This webinar discussion between Ravi Gurumurthy and Dr Serene Koh focuses on the findings of BIT's report on Singapore's governance and public service leadership. The report highlights three major themes: empowering vulnerability, pragmatic adoption and adaptation of policies, and a whole-of-government approach.

Koh explains that empowering vulnerability stems from Singapore's historical narrative of fragility and improbability. Despite achieving economic success, Singapore continues to cultivate a sense of vulnerability to inspire proactive and long-term planning that accounts for worst-case scenarios. The report proposes two actionable ideas based on this theme. First, it suggests engaging with the possibility of failure by employing ‘pre-mortem’ exercises, a technique used to anticipate potential problems and develop mitigation strategies, and ‘rate teaming’, which involves assigning a team to challenge and critique plans from a contrarian perspective. Second, it recommends establishing a dedicated unit for long-term scenario planning, allowing individual departments to address current needs while benefiting from strategic foresight.

The second theme, pragmatic adoption and adaptation, centres on Singapore's willingness to borrow and adapt policies from various sources while prioritising outcomes over ideological principles. The report advocates for an ‘ideologically blind’ approach to policymaking, emphasising what yields the best results for citizens. It also suggests a ‘syncratic’ approach, which involves combining ideas, adapting policies, and maintaining a laser focus on outcomes. This approach is exemplified by Singapore's recent implementation of a job seeker support scheme. This scheme, while providing unemployment support, mandates skills training, aligning with the nation's emphasis on continuous upskilling and adaptability.

The third theme, the whole-of-government approach, emphasises the importance of inter-agency collaboration and prioritising citizen needs over the priorities of individual agencies. The report identifies eight factors contributing to this mindset, including designing policies from the citizen's perspective and promoting permeability in leadership across agencies.

Koh explains that Singapore's Civil Service College plays a crucial role in nurturing collaboration and a whole-of-government mindset. The college, integrated within the Prime Minister's Office, emphasises immersive training, relationship-building, and outcome measurement, ensuring relevance, authority, and tangible results. Its approach to training often involves extended programs lasting several weeks or even months, allowing high-ranking officials, such as directors and deputy secretaries, to engage deeply with new ideas and concepts. This fosters a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the civil service as a whole.

Complementing this is Singapore's administrative service, an elite cadre of public servants known for their rigorous cohort-based training. This training approach cultivates a strong sense of community and shared responsibility, which proves beneficial when these officers transition into roles that require interagency cooperation. Koh suggests that elements of this model, particularly the cohort-based training and the focus on diverse recruitment, can be applied to broader public sector leadership training programs.

Finally, the discussion emphasised that while Singapore’s model offers valuable insights, it’s crucial to consider the specific context and needs of each nation before adopting its policies. Continuous evaluation and measurement of outcomes are essential for successful implementation, as is a high level of trust between the government and its citizens. This trust forms the bedrock upon which Singapore's policies and initiatives are built.