Thinkers and Doers

(With thanks to The Straits Times )
Nov 5, 2009
Scholars must be able to both think and do

Public Service Commission chairman Eddie Teo spoke to some 350 scholarship holders from 27 public agencies at the annual Singapore Seminar in London last Saturday. The seminar is for scholarship holders to keep in touch with issues and developments in Singapore. It is also an opportunity for them to network. Below is an excerpt from Mr Teo's speech:

OUR best scholars know they have to start from the bottom in order to reach the top. They realise that to gain the respect of others, they have to gain experience before they can make a meaningful contribution. They willingly go to operational jobs and get their hands dirty. To them, each posting is a challenge and an opportunity to learn new things, even if there are low moments. They learn to take the rough with the smooth. They know that implementation is unglamorous but vital to policy-making. They realise that they need to convince others of their competence through actual performance and should not expect their potential to propel them upwards. They know that no outcome can be due only to their own brilliance, but is the combined effort of their team. They do not look down on non-scholars because they know that many non-scholars have deeper know-ledge and more wisdom.

Why is it important for scholars to start at the bottom? While learning the ropes and acquiring a dose of humility are worthwhile benefits in themselves, there is, in fact, a much more fundamental reason. Many scholars say they want to join the Management Associates Programme and become Administrative Officers because they want to 'make policy'. But they fail to realise that a policy is only as good as how it is implemented. Policy-making and implementation go hand in hand. To make good policy, officers need a feel for the ground and an understanding for practical implementation constraints.

You cannot conceive of good policies or make improvements to existing policies just from first principles or what you have learnt at university. You have to understand our society and economy, how things work, what can be done and what cannot. It is not enough to focus on formulating a policy without going into the details of how it should best be carried out. As a public servant, you are responsible for both. We do not have a system where scholars think and non-scholars do. A scholar must be able to both think and do.

A well-conceptualised policy will fail if it is poorly implemented. A public servant who does not anticipate ground reactions and think through the impact a particular policy will have on people is a poor public servant. An operational job enables you to learn first-hand how to implement policies and discover for yourself what the possible pitfalls are when you deal with the real world.

I asked a few permanent secretaries and deputy secretaries who had been scholars to share with me their recollections of the first few years they spent in the public service. What they told me may be of interest to you as you embark on your public service career.
A police scholar started as an assistant investigations officer, doing front-line work on suicides, thefts and molestations, among others. The posting taught him people skills because he had to work with non-scholars, and developed his empathy for the public when he dealt with crime victims who sought his help.
Another started work as a statistician where she spent her first week figuring out what she was supposed to do. She shared a phone with a subordinate, and because she was more senior, the phone was placed on her desk. But she soon realised that her subordinate needed the phone more than she did, and she therefore placed it on the other desk instead. That experience taught her that function was more important than position.
When another officer started work, he had a subordinate who was old enough to be his father. Their ideas were often at odds, but he soon realised that while he had lots of knowledge, his subordinate had a lot more wisdom. Over time, he learnt to complement his own analysis with his subordinate's suggestions.
Another recalls how she had to do many things herself - photocopying papers for meetings, receiving and serving visitors, and taking lots of minutes during meetings, sometimes as many as three sets a day. She had to be very nice to the typists in the typing pool in order to ensure that her work did not end up at the bottom of the pile.

Young scholars: Some cause for concern

MOST of the current generation of young scholars are responsible and dedicated, but a few have a poor attitude and misplaced expectations. Some are very choosy about their postings and tend to place their personal interest above organisational interest. Many management associates or MAs want to go to MTI (Ministry of Trade and Industry) or MOF (Ministry of Finance) for their first postings and get upset if posted elsewhere. One was so upset he resigned, breaking his bond. When some young MAs were asked to go to NTUC to observe retrenchment exercises and learn about what impact the economic recession was having on ordinary Singaporeans, one MA asked: 'What is a retrenchment exercise?'

Why should the Public Service be worried that some scholars are like this?

First, if our scholars seek to advance only their self-interest, it indicates that they may be unable to work in a team. Much of public service work today involves teamwork because Singapore's problems are becoming more complex and involve many ministries, and no single individual can solve them. Besides, public policy- making is always the product of a group effort, of repeated discussions and revisions. From the first idea to the Cabinet paper, proposals will involve many people and countless drafts. Some young officers are not used to this and do not feel a close enough sense of ownership with the final product. This is the way government works and is, in fact, a strength of our system because this is the way we gather different perspectives and considerations into a well-thought-through solution. '

Second, if fewer and fewer young scholars desire ground postings, more and more of them may become divorced from ground issues and will start to lose their empathy for ordinary Singaporeans. The problem is not yet so widespread that it cannot be rolled back. There is still time for the Public Service to correct the trend.

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Many scholars say they want to join the Management Associates Programme and become Administrative Officers because they want to 'make policy'. But they fail to realise that a policy is only as good as how it is implemented. Policy-making and implementation go hand in hand.