Innovation – Mining for Ideas from Within

       It used to be just another word in the Oxford Dictionary until recently became a buzz word among SMEs, startups, MNCs and even the government sector. Every department is working on ways and means to move ahead and the term status quo do not seem to be accepted by results-driven leaders anymore.

    Instilling the spirit of Innovation has yielded various rewards for many organization. Innovation has helped organizations boost revenue, reduce cost and created a more exciting workplace for staffs of all levels.

Innovation is not possible without commitment, contribution, problem solving and teamwork. Innovation is a habit that needs to be nurtured and it needs to be influenced from an environment that promotes it. A top down approach has to be enforced in promoting innovation.

   

    Every organization has their own challenges and will need their own form of innovation, either in terms of product, service or processes. Human beings do not start off with a job. We lived off the land, we grow our own food and sell the excess for cash, we design and create tools, etc. Innovation has always been within us but it needs to be reignited.

   This innovation workshop can be a platform for organization to generate ideas on how they can move forward to increase productivity and efficiency. Learners will be guided to some useful practical tools to aid idea generation and moving towards a whole new innovation-driven work environment.

   Program Objectives

• Understanding the roadblocks and highways to innovation. 
• Understand the value of innovation and idea generation to an organization and one's career progression.
• Develop a new perspective on challenges ahead.
• Create ideas within an organization's context.

This program can be packaged as either a 4-hour innovation introductory workshop or a full day program. It is designed for junior staff to middle management leaders. The sessions are designed to be high energy, activity-based.

Course Outline

• Value of innovation and idea generation in company growth.
• Value of innovation in career progression of individual.
• Teamwork in idea generation.
• Identifying Innovation Barricade, Innovation Highways.
• Relationship between food, emotion, memory and creativity.
• Using SWOT Analysis as an idea generation tool.
• Creating an environment to promote innovation.

About the Trainer

      Mohamad Faizal graduated from National University of Ireland, Dublin, in 2006 with an Honours Degree in Management. He received his Diploma in Electrical Engineering in 1999 from Singapore Polytechnic.

      Mohamad Faizal is an independent trainer and training program developer for school’s enrichment program as well as corporate programs. Some of the high profile clients include the Republic Singapore Navy and the Republic Singapore Air Force where he conducts Innovation workshop under a flagship company, Anne Leong HRD. 

Prior to that, he was the Head of Operations for Moneytree Singapore Pte Ltd and a co-founder/partner in a facilities management consultancy firm, Metropolitan FM Solutions.

A strong advocate in performance management, innovation, training and continuous learning, he lives the cliché that the right training program and an enjoyable learning experience is a bridge towards improved performance and productivity.  

To view his testimonials, click here.

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Innovation & Enterprise Workshop For Anglican High School

I started taking a batch of 40 students from Anglican High in the Innovation & Enterprise Workshop in May this year. There will be a total of about 14 sessions where these students will be innovating, researching, marketing and presenting. Personally, I love running innovation programs. And this program that I was assigned to conduct is the most comprehensive innovation program in Singapore, I dare say, where students get to learn problem identification, brainstorming for ideas, learn to analyse the competition, learn to market and present their ideas.

The first session of the program

The class is made up of secondary 1 students and they are a bright bunch of teenagers. Very driven and full of energy.

 Earlier his year, i made a promise to myself. I must have at least 5 teams from various schools under my portfolio to get into the finals on this year's ICE Challenge 2013. For those who do not know what is ICE Challenge;
I.C.E Challenge is an innovation and enterprise competition held at a national level. The acronym for Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise, this competition is in conjunction with the Global Entrepreneurship campaign. Students will be required to create an innovative product idea and present them with a business plan. The finals will be judged by a panel and all preparation is for this day.

It is not the winning of the competition. It is about competing and this brings the students to another level altogether. It is from this experience that I think will benefit them. The trophy is just a bonus.

Research on Freelance Industry - Challenges and Triumph

Conducting Cooperative Program for a Secondary School

I was thrilled to receive a request to conduct a 14 session program for Cooperative program. If you have no idea what cooperative is, do check out this link - http://trainertoolkit.blogspot.sg/2012/11/awarded-3-year-exclusive-training.html.

I will be training and coaching these wonderful, bright, young minds all the way until the national competition at the end of this year. This year's competition will have a category in Social Enterprise.

In the following year, We will be coaching the students in setting up of a real, operational cooperative within the school. As we advanced in knowledge and technology, somehow we adopted individualistic culture from collectivism where our fore-fathers started off on this small island. Cooperative might be a good solution to the current challenges that we have.

Back from a 10-day trip in Japan

I do apologise for not writing as I was away and had no access to this blog and email. I left Singapore on the 14th April on a 9pm flight to Osaka, Japan, transiting at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

On the 15th of April at 6am, we arrived at Kansai Airport. The cool weather was such a change from the hot and humid Singapore weather.

