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Ethos Issue 5, Nov 2008
Sharpening Singapore’s Edge: Insights from the
IBM Experience
Teresa Lim
The future will require us to adopt a global mindset and to become knowledge workers. We also need confident and competent collaborators. To this end, IBM is working with universities around the world in developing a Service Science Management and Engineering curriculum aimed at producing “T-shaped” personas—individuals who have a deep proficiency in one field, but who are also conversant and comfortable interacting with other areas of activity.
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DEVELOPING T-SHAPED WORKERS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY ECONOMY
With the global shift to a serviceoriented
economy, IBM identified a need
for the 21st century worker to possess a
strong mix of business, technical and
people skills.
IBM envisioned the ideal individual to
be a "T-shaped" persona-someone with
deep proficiency in an area, engineering
for instance, but who is also comfortable
interacting in a productive way with
other departments, such as marketing,
industrial design or finance.
IBM also saw a need for universities to
evolve from teaching concepts relevant
to the manufacturing era to those
relevant to the services economy. Over
the past four years, IBM has worked with
universities worldwide to equip students
with an integrated mix of business,
technology and people skills in a new
academic field we term "Service Science,
Management and Engineering" (SSME).
Today, the SSME curriculum is offered in
varsities ranging from Carnegie Mellon
University and Cornell University in the
US to Tsinghua University in China.
In Singapore last year, IBM and
15 industry partners announced a
collaboration with three local universities
on a wide-ranging initiative in support
of service science innovation through
education, research and talent development.
As part of the programme, keen and
talented students will also be
groomed to become multi-disciplinary
professionals. |
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CONCLUSION
Singapore has built an excellent workforce, which today has become the nation’s prized asset. To continue to stay ahead in the global economy, we need to harness our strengths and offer local and foreign talents an environment which values key attributes including innovation, openness, trust, collaboration and diversity. We will also need a superior education system that nurtures thinking individuals who are comfortable collaborating across diverse fields of activity. Singapore will then be well placed to become a global human capital hub of the future.
Teresa Lim was named Managing Director of IBM Singapore in January 2007. In this role, she is responsible for the operations of IBM Singapore, including all product and services division, as well as the company’s sales and distribution business. Prior to this appointment, Ms Lim was Vice-President of ibm.com for Asia Pacific. Since joining IBM Singapore in 1989, Ms Lim has held several positions in sales, strategic planning, marketing and human resources. Early in her career, in addition to her skills and training responsibilities, she also led the corporate organisation transformation initiative for IBM Singapore. Ms Lim is an active member of the Board of Directors in the Civil Service College, Singapore.
| NOTES |
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Cost is a prohibitive factor for foreign talents considering relocation to in Singapore, according to Mercer’s Cost of Living Survey 2008, which ranked the Republic 13th most expensive city in the world. However, foreigners also welcome the safety, cleanliness, efficiency, quality housing and education which Singapore offers. Nonetheless, it is of paramount importance to sustain Singapore’s distinctive offerings and competitive positioning by ensuring we continue to offer compelling value. |
02.
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Lancaster, L.C. and Stillman, D., When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work (Wheaton, IL: Harper Business, 2003). |
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