Chan Chun Sing urges public service leaders to become 'entrepreneurs' amid growing global uncertainty

Amid a world that has become more volatile, complex and contested, the demands on Singapore's public service leaders are changing, and they must evolve to become entrepreneurs, said Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing on Friday (Sept 18).

"Our public service leadership must continue to evolve as the world around us changes...Each generation must earn our relevance anew, and build what Singapore will need next," said Chan, who is also Minister-in-charge of the Public Service and Minister for Defence.

He was speaking at the annual public service leadership ceremony held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, where 33 officers were appointed as public service leaders and 79 others were placed on the Public Service Leadership Programme.

Turning to the challenges ahead, the coordinating minister noted that the rules and norms that have governed the international system have come under increasing strain.

Meanwhile, in Singapore, pressing needs such as workforce transformation are taking place against the backdrop of an ageing population and the need to sustain economic growth.

"These issues before us are increasingly interconnected and cut across organisational boundaries," he said.

Charting Singapore's path forward, creating value and bringing people together

Chan said that public service leaders must become entrepreneurs of strategic space, governance excellence and collective action.

On charting Singapore's own course to become entrepreneurs of strategic space, the coordinating minister said the public service must actively forge new bilateral and multilateral partnerships.

He cited the example of the world's first standalone Digital Economy Partnership Agreement founded by Singapore, Chile and New Zealand, as an example of how the public service can reimagine what is possible, and exercise agency in shaping its environment.

But this would also require Singapore's public service leaders to develop a deep understanding of others, including why they do what they do.

To that end, Chan encouraged them to deliberately deepen external and international exposure across the public service.

"These are not partnerships of convenience. They are deliberate efforts to create new space for cooperation and advance our shared interests," he said.

On being entrepreneurs of governance excellence, Chan cautioned that Singapore will not automatically remain a partner of choice.

"Others will only work with us if we continue to bring value to the relationship and are able to expand our portfolio of new capabilities to bring distinctive value to the table."

Using the example of Singapore's semiconductor ecosystem, the coordinating minister highlighted how the Republic has deliberately built capabilities across the value chain, thereby becoming a trusted and indispensable node in the global supply chain.

He challenged public service leaders to continually experiment, innovate and reimagine what is possible.

"We must be proactively scan the horizon and reimagine solutions with courage and creativity."

The third area of change is in shifting from doing things for Singaporeans, to doing things with them, Chan said.

This, he said, means engaging stakeholders, building common ground and painting a shared picture of what success looks like.

"(It) will require us to convene different stakeholders, listen genuinely to their different interests, and articulate trade-offs honestly to create a shared understanding," he added.

That, in turn, requires the public service to be clear-eyed about what it can do, while acknowledging that it will not possess every answer or capability.

"We need to know what we must be good at, and have a responsibility to decide what others are better placed to do and how to bring citizens, communities, businesses and Government towards a common outcome."

Closing his remarks, Chan said that if the public service can make these three shifts well, then Singapore will continue to be a partner of choice, both at home and abroad.

新加坡公共服务统筹部长陈振声周五（9月18日）表示，在当今世界变得更加动荡、复杂和充满竞争的背景下，对新加坡公共服务领导人的要求也在发生变化，他们必须与时俱进，成为企业家。

“随着我们周围的世界不断变化，我们的公共服务领导层也必须不断发展……每一代人都必须重新证明自身的价值，并建设新加坡未来所需的东西，”陈先生说道，他同时也是公共服务部长和国防部长。

他在滨海湾金沙会展中心举行的年度公共服务领导班子仪式上发表了讲话，仪式上任命了 33 名公务员为公共服务领导，另有 79 名公务员参加了公共服务领导班子计划。

谈到未来的挑战，协调部长指出，国际体系的规则和规范正面临越来越大的压力。

与此同时，在新加坡，人口老龄化和维持经济增长的需要，使得劳动力转型等迫切需求成为现实。

他说：“我们面临的这些问题日益相互关联，并且跨越了组织边界。”

规划新加坡的未来发展道路，创造价值，凝聚人心。

陈表示，公共服务领导者必须成为战略空间、卓越治理和集体行动的企业家。

在谈到如何规划新加坡成为战略空间企业家的道路时，统筹部长表示，公共服务部门必须积极建立新的双边和多边伙伴关系。

他以新加坡、智利和新西兰共同签署的世界上第一个独立的数字经济伙伴关系协议为例，说明公共服务部门如何能够重新构想各种可能性，并在塑造自身环境方面发挥主动性。

但这也要求新加坡的公共服务领导者深入了解他人，包括了解他们为什么这样做。

为此，陈鼓励他们在公共服务领域有意识地加深对外和国际接触。

他说：“这些并非出于权宜之计的伙伴关系，而是为了创造新的合作空间、增进共同利益而做出的深思熟虑的努力。”

陈先生在谈到如何成为治理卓越的企业家时警告说，新加坡不会自动成为首选合作伙伴。

“只有当我们不断为合作关系带来价值，并能够扩展我们的新能力组合，从而为合作带来独特的价值时，其他人才会与我们合作。”

统筹部长以新加坡的半导体生态系统为例，强调了新加坡如何有意识地在整个价值链上构建能力，从而成为全球供应链中值得信赖且不可或缺的节点。

他鼓励公共服务领域的领导者不断尝试、创新和重新构想各种可能性。

“我们必须积极展望未来，并以勇气和创造力重新构想解决方案。”

陈先生表示，第三个变化领域是从为新加坡人做事转变为与新加坡人一起做事。

他说，这意味着要让利益相关者参与进来，找到共同点，并描绘出成功的共同愿景。

“（这）需要我们召集不同的利益相关者，认真倾听他们不同的利益诉求，并坦诚地阐明权衡取舍，以达成共识，”他补充道。

反过来，这就要求公共服务部门清醒地认识到自己能做什么，同时也要承认自己不可能拥有所有答案或能力。

“我们需要知道自己擅长什么，并有责任决定哪些事情其他人更适合做，以及如何让公民、社区、企业和政府朝着共同的目标前进。”

陈先生在总结发言中表示，如果公共服务部门能够做好这三个方面的工作，那么新加坡将继续成为国内外首选的合作伙伴。