable with some accredited training programs, sharing/awarding best practices, some practical guidelines, etc.

6. BICS/OHEC should be the center of IR database about Thai universities (statistics and studies on inbound and outbound, projection of mobility in economic terms, etc.) and key/related issues even from other sources like research centers of banks, to guide national policy and possible benchmarking.

 

So good to get 'the voice of customer' that was straightforward, strategic, and productive so the Bureau has more invaluable inputs for its future directions ka!