Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd

Pivoting Online | Tertiary Education During the Lockdown Interview between Dr Craig J Selby (Orchan) & Philip Gan (Taylors University) An area of extreme passion for Craig is tertiary education. Having started his career as a tertiary educator, then as an educational administrator and leader, and now edutechpreneur, Craig's interest can be considered an almost lifelong obsession. In this interview, Craig gets to interview a long-established professional contact and friend, Philip Gan from Taylors University, to explore how the Covid lockdown has to some extent pivoted tertiary-level teaching to online, and what that meant for the student journey. But it's not as cut and dry as that; not only is online delivery a two decade old practice, there is a plethora of other facets of education to be examined, including assessment, value of the 2020 academic year, and the future of online and distance learning, to name but a few. It is a long video (40 minutes), but a ...

Stay Prepared!  Government responses to Covid took the world by surprise, so many of us have experienced a crisis impacting our business, but that doesn't make us prepared for another. Constant evaluation of risks, planning for contingencies, and developing outcome-oriented responses remain paramount considerations. A crisis can strike at any time. Just because a brand has successfully negotiated a prior crisis, doesn't mean that another one won't hit, and hit in a different way. It's essential to always have a Crisis Management Plan and Crisis Communications Plan in play for that very possibility. Each crisis we experience, directly or indirectly, is a learning curve and a teaching tool for teams and brands. Analyse what you did well, and understand your shortcomings. These form part of your key learnings, and contribute to the evolution of plans that can shape our response to future incidents. 

Impact of Organisational Culture on Change Management Commentary by Jeevandran Raghavan Organisational culture is 'how we do things around here'. Therefore, organisational culture will affect how leaders manage and implement change. It will also influence how employees perceive and experience change. Understanding culture will determine the most effective way to lead change. If the perception is that of top-down, conservative, risk-averse, and compliant culture; then leaders will need to flesh out all the change details and be prepared to hand-hold employees through the change. They should not expect a lot of employee collaboration per se and instead should expect employees to comply. The key is to adapt the change approach according to what works with the existing culture. Changing a culture is a large-scale undertaking, and eventually, all of the organisational tools for changing minds will need to be in play. On the other hand, change management ...

#FailureToCommunicate Truth is, technology is not always our friend. But it's not our foe either. The onus is on us to initiate and continue communication.

Adapting to Remote Learning in Higher Education Universities and colleges were once buzzing cultural hubs of research, teaching and learning. This unique ecosystem was impacted significantly by Covid, forcing higher education providers to pivot online, at least for the time being. Tough decisions included cancelling in-person classes, providing ‘on-the-fly’ training for online delivery and learning, all while alleviating fears and reassuring stakeholders. These accelerated changes within higher education mean Covid is considered a "black swan" transition catalyst. For years, higher education has retained a mostly traditional format through brick-and-mortar infrastructure and face-to-face delivery.   The challenge then is to identify how to continue delivering high-quality education. How do we reassure faculty about the channels of teaching, and students' about the quality outcomes from remote learning? Higher education providers need to explore s...

Social Media Influencers Trends, Metrics, Predictions Interview with Siim Sainas (BrandHero) Over the last decade, the significance of social media grew to become an important part of every business’ marketing strategy. It’s easy to understand why: a study from We Are Social found that worldwide there are 3.8 billion people who use social media in 2020, a number that grows every year. Streaming into multifaceted platforms, social media forms part of the roots for engagement with both millennials and Gen-Z communities. While the technology we have access to has never been greater, the competition has also never been higher. Over the past few years, Instagram has risen to become arguably the most influential social platform in the Western world. With its success, a certain kind of aesthetic has become the norm – the Insta life. Partnering with an influencer in a mutually beneficial arrangement to raise brand awareness or promote products and services can be...

Taking an 'Ar.my' Online Now days, apps rule our lives. Everything is “uber-fied” and at our fingertips. But before the trend, Orchan was involved in a cutting edge platform, geared up to help people. This, in our minds, contributed to the trend in Malaysia. CodeAr.my was an interactive online platform that combines employment with a gaming experience, to allow users to display their technical abilities, with skill points and reward badges, as well as undertake skill-based tests, in order to build their online work portfolio, as well as to bid for projects that people need completed. CodeAr.my advocates work on fractional basis. Technically termed ‘ globalized fractional employment’ , it is an employment model that consists of many part-time and varying-length contracts, rather than maintaining a 9-to-5 desk job. This offers lifestyle advantages to freelancers and those seeking additional income and skill-development opportunities. It means that businesses als...