Leadership as the Key to Successful Reforms and Public Sector TransformationThe Public Sector Transformation is but a continuation of the constant reforms by the Singapore Public Service to remain relevant in its operating environment (Low, 2018). Inter-sectoral collaborations/ Whole of government networks require new leadership, management and governance structures that distribute power, authority and responsibility across the group, foster shared commitments, resolve conflicts, facilitate lasting relationships and stimulate effective action (Milward & Provan, 2006; Provan & Lemaire, 2012; Ospina & Saz-Carranza, 2010). A facilitative leadership model to “facilitate a collective vision and strategies” is required to solve complex issues and build trust in a collaborative context (Lee, 2017). In the move to instil innovation-driven culture in the public service, leaders must also shift from the bureaucratic top-down transactional leadership to transformational leadership stimulate idea generation and promote team innovation. Such leadership empowers employees with autonomy and freedom to take risk and make individuals feel safe in being proactive (Al-Ahmad and Easa, 2021).Pre-service Scholarship SchemeThe Pre-service Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarship scheme is the main talent attraction strategy as the government believes that offering pre-service scholarships is the best way to attract the ‘best and brightest’ young men and women to serve the government (Quah, 2010). The PSC scholarships are targeted at recruitment for critical high-level public service functions (Neo and Chen 2007). There are a diverse range of courses and universities for sponsored study. Candidates must be Singaporean citizen or Permanent Resident who are keen to take up Singapore citizenship and are assessed primarily based on their high school academic results and Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) records; leadership potential and the desire to serve the public (Poocharoen & Lee 2013). The candidates must go through a few rounds of interviews and psychometric tests administered develop and retain key potential talented public service leaders to successfully bring the country through the reforms and smooth transformations of the economies. Confronted with a chronic shortage of talented people within the current global landscape of skills shortages, changing demographics, increasing austerity and uncertainties, public sectors around the world are facing intensified competition for talents. To stay ahead of the competition, the public sector must ensure effective talent management strategy and consider leadership developments for the competent employees with most potential for succession planning. Successful talent management and leadership development is achieved by balancing knowledge-exchange, action, reflection and alignment.The aim of talent management within the public sector is to provide pools of public servants with outstanding characteristics to serve public, stakeholder and sustain competitive advantage in the long run (Lee, 2021). Talent management schemes in the Singapore public sector have been shaped by the reforms, experiences and cross-country knowledge transfers. Of which many of the concepts and theories are borrowed from the western nations influenced by the New Public Management (Hood, 1991) movement. Talent management practices are largely informed by the hegemony of human resource management models developed in the private sector, contextualised to fit into the Singapore public sector context. However, in the early days, the borrowed western models as well as the externally imposed socialist structures have created exclusive elitist talent schemes that evoked tensions between inclusiveness and exclusiveness of Talent management practices based on social isolationism which led to breeding of public service leaders that had lose touch with the ground and coming out with top-down driven policies that did not consider the needs of the society. When governments cannot recruit and retain capable individuals who are able to engage the public, it adds to the vicious cycle of weak governance (Poochareon and Lee, 2013). For the public service to be staffed by the best talented people, the Singapore government has intervened by establishing a variety of talent programmes or schemes. These leadership development schemes targeted at selected individuals being identified at an early stage of their career and are developed further through scholarships, trainings, job rotations, mentorships, projects etc. to become future leaders (Dries, 2013; Poocharoen and Lee, 2013; McNulty and Kaveri, 2019; Lee, 2021). Over the years, as the government embarked on reforms at different stages of the country’s development, these schemes have also adjusted and refined, gradually shifting away from an exclusive qualifications-based approach to a more inclusive skills-based approach, especially towards attracting mid-career switchers with diverse experiences outside the service to be groomed as leaders.132
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