PETALING JAYA, Feb 8 — A mere two-day design thinking course has shaped some 30 Eco World Development Group Berhad employees into a more confident and enthusiastic group, its president said today.
Datuk Chang Khim Wah, who is also Eco World’s chief executive, said he is confident the course in Genovasi Malaysia would help employees get rid of the “working in silo” mentality and apply the newly-learned skills in their work.
“I have worked with some of them for years and while they are good at what they do, some can still appear timid or do not know how to incorporate empathy into their daily lives.
“Although we only sent them here for two days, I can already see the difference. Judging by the way they speak, you can hear they have so much confidence compared to when they first started,” he told Malay Mail when met at Genovasi here.
He said a high level of confidence is instrumental when working for a large property developer like Eco World, as it works with various markets globally.
“We sometimes deal with international partners so it is important for my employees to approach a matter as professionally as possible. Good communication skills is key in building great rapport,” he said.
Eco World’s Group Talent Management division manager Angelin Low said the company is mulling incorporating design thinking as part of its leadership development programme, and this session was the first of many to come.
“For the pilot training, we brought our high-potential managers first. We wanted to see how the course can help shape their way of thinking and how much it can benefit them on a personal level, and also the company.
“So far we are happy with the outcome, although it was unfortunate that we had to cut short a typical five-day course into only a two-day course due to time constraint. It is a busy time for us,” she said.
Chang, alongside other top management officers of the company, paid a visit to the nation’s only design-thinking-dedicated school Genovasi earlier today.
They also found the opportunity to sit in during the group presentations in which Eco World employees illustrated how they would use design thinking to tackle communal problems.
Also present during the visit was Genovasi Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Lee Yew Meng.
