This approach is one reason why Augustin thinks CPF, usually an election hot-potato topic, was not a major issue during the recent General Election.
“I did not convert my colleagues from being heartless to being full of heart,” said Augustin. “They were already full of heart from before. But I think we communicate better now and we put out the full facts when the other side misrepresents.”
Enabling better decisions amid growing complexity
As the environment becomes more complex, organisations find themselves having to move faster. Actions may become less coordinated, and a common response is to add more rules to regulate the chaos. “However, people burn out when they need to comply with more rules while maintaining speed,” said Augustin. “Bottlenecks in decision-making also occur. This is a vicious cycle.”
That is why Augustin, as a leader, focuses on giving context, instead of exerting control. “It is every leader’s job to provide the context, so that their officers can make the right decisions.”
For example, policymakers from various ministries create appeal rules that are generally prescriptive for processing officers to follow. Although policymakers always take into account extensive appeal scenarios, processing officers inevitably encounter new scenarios.
“Instead of surfacing such cases back to policymakers, which may lead to more rules being prescribed, the better approach is to explain the objectives of the policy to the processing officers and empower them to make the right decisions,” Augustin explained.
To ensure governance and fairness for appeals, the Board worked out with policymakers an agreement on the boundaries to observe. Officers also take part in regular sharing sessions to ensure a broad consistency when applying appeal guidelines.
This approach, over time, empowers the processing officers to exercise judgement and also encourages them to suggest improvements to policies based on their experiences on the ground, he pointed out. This promotes an important mindset change to help them navigate a more complex future.
“I hope that at every level, each of us can provide context to empower others to make the right decisions.”