Sept06 latest - Association of Dutch Businessmen

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BUSINESS You will need to set aside a good deal of time to convince your staff that you appreciate it when you receive critical feedback, and that you do not see a mistake as a mortal sin, but rather as a learning opportunity for the future. Just saying this once or twice or even more often is not enough. You will need to act as a real trainer and educator. To conclude this long introduction, the problems are real and only partly based on a cultural misunderstanding. But that does not mean they cannot be addressed. In my personal experience as coordinator of Critical Thinking at Nanyang University and as a corporate trainer, I find that Singaporeans are extremely open to change, far more so than western students, who often falsely believe that in the area of behavior and personal opinions, there is little they can learn. But your personnel need to be fully clear on your expectations, and you will need to spend real time spelling out exactly what these are. You need to pepper these explanations with plenty of concrete examples of what you regard as desirable work behavior, as well of those where you feel the wrong principles were at work. Do not presume that saying for instance ‘I want you to take initiative’ is enough. For people who have no prior Dr Marc van Loo is owner and founder of LooLa Adventure Resort, http://loola.net, one of the region’s foremost experiential learning centers, and he helps Singapore-based companies and schools coping with change http://ib-help.com reference to this kind of request such a directive is meaningless. Some local institutions have begun to address this area of concern. SMU university for instance has decided to make ‘speaking out’ a formal part of the assessment, and the results show it: SMU students are now noticeable for their ability to provide critical feedback, even in the face of strong opposition. Likewise, Temasek Polytechnic has embraced a novel technique, pioneered by the university of Eindhoven, called Problem-Based Learning. Again, the results are very clear: Temasek’s students are very articulate, often much more so than their peers from university. You will need to set aside a good deal of time to convince your staff that you appreciate it when you receive critical feedback, and that you do not see a mistake as a mortal sin, but rather as a learning opportunity for the future. Just saying this once or twice or even more often is not enough. You will need to act as a real trainer and educator. Remember that your staff will generally be very quick to say they understand, but this does not mean anything (this is as true for your domestic helper as it is for most personnel in the office). Initially you will have to test this understanding, until your staff understands that not understanding you is not a problem, and that you really prefer an honest answer. Do not be afraid or embarrassed to set little tests, such as ‘summarize what I just said’ or ‘give me an example of what I just said’. Unlike many Westerners, few Singaporeans will take offense at this, especially if you can keep it light with a big smile (but you must insist!); in fact most people vastly prefer such clear instructions rather than having to go around work without clear protocols and being not sure of what you want. Of course you need to be very consistent. If you want to teach your staff to take decisions on their own and not come to you for every small matter, you will have to curb your criticism when they do so but make an unwelcome decision. In that case, you will have to act again as a teacher, showing your appreciation that your staff has taken initiative, while calmly explaining why you do not agree with the particular decision made. Acting like this ensures that your staff understands that you see this mistake as a learning opportunity. Once your personnel understand that you are serious and consistent in your expectations, they will rise to the occasion, and they will quickly inform one another. In this respect Singaporeans are the same as everyone else: they like to take pride in their work and they like to take ownership over their decisions. You just have to help letting them know that they can really do so, and that you are ready to help them achieve that. 12 Vol.16 • No. 7 • September 2006
WEB WIZARDS Learning English online special http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/ http://www.eslcafe.com/ This internationally well known English learning site was created by Dave Sperling in 1996 as a support to his ESL (English as a Second Language) classes in California. It is intended to help both ESL students and teachers. It offers sections on idiom, phrasal verbs, pronounciation, a help section, a very active forum where you can ask your questions on the English language. There’s nothing fancy about the look and feel of this site. But it is simple, fast, highly functional and highly interactive in keeping with the meeting place concept that has proven so successful. The help centre was one of the first sections of the site to open and it is still one of the most popular. Discussion forums are another popular feature that keeps people coming again and again. Dave Sperling has a team of volunteers – all teachers from around the world – to answer the questions which are largely about English grammar. It is the job centre which “pays the rent”. At present, there are two boards – one international and one specifically for Korea whose language schools have traditionally been among Dave’s best clients. Powered by the British Council this is quite a comprehensive website with a range of different target groups. Learn English is not designed for complete beginners in English or very advanced learners, but every learner in between should be able to find something they can understand and practise. You can test your grammar, vocabulary, reading and listening skills. The tests only consist of 9 questions though, and apart from their final verdict on your general level, no feedback is given at all. Apart from the section for adults, it has a section for children with games, songs and stories and several extras, like options to print flash cards. Quite peculiar but interesting is the section on military English which is supported by the British Ministry of Defense to support peace keeping operations. This offers a games section with games like: ‘Capture!: Can you run a covert operation?’ and ‘Scenario: For if you find yourself cut off in enemy territory’ but also tests your knowledge on international flags, maritime vocabulary and the NATO alphabet. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/index.shtml This web site also helps both teacher and student to broaden their knowledge on the English language. Throughout the site you will find short courses, quizzes, grammar, vocabulary, audio and video. The grammar and vocabulary section explains hundreds of common questions on grammar categorized in categories like ‘confusing words and expressions’, ‘conjunctions and clauses’, ‘verbs and tenses’ etc. In the section ‘Watch and listen’ you can listen to over a hundred excerpts each with a list that explains difficult words, downloads of the script and a comprehension or vocabulary quiz. These excerpts are divided in 6 categories like ‘london life’ with topics like ‘the smoking ban’, ‘Japanese Londoners’, and ‘Margaret Thatcher’ and the category ‘The Blue Plaque’ which is about famous persons. The web site does not have too clear a structure, but contains a lot of interesting information is interactive with lots of downloads and exercises, and is updated every week. Definitely worth browsing. 13 Vol.16 • No. 7 • September 2006
Page 1: September 2006 MITA 373/03/2001 Wor
Page 4 and 5: A monthly publication of the Associ
Page 6 and 7: REVIEW Paul and Vera Govaart Siep a
Page 8 and 9: BUSINESS obedience and loyalty for
Page 11 and 12: BUSINESS Non Solus Pascal van den N
Page 13: BUSINESS While local bosses are oft
Page 17 and 18: French staff had to leave the count
Page 19 and 20: SINGAPORE Catchment of Marina Bay (
Page 21 and 22: SINGAPORE in Singapore By Sascha Ro
Page 24 and 25: MONEY The psychology of Investing J
Page 26 and 27: MONEY is a bit more explicit. He ca
Page 28 and 29: DUTCH NEWS August 15 th 2006, Sourc
Page 30 and 31: ASSOCIATION INFO New Members Barbar

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