Leadership in SPF

by DSP Augustine Chiew

Our world is currently experiencing a period of great uncertainty. For the police officer
confronted with a situation, the ability to assume a leadership role and rally other aid givers in protecting lives and properties is paramount. It is natural for the public to look to police officers for direction in times of uncertainty regardless of rank. Amidst chaos and disorder, the need for strong leadership has never been more important, especially in a society that continues to grow in sophistication and complexity.

Crafting the Shared Vision

Just before his appointment in 1997, Commissioner Khoo Boon Hui (CP) invited key staff directors and line commanders to the very first Singapore Police Force (SPF) Corporate Retreat with the aim of creating a Shared Vision for SPF. To facilitate dialogue and open sharing during discussions, he refrained from leading the visioning process, thus allowing space and time for the senior management to interact, learn collectively, and dialogue effectively. The outcome was not one man’s statement but a powerful vision that is shared and owned by all.

Birth of a Learning Organisation

Having witnessed the power of collective leadership in crafting the Shared Vision, CP recognised that although the traditional leadership style of a leader at the helm making decisions had its strengths, it was the shared leadership capacity that he wanted to tap and grow. He wanted to build within SPF a culture of trust and openness, nurture thinking officers who could solve problems with effective solutions, and an organisation that embraced change and conscientiously adopted continuous learning. Upon his appointment in 1997 as Commissioner, CP introduced the concept of Learning Organisation (LO) and Collective Leadership Model (CLM). LO introduced both structured and unstructured channels of information-sharing, after-action reviews and the power of dialogues to build and share knowledge, as well as provide opportunities to explore new and better ways of doing things. With CLM, SPF’s leadership evolved from personal involvement to that of collective thinking and ownership; where a Leadership Group (LG) comprising senior executives of the organisation like CP, Deputy Commissioner (DC), Chief of Staff (COS), Directors, Commanders and their deputies, steered SPF on the journey towards excellence.

The Collective Leadership Model

Collective Leadership is a hybrid of control and open systems. At the strategic level, which supports learning and innovation, the LG capitalises on the power of collective thinking. At the operational level, it promotes the establishment of guidelines and the monitoring of progress, where ‘command and control’ authority is exercised.

Though separated geographically and operating as self-sufficient units with different mandates, the LG meets regularly at several platforms for collective thinking and decision making. One such example is the Leadership Group Forum (LGF) which was created with LG as the focal point. Unlike conventional meetings, the LGF does not have a chairman nor any top-driven agenda. There was no need to seek quick decisions. The pace was deliberately kept slow to allow diverse perspectives to emerge and enabled the LG to have greater clarity on issues, to understand their interrelations and to flesh out related mental frames. Through well practiced inquiry and advocacy, the quality of collective thinking and relationships amongst individual LG members were greatly enhanced.

The Change in Culture

Over time, the process was replicated at other platforms, such as CP’s Command Conference (CPCC), Staff Coordinating Meeting (STACOM), Crime Control Forum (CCF) amongst others, where command, operational and developmental issues were debated. These resulted in the formulation of policies, long-term strategies and short-term goals to the softer aspect of things such as organisational development and the development of an LO culture. This concept of collective leadership was further extended to the ground when LG members brought it back to their individual departments and units. This has led to Empowerment amongst frontline officers with the shift of emphasis on rigid Stand Operating Procedures, to principles rather than prescriptive instructions, so as to facilitate the exercise of discretion based on best practices. The result is greater trust, transparency and open communications which has in return instilled a sense of ownership within the officers, making them leaders in their own right.

Reaping the Fruits of Success

A structure by itself cannot justify its own existence; it must serve a purpose. Since its inception in 1997, the exercise of collective leadership at LGF has brought about quantum changes for SPF. The new Corporate Planning Process was anchored around it, creating greater ownership of quality plans which had been greatly enhanced, not just in terms of effectiveness but also in connectivity with other plans. It has also led to successes in the implementation of our Organisational Excellence (OE) initiatives. The LG not only communicated the significance of embarking on the OE journey, but also played an active role in setting directions, making decisions, ensuring alignment, and energising the staff. For example, CP chairs the top-level Singapore Quality Award Steering Committee meetings, where key decisions and clear directions are debated. SPF’s efforts have been recognised with the achievements of the Singapore Quality Award (2002), Singapore Innovation Class (2003), Singapore Service Class (2004), People Developer Standard (2004), the Distinguished Public Service Award (2004) and the Top Public Service Award (2006). This year, SPF became the first public organisation to be awarded the Singapore Quality Award with Special Commendation. Achieving this is by no means an easy feat as it is only given out to former SQA winners who have achieved greater heights of business excellence as well as demonstrated global leadership in key business areas.

The result is greater trust,
transparency and open
communications which has in return
instilled a sense of ownership within
the officers, making them leaders
in their own right.

SPF’s success led to the appointment of CP as the first co-chair of the Civil Service’s Organisational Excellence Committee, OEC in short, together with Commissioner of Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS). OEC’s task is two-fold and includes driving the attainment of organisational excellence by all public agencies, and promoting the attainment of recognised national benchmarks and awards for OE. Beyond the Civil Service, the appointment of CP as the Vice President (Asia) of the Executive Committee of Interpol as well as the Chairman of ASEANAPOL is also reflective of SPF’s international standing as a leader in its own right and as a force well-respected by other police forces of the world.

The Road Ahead

Collective Leadership is ultimately a journey, not a destination. It is about promoting ownership and shared responsibility for ‘What we do, say and think’ and ‘How we feel, react and learn’. This is especially apt for an organisation that sees its people as its most valued asset. Increasingly, SPF is also placing more emphasis on stewardship, essentially utilising and developing the talents of our officers with a focus on capacity building. With the renewal of leadership in the organisation where younger generations
of leaders succeed those before them, the development of Collective Leadership is in essence, work-in-process. In the highly globalised world of the 21st century and an increasingly complex operational terrain, it is definitely a worthy and critical competitive advantage to nurture.