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| Innovation@Work |
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| Sixteen
projects by CAAS staff were exhibited
during the innovation fair. |
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Rave
reviews for the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore’s
(CAAS) second Innovation Week is a clear indication
that
innovation is taking off at the airport.
Held from 24 to 28 February
2003, the CAAS Innovation Week was packed with programmes
and activities for staff and public officers. The
theme of the event was “Innovation@Work” and
the activities were organised based on the various
stages of innovation such as ideas generation, sourcing,
support,
implementation and recognition.
Off to a good start
The launch ceremony featured a mini Thinkathon which sparked many creative
ideas. “I enjoyed the mini Thinkathon most,” said Ms Irene Yen,
Personal Assistant to Deputy Director General (Operations). “More than
600 ideas were spawned within 5 to 10 minutes. So it confirms the fact that
everyone is born creative, if we only choose to be.”
Following that was a visit to the National Library Board’s Woodlands
branch which exposed staff to innovations outside of CAAS and stimulated
them to source for ideas that can be adapted and adopted in the workplace.
Mobilising CAAS staff
The WITs and IDEAS Working Committees launched thematic campaigns to encourage
staff to contribute innovative ideas and projects through the existing innovation
support systems. For the thematic IDEAS campaign, CAAS staff are urged to
submit ideas according to the theme of “Doing More with Less”.
To stimulate out-of-the-box thinking, staff are asked “burning questions” related
to the theme. IDEAS submitted during the campaign entitle staff to incentives,
such as movie tickets, in addition to the usual IDEAS rewards.
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| Through
various activities and programmes,
CAAS staff were inspired to innovate. |
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A
roadshow by The Enterprise Challenge (TEC) Unit
was also organised. Response to that was good too.
Said Ms Michelle Tay from CAAS’ Human Resource
Division, “The TEC Roadshow was interesting. It opened my eyes to the
fact that radical innovations in the public sector can indeed be developed
to their fullest potential.”
Sixteen innovative projects by CAAS staff, including those which received TEC
funding, were on display throughout the week at the CAAS Innovation Fair.
The CAAS Innovation Week concluded with the distribution of posters featuring
the various innovation initiatives implemented by CAAS, such as the InnovAction
Process for generating ideas, and the I-Star Framework, an integrated approach
for spearheading innovation in CAAS (see this
story in Challenge December
2002 issue for more details on the I-Star Framework).
Engaging public officers
For the first time, the CAAS Innovation Fair was opened to 80 public sector
staff. CAAS hosted two site visits as part of the Innovation Experience, an
innovation week for public officers organised by the PS21 Office and Civil
Service College.
Each site visit comprised an introduction to the CAAS I-Star Framework and
innovation initiatives, a tour of the CAAS Innovation Fair and Innovation Gallery,
as well as hands-on experience with various innovative projects such as the
Thematic TV Lounges, IP Telephony and the Mobile Entertainment Corner.
“It was really an insightful visit for me,” said Ms Wendy Sng from
the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority. “I would like to express my thanks
to CAAS for the opportunity. As an innovation activist myself, I really think
that CAAS has done a good job in driving innovation.”
(Click here for
stories on the Innovation Experience.) |
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By
Alvin Tan, CAAS
Next: Project: AIRSTRIP
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