Analytical minds, multi-tasking

Thailand should focus on enabling people to developing an analytical mind and handle multi-tasking so they can take advantage of rising job opportunities and cope with the challenges in an era of globalisation and emerging regional trade blocs, the head of Asean said.

Secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said such efforts should focus on enhancing human-capital competitiveness and promoting multi-tasking capacities to enable Thais to deal with the increasingly complicated environment of the upcoming Asean Economic Community (AEC).

He made the remark yesterday in his opening speech at a seminar on trends in human-resource development over the next 10 years, "Thailand Human Vision 2020", co-hosted by Thammasat University's Human Resources Institute and Krungthep Thurakij newspaper.

There should also be a focus on enhancing communication skills to foster Thai competitiveness, Surin said. It is unavoidable that if the Thai economy is to grow in this era, its people and its companies will have to go outside the country and contribute to the Kingdom from overseas. He urged Thai businesses to leave their "comfort zone" and explore new opportunities in overseas frontiers.

Dr Chira Hongladarom, secretary-general of the Foundation for International Human Resource Development, said the focus should be on equipping people with a life-long learning culture and analytical minds to enable them to deal with the unpredictability of this fast-changing world. They should also be prepared to deal with the AEC and adjust to living in the AEC environment.

InTouch executive chairman Somprasong Boonyachai said his organisation had focused both on providing professional training and encouraging staff to analyse things in many dimensions. It has also given importance to cultivating cross-functional working among different units to enable the company to bring the best services to customers.

He added that InTouch had encouraged staff to appreciate the work of units of the company other than their own. All of these are keys for it to stay competitive on a sustainable basis.

InTouch was formerly known as Shin Corp, and is Thailand's largest telecom holding firm.