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| ‘I
Don’t kNOw’ about innovation |
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| Public
officers were inspired by innovative
projects such as those implemented
at the Bloodbank@HSA. |
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| Established
only two years ago, the Health Sciences Authority
(HSA) has embarked on an innovation journey
that has reaped many positive results. Eighty
public officers paid a visit on 28 February
2003 to learn about its experience. The visit
was one of the industry tours held during the
Innovation Experience, an innovation week for
public officers.
Welcoming
the public officers to HSA, CEO Dr Clarence
Tan began his
briefing by addressing the question: What are the factors that
have contributed to HSA’s success in innovation? His answer,
which took his guests by surprise, was: “I Don’t kNOw”.
He then went on to clarify that creativity and innovation must
begin with the phrase “I Don’t kNOw”, because
it suggests a humble spirit and an open heart and mind to any possibility.
He said it is important for leaders to adopt this attitude, because
if the leader knows all there is to know, there is no need for
other staff to be creative or innovative - we just need compliant
workers.
The phrase “I Don’t kNOw” also encapsulates a
number of key ideas in HSA’s quest for innovation which he
said are critical for its survival and competitiveness:
“I” stands for Inspiring
Innovation
Innovation can only happen when people are inspired to achieve
more than they think they can and more than they know. Innovation
cannot be forced or prescribed. It has to be encouraged and nurtured.
“Don’t” stands for Don’t
Fear Failure
Attempts at innovation can end in failure. However, one must persevere
and continue trying.
“kNOw”
Playing on its homonym “No”, Dr Tan said the way to
start being innovative is to have “No Idea”, “No
Budget” and “No Control”.
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No
Idea - Because new ideas or
innovations can appear stupid, in order
to encourage innovation, it is important
to have no preconceived notions as
to how things should work. |
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No
Budget - Good ideas are often
killed prematurely by a perceived lack
of budget. The challenge for management
is to allocate the necessary budget
when the need arises. The attitude
that one should adopt is: “Got
Innovation, Get Budget”. |
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No
Control - Creativity and innovation
can appear threatening to management.
But innovators need freedom to act.
Without some fairly high level of freedom,
not much innovation will occur. |
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Sharing
experiences, showcasing expertise
Through a series of in-house video clips and media presentations,
Dr Paul Chui, Director, Office for InnoVation and Enterprise (In²Vent),
shared about HSA’s framework and innovation experience. He
also elaborated on various initiatives and projects undertaken as
well as the lessons learnt.
The climax of the visit was a tour to experience first-hand HSA’s
innovation culture and innovation journey. The public officers viewed
the projects that have been implemented at the Bloodbank@HSA, the
experimental and pilot workspace concept at In²VEnt,
the Graffiti Meeting Room, an exhibition on the various services
provided by HSA,
a display on “Dreams for HSA” - the HSA-ian’s dream
list, and much more. |
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By
HSA
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The risks
and dangers of innovating:
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Innovation
involves trust and trusting someone
can be dangerous.
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Innovation
means risking everything. Nothing
cannot be questioned or
tested. |
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Innovation
involves investment and investment
is risky. Reconditioning
takes
a lot of time, investment and effort. |
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Getting
people to change may mean upsetting
people. |
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