On judging a man by the cut of his suit and a ministry by its energy

Seen at the Thailand Productivity Institute's seminar last week, he was dressed no differently than they, in a dark suit and necktie. Only the beard and hairstyle made one think film-producer.

But he told the audience that was not what he usually wore to work at the cable-TV company.

"We're in the entertainment business, where things have to be relaxed," Pat said. "If the HR chief looks formal, no one's going to ease up. We have to be the role model, to show them it's okay to hang loose." His usual attire is a Hawaiian shirt and jeans.

That fits well with the company's culture, where innovative ideas are encouraged to help the business thrive amid ever fiercer competition from other cable operators.

Pat did not say exactly how the unofficial dress code increased productivity, but we suppose that as casual clothes are usually the lightest they slash air-conditioning bills.

It was a lively event, particularly for representatives of companies vying for the world-class Total Quality Awards for global recognition.

Unlike other seminars where panellists dwell on general details, panellists were not shy to show off just what their companies were doing, blithe in the knowledge that they were pushing towards better rankings and encouraging others along the path to corporate excellence.

It was thus surprising to see Deputy Energy Permanent Secretary Kurujit Nakornthap among them, for what has the Energy Ministry to do with Total Quality Awards? Well, according to the institute, the energy ministry is the only economic ministry that applies best practices itself, and Kurujit said that in four years that had generated much success.

"Now when people think about global warming, they think about us first. We're stealing scenes, even though we're the unit that emits the most greenhouse gas," he said.

"Still, we are trying to be a good boy, by minimising petrol and using energy as efficiently as we can.

According to Kurujit, everyone at the ministry is pleased with the result, even though it comes at a price.

As the first organisation people think of when it comes to global warming, the Energy Ministry is also the first to be approached for sponsorship of projects.

It seems to be maximising the value of everything, including its budget, which is a measly Bt2.4 billion for fiscal 2008.