How Singapore’s use of Product Thinking sets it apart as a nation | Digital Asia

I arrived in Singapore a few weeks ago with my family and the very next day we went to the Employment Pass Services Center (EPSC) to get the work permission card. Being a government organisation, I was bracing myself for a bureaucratic and painful experience as we headed there with two jet-lagged kids who had been up since 2AM.

Instead it was an overwhelmingly positive experience that started with us walking into an office that looked more calming than most therapists' lobbies. After a short wait, we were called by name rather than a number, and various signs around the office talked about striving towards great customer service. Without even going as far as “great customer service”, can you even think of the last time you walked into a government office and were referred to as a “customer”?

The experience made sense when we saw the plaque below that explained that the Ministry of Manpower had applied Design Thinking to create this experience:

This is impressive, and I haven't seen other countries apply Design Thinking to their departments. But it got me asking: “What drives a government organisation to build such a well-manicured experience for foreign workers? Why would they invest in crafting such an experience?”

The answer lies in Radical Product Thinking — thinking of the change you want to create in the world as a “product”, and applying the same techniques that great product managers use to achieve your goals. It starts by asking the question: “What is our Product Vision?”

The Ministry of Manpower has articulated a clear vision on their website. Here's an excerpt:

We aim to develop a great workforce and a great workplace. Singaporeans can aspire to real income growth, fulfilling careers and financial security, while we maintain a manpower-lean and competitive economy.

To achieve our vision and mission, we aim to enable companies to provide good jobs and Singaporeans to take up good jobs, to build a strong Singaporean core.

We will maintain a skilled foreign workforce to complement our local workforce …

Translating vision into action

This vision means MoM is thinking of Singapore as a product to create a better life for Singaporeans, and achieving this vision includes making Singapore attractive to a skilled, diverse, foreign workforce. This vision helps MoM view the people entering their office as customers and drives design concepts such as “Supporting and assisting you from the time you arrive”, “Anticipating your every need”, as they applied Design Thinking to craft the experience.

This is not to say that there aren't any tensions: Local Singaporeans worry that the job market will get even more competitive for them given the skilled foreign workers and the government works to balance the ratio of foreign to local employees. But having this clear product vision means the government regularly communicates the importance of foreign workers in the country.

Also read: Meet design thinking: An approach to problem solving that can increase the probability of breakthrough in innovation

Comparing the Employment Pass to the US H1B visa

The importance of foreign workers applies to the US economy too, but anyone who has been on an H1B visa for working in the US will appreciate the contrast from the treatment at MoM. While the US too has to balance foreign vs. local employees, without a clear vision for complementing the local workforce with skilled foreign workers, the process is not efficient or customer-friendly.

For one, applying for an H1B visa isn't easy, and is best done through an immigration lawyer. Then there is the uncertainty at various steps of the process — for example, even if you get a job in the US, you may not be among the few who get an H1B visa that year (but neither you nor the hiring company will know that for months). And, if you are an H1B holder, you only get 6 years on that visa, so you either have to apply for a green card or leave the country.

In Singapore, as long as you have a job above a certain pay threshold, you keep your Employment Pass, which is typically approved within 2 weeks of application.

Vision as an API for communicating and collaborating across departments

Having a clear product vision isn't just unique to the Ministry of Manpower in Singapore. Applying Radical Product Thinking means that every new initiative starts with a vision. For example, the The Smart Nation vision is developed by the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) which is part of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Within the Smart Nation ambition, five domains have been selected: smart mobility, smart building and environment, smart industry, smart health and smart governance. Smart Mobility for example, is an initiative to support the projected growth in population by 2030 without having to dedicate a larger percentage of the small island to roads.

A clearly articulated vision for each department helps ensure that the vision statements of all the departments (or Ministries) are aligned. In software development terms, every department's vision becomes an “API” for communicating between teams and organizations. As a result, different arms of the government can collaborate better and make decisions that are aligned with the collective goal.

Also read: In the done vs. perfect argument, balance is the key to a great product

For example, the vision of Smart Mobility from the PMO's office is supported by the different departments — EDBI, the corporate investment arm of the Economic Development Board (EDB), made an investment in the startup, nuTonomy, that's building a fleet of self-driving cars for ride hailing.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is providing a testing platform for autonomous vehicles while the Ministry of Transportation (MoT) introduced legislative amendments to adapt regulations for autonomous vehicles. These departments are collaborating so Singapore can realize the potential of reducing reliance on human drivers while allowing the optimisation of traffic flow to reduce traffic congestion.

Any change you want to effect into the world is a product and you can apply product thinking to craft a vision. Singapore's MoM and other departments are a great example of Radical Product Thinking applied to a country.

Ready to start applying Radical Product Thinking?

Crafting a crisp vision when you start with a blank sheet of paper isn't easy. It's easy to get stuck finding the right words. To make it easier for you to get the vision out of your head, try using the free and open-source Radical Product Toolkit. Please share your experiences as you apply Radical Product Thinking to your organization, starting with crafting your vision and communicating it to your team.

“Product” is a way of thinking. “Radical Product” means applying the best insights and techniques of product thinking throughout your life and work. You can use the free and open source Radical Product Toolkit if you'd like a step-by-step guide to start applying Radical Product Thinking.

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