During the 5 days in Osaka, I managed to drop by;
1. Osaka Castle
2. Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium
3. Nara Deer Park
4. The newly opened Sakura Park at Japan Mint
5. Kyoto Rose Cafe
6. The Golden Pavillion Kinkakuji Temple
7. Tsurumi-Ryokuchi Expo Park

Nara Deer Park

Nara Deer Park

                                                                                     

Nara Deer Park

Sakura Park at Japan MINT

Golden Pavillion Kinkakuji Temple 

Kyoto Rose Cafe

Tsurumi-Ryokuchi Expo Park

Osaka Castle

Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium 

On the 19th, we moved to Tokyo and until the last day on the 25th April, we visited;

1. Halal Japanese Beef BBQ Restaurant 'Gyumon'.
2. Disneyland Tokyo.
3. Gala Yuzawa
4. Ameyoko Street
5. Mount Fuji(base)

Halal Japanese Beef BBQ Restaurant 'Gyumon'

Disneyland Tokyo

Disneyland Tokyo

Gala Yuzawa 

Ameyoko Street 

Mount Fuji(base)

Mount Fuji

What have I gained from this trip?

These 10 days helped me to bond with my daughter. Seeing how she touches any object to fill her curiosity has helped me remember how fun it is to learn. I got her to touch the snow, the rock, the flowers and those deer at the Park.

From the Japanese cleaners to train operators, I noticed a unique Japanese culture that differ them greatly from the local workers in Singapore. It seemed to me that they took great pride in their work. The movement and gestures which they put in as part of their processes really amazed me. For example, which I was waiting for the shinkansen, I noticed the platform operators, pointing their hands from one side to the other and then speaking to themselves. I reckon that they were saying out the checks that they needed to make. And when one train operator hands over the train to another operator, the one handing over will bow and said something to the one taking over. There is really a unique culture at work here. Something that they have taken generations to nurture. I have never seen such dedication.

I left Japan with happy memories of the nature, structure and its people.

I'm doing some research on the local training infrastructure.

Attended 1st Annual Business Restructuring for Productivity Forum 2013 by Vector Scorecard

I attended the 1st Annual Business Restructuring for Productivity Forum organized by Vector Scorecard. I was very glad that I attended that event. If you are an SME(Small Medium Enterprise) owner, you should attend this forum. The speakers include; His Excellency Mr Teng Theng Dar, Director for Business Compass Consultancy and former CEO of Singapore Business Federation, Mr Mohamad Damshal Awang, CEO of ACA Amanie, Mr Lawrence Kong, Managing Director for NexMU Pte Ltd, Mr M Nazri Muhd, Group CEO of VSC Group. The Guest of Honour was His Excellency, Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Former Senior Minister of State and Special Envoy to the Middle East.

Based on Spring Singapore's performance indicators, in 2012, 99% of all enterprises in Singapore are SMEs  and they provide about 70% of the employment locally, and contribute over 50% of national GDP (http://www.spring.gov.sg/aboutus/pi/pages/performance-indicators.aspx#.UV8AqKJHKSo). SMEs will get a lot of support from Singapore government in various forms. I am very impressed by the support given. Mr Damshal shared with us on the different forms of funding available in other countries and their different conditions such as in the United States with the JOBS Act (Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act). He also explained the functions of chaebols in the Korean business scene and how it can be a two-edged sword.

Mr Nazri shared about the different industry trends between the retail, manufacturing and property. Here are some of my takeaways from his segment;
1. Strategic Investors are important. Even when the value of their investment is about a dollar(for eg), their network and knowledge will be able to help create channels for SMEs
2. Pricing expectation of customers must be assessed from time to time. The price that a customer might be willing to pay 5 years ago may not be an acceptable price today for the same product/service.
3. Relationships with existing customers must be strengthened.
4. Control cost of marketing and sales operations relative to the sales growth.

His Excellency, Mr Teng, was the keynote speaker and he shared his deep insights on the needs of a growing SME. He made a strong point that SMEs must not depend on the government on their growth. If they are, then they are in the wrong trade.

He shared 4 components that an SME will need in order to succeed in business in new economy. They are;
1. Business Model.
Different business will need different model and these models may influence the customer's expectation. He gmade a comparison between MacDonalds and Tung Lok. I remembered sharing this point to my former business partners when we set up our first venture. We need to make a choice whether to adopt a differentiated business or a cost leadership model.

2. Business Process Flow.
Is the organization static or dynamic? Are the processes looked into? Some organization depends on a process flow that was set up years ago.

3. Technology and Innovation.
Are we using the right technology correctly? Are we problem solvers or whiners? Can the spirit of innovation be instilled into the team.

4. People.
Are people an asset or a commodity? Are they trained to do the right things? Human capital must not be taken for granted. Especially in a small country like Singapore, how you treat your employees may be a factor for some talents whether or not to work for you.

After the session, I went out for some snacks and spoke to a few entrepreneurs. Among those that I met are Mr Nazzim, Senior VP(VSC) and Abang Abu(Nowasia) and they shared some experience and provided some suggestions of how I can move forward. The beauty of networking is that I can get free advise from experienced people on what works and what doesn't. I got a few very useful advise which will require me to change my strategy. I'm always after knowledge of those more experienced and I am blessed that those I met are very willing to share.

To the team at VSC, thank you for organizing this event. And to those whom I've met at the event, from the bottom my my heart and with deepest gratitude, thank you for your sharing. I've learned more practical business lessons in that short sharing than any business workshop I've attended.