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Being in time for the future
THE NEED FOR CHANGE
What does it mean to be ready for the future?
Ten years ago in 1995, the Public Service was already effective, efficient
and corruption-free. Singapore was prospering. But the world was also
changing rapidly, and becoming more complex and uncertain.
In order to stay ahead and stay relevant to Singapore’s success, the
Public Service had
to adopt a whole new mindset. It had to
become much more nimble, forward-looking
and proactive.
And because times are always changing, the Public Service would have
to constantly keep moving and improving as well, in order to be in
time for the future.
The message was clear: We are doing well today, but we need to be
sure to keep doing well tomorrow, and keep laying the groundwork for
Singapore to succeed.
When PS21 was launched in May 1995, many Service-wide
initiatives were put in place to build capabilities in
key areas. These are familiar to all public
officers today:
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Staff Well-being
finds ways to look
after the motivation, welfare and development of
public officers. It ensures that officers are fit,
sufficiently challenged and duly recognised for
their contributions to the organisation. |
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Excellence through Continuous
Enterprise and Learning (ExCEL) harnesses
the creativity and ideas of every officer, and builds
their future capabilities through learning. |
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Organisational Review
improves the efficiency and effectiveness of systems
and procedures. This often involves management-driven
changes to processes, structures, organisational
direction, and the use of technology. |
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Quality Service
promotes an attitude
of service excellence in meeting the needs of the
public. It seeks to continually delight the customer
by exceeding his expectations of service, and by
offering Courtesy, Accessibility, Responsiveness
and Effectiveness in everything we do. |
Each ministry and statutory board has its own PS21 Committee,
headed by senior management, to pursue these PS21 goals
as part of its agency mission.
Other units support the overall PS21 effort in the Public
Service:
The PS21 Office in the Public Service
Division coordinates efforts across the Public Service.
It also operates a PS21 Hotline for public feedback, and
publishes Challenge to share ideas about change
with all public officers.
Scenario Planning
— already in Service-wide use since 1993 — enables the
Public Service to anticipate the future in a structured
way. Today, the Strategic Policy Office
manages this process. It also assists agencies in translating
possible scenarios of the future into working strategies
for action.
The Civil Service College offers a wide
range of courses, supported by the PS21 Development Grant,
to help officers build up their skills to take on future
challenges.
Since 1999, the Managing for Excellence
initiative has offered toolkits, systems and programmes
to help agencies achieve world-class standards of excellence. |
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We called this new approach: “Public Service for the 21st Century”,
or PS21 in short.
WHAT IS PS21?
PS21 is not a grand vision of a perfected Public Service. It is
about a positive, proactive attitude towards the future and the
changes it brings.
As public officers, our responsibility is to serve the public with
excellence. Through PS21, we aim to be a truly “Public” Service
in every sense.
To do this, we must be open to continual change. We must never adopt
the complacent mindset that we have arrived. We must always be on
the lookout for improvement: constantly improving efficiency, effectiveness
and quality, and learning new ways of doing things better.
A NEW WAY OF THINKING ABOUT CHANGE
PS21 asks the Singapore Public Service to Anticipate, Welcome and
Execute Change.
It has to think about the future, anticipate challenges before they
occur and prepare for them today.
It must be open to new ideas and technologies that can boost its
efficiency and improve the lives of Singaporeans.
It should operate as an excellent organisation — caring for its
customers and running efficient systems, with a capable, motivated
staff — so that it can make the right changes happen.
A PUBLIC SERVICE TRANSFORMED
Today, the Public Service is a dynamic network of 120,000 officers
in 15 ministries, 61 statutory boards and 9 organs of state. In
10 years of PS21, we have changed the way the Public Service operates
in every area of work.
Delighted customers, connected citizens
In the past 10 years, we have revolutionised our service to the
public — offering courteous, efficient and responsive service through
our counters, telephone and other channels. Our service providers
now compare with the best in the private sector.
Setting aside the image of the Public Service as slow and old-fashioned,
we have pioneered a wide variety of convenient e-government services
to the public — available round the clock on the Internet, through
mobile phones and self-help terminals.
Efficient processes, superior systems
Adopting IT has also helped us improve our work processes, integrate
our efforts and multiply our ability to serve the public. Today,
the Civil Service is one of the most wired and IT-savvy organisations
in Singapore.
Always finding better ways to offer greater value for public funds,
we’ve cut red tape by reducing or simplifying rules, cut wasteful
practices, removed frills and made significant savings in public
service delivery.
We have also pursued world-class standards of excellence in many
areas. Today, public agencies have chalked up successes in every
national benchmark of business excellence — from ISO 9000 and the
People Developer Standard, to the coveted Singapore Quality Award.
Leading public officers, a learning Service
The success of the Public Service depends on how well we mobilise
our most precious resource — our people.
From 2000, to support a knowledge-based economy and a
much more vocal, civic-minded public, PS21 focused on
three key areas of development:
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Total Organisational
Excellence, which asks public agencies
to operate as well-rounded, wellrun organisations
comparable with the best in the private sector |
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Innovation and Enterprise
— looking beyond day-by-day improvements to create
new value and quantum leaps
in service |
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Openness, Responsiveness
and Involvement to better understand and
be more responsive to the concerns of the public,
and engage them in the policy-making process |
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With more flexible work arrangements, learning opportunities, stretch
assignments and due recognition for their efforts, the Public Service
has helped its staff become the best they can be.
Our officers have proven that they have good ideas to share. Suggestions
and Work Improvement Teams have resulted in billions in savings over
the past 10 years. More critically, they have established the idea
that every public officer is willing and able to contribute to change
and improvement. Training and learning have become a way of life for
the Public Service.
We have also put in place programmes to nurture unique innovations
— big ideas from within and outside Public Service that could create
significant new value for Singapore.
HARNESSING THE CREATIVITY OF OUR PEOPLE
Public officers have an important role to play as Activists for Change
— always learning, always improving, taking the initiative to come
up with ideas — on their own and by working with their colleagues.
There is no time to wait for all changes to come from the top. Officers
closer to the action can best suggest what needs to be changed. Counter
staff know what customers’ needs are and how best to meet them. Public
feedback — even complaints — can help us improve.
Only with everyone thinking and working together at every level can
we truly be a nimble, responsive Public Service.
Read on and see what a difference PS21 has made in the past 10 years!
The logo consists of a stylised representation of the
letters “P” and “S” as well as the numerals “2” and “1”.
“PS” means “Public Service” while “21” stands for “21st
Century”. Together they make up “PS21 — Public Service
for the 21st Century”.
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Multi-diagonal
lines: portray a bird in graceful flight
— alert and alive, soaring to new heights — symbolising
a dynamic and responsive Public Service, proud of
its role in ensuring the progress of Singapore,
and confident of its ability to meet the challenges
of change and excellence for the future |
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Blue:
reflects peace and harmony |
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Red:
symbolises vibrancy and vitality |
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Black strokes:
a reminder of the wide range of services offered
to the public, carefully planned and effectively
carried out |
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