ISSI’s Dalida attends APO Workshop on Leadership of Service Transformation
Regional efforts to strengthen leadership and service sector transformation took center stage in Singapore as the APO Workshop on Leadership of Service Transformation in the Lifestyle and Service Sectors was held on September 1–4, 2025 at Aqueen Paya Lebar, Singapore. The four-day program gathered 22 participants from APO member and observer countries to examine how leadership, technology, and innovation are shaping the future of the lifestyle and service sectors amid ongoing disruptions. Through the assistance of the Development Academy of the Philippines, UP ISSI sent Mr. John Rene Dalida, University Extension Specialist from the Business Enterprise Development Division, to take part in the program. The workshop focused on how leadership, technology, and innovation are transforming the lifestyle and service sectors and utilized expert-led discussions, applied learning sessions, and field immersion activities.
The first day focused on leadership foundations and human capital capabilities, with Ms. Marisa Agrasut highlighting the evolving role of leaders in service-oriented organizations. This was followed by Dr. Nur Anisah Abdullah’s discussion on strategic foresight and Mr. Thomas Gebhardt’s session on building organizational resilience in the face of uncertainty. On the second day, Ms. Angeline Chin presented key concepts on business process reengineering and technology adoption, after which participants visited the National Library Board in Tampines to observe the Smart Library and its integration of digital solutions to enhance service delivery and user experience.
Day three emphasized foresight tools and anticipatory thinking, as Dr. Anisah facilitated hands-on exercises on emerging issue analysis and the Futures Triangle. These sessions encouraged participants to systematically examine trends, uncertainties, and underlying drivers shaping the future of service sectors. The learning was further enriched by a field visit to the Singapore Institute of Technology in Punggol, where participants observed initiatives in digitalization, sustainability, and cross-sector collaboration.
The final day centered on translating insights into action. Dr. Anisah introduced causal layered analysis to help participants uncover deeper systemic issues affecting service transformation, while Mr. Gebhardt outlined practical steps in systemic change management. Participants then consolidated their learning by finalizing and presenting their institutional action plans to ensure that the workshop outputs were grounded in their respective organizational and national contexts.
Participation in the workshop supported UP ISSI’s ongoing efforts to strengthen productivity and digitalization initiatives for MSMEs, which are central to the Institute’s research and extension agenda. The practical knowledge gained on business process reengineering, foresight planning, job redesign, and leadership development will inform future training programs, research activities, and partnership engagements of UP ISSI. Moreover, the exchange of best practices with fellow Asian participants provided comparative insights that can be adapted to address key challenges faced by Philippine service enterprises, including limited R&D investments, workforce capability gaps, and the need for long-term, systems-oriented service transformation.