Dynamic Governance

Embedding Culture, Capabilities and Change in Singapore

In a world of uncertainty and change, current achievements are no guarantee for future survival. Even if the initial chosen set of principles, policies and practices are good, static efficiency and governance would eventually lead to stagnation and decay. No amount of careful planning can assure a government of continual relevance and effectiveness if there is no capacity for learning, innovation and change in the face of ever new challenges in a volatile and unpredictable global environment.

This book provides an in-depth look at dynamic governance, the key to success in a world of rapid, increasing globalization and unrelenting technological advancements. If bureaucratic public institutions can evolve and embed the culture and capabilities that enable continuous learning and change, their contributions to a country's socio-economic progress and prosperity would be enormous. The lessons from their efforts in institutionalizing culture, capabilities and change could provide meaningful and valuable insights for transforming organizations in other contexts.

The book is also available in traditional Chinese.

Contents:

• Framework for Dynamic Governance: Institutionalizing Culture, Capabilities and Change
• Conceptual Foundations: Governance, Institutions and Capabilities
• Context for Development: Establishing Imperatives for Governance
• Cultural Foundations: Inculcating Principles of Governance
• Policy Execution: Developing and Implementing Paths
• Policy Adaptation: Embedding Learning and Adjusting Paths
• People Development: Recruiting, Renewing and Retaining Leaders
• Process Innovation: Creating Agile Structures and Systems
• Sustaining Dynamic Governance: Lessons and Challenges

Readership: Public sector managers and leaders; undergraduate and graduate students of public policy and government; government officials.
Key Features:

• First book that offers a detailed study of the Singaporean public service sector
• Includes many interesting case studies, such as economic development, the integrated resorts, Workfare policy, water management, land transport, telecommunications liberalization, scenario planning, budgeting pactices, E-government, education policy changes, healthcare, Central Provident Fund, and personnel management reforms
• Includes excerpts of interviews with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Minister-in-charge of the Civil Service Teo Chee Hean, Head of Civil Service Peter Ho and Chairman of the Economic Development Board Lim Siong Guan
• Provides analytical insights, lessons learnt and guidelines for applying the principles beyond Singapore to other countries and beyond the public sector to the business world
• Foreword by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School