Ms Rosina Howe, Group Director for Innovation and InfoComm Technology at LTA's Group Director for Innovation and InfoComm Technology and a member of ISS’s Management Board, was recently named IT Leader of the Year. She reflects on an exciting career, her formula for success, and IT’s evolving role in this exclusive interview.
Ms Rosina Howe, receiving the award at the SCS Gala Dinner & IT Leader Awards 2014
What were your thoughts on receiving the SCS IT Leader of the Year Award 2014?
It’s a real honour when government CIOs are recognised for their contributions to society and the industry – that’s the first thing that came to mind. For some of us, the bottom line is not about achieving profits or ROI, but delivering good service to the public at large.
What were some of the biggest developments in Singapore's ICT industry over the last 30 years, and where do you think it is headed in the next decade?
I’ve witnessed the progress of electronic services, and its convergence with the Internet to produce even more powerful applications with mobile technology and smart devices. The world, along with how the government delivers its services to citizens, has changed. As we build up layers of technology advancement, we find ourselves getting deeper into data analytics as we learn to exploit our treasure trove of data for future sensing and to shape better public policies.
IT will further converge with business, and it will be difficult to draw the line between the IT and other organisational functions. In-house teams ought to differentiate themselves from IT vendors by being fully conversant with the business, and providing a bird’s eye view of the information needs of their organisation. I think the IT function will eventually evolve to become the organisation's Data Analytics Squad.
What does it take to lead innovation in an organisation like Land Transport Authority (LTA)?
LTA wanted to transform itself from a purely systems-based organisation to a more responsive and agile public-serving agency. This meant moving away from being a one-size-fits-all organisation, building more flexibility into its work processes, adopting agile systems and honing a service-oriented team of LTA staff. The task was daunting as the challenge involved organisational transformation and changing work cultures, besides greater use of IT to streamline workflow management, provide transparency of decisions and achieve greater personalisation of services.
As Chief Innovation Officer, I am tasked to oversee Information Technology and Organisational Development as well as Quality Service Management. This combination of portfolios was instrumental in delivering the transformation by providing touch points for people, process and systems. I was dealing with internal ICT and e-Transport Service master plans, while setting up LTA’s Service Charter to shape the customer service mindset, and developing organisational shared values to support these new initiatives. It was like dealing with the mind, heart and soul all at once.
What were some interesting challenges faced in your career, and what would be your advice to younger practitioners out there?
The key lesson for me was in transiting from being a technical staff to a management staff. Much of it can be self-taught through reading, interacting with others and finding a mentor to guide you through the maze of corporate world. I had to understand finance, write management papers to corporate headquarters, give presentations to secure board approvals of new initiatives and manage unknowns. Even when I was in a management position, I had to keep learning and adjusting as the organisations I worked for ranged from MNCs to government-linked companies with over 20,000 employees. The size of each organisation brings about its own challenges.
We hear that you have a “Make A Difference (MAD)” philosophy. Please share how you’ve applied this at work and in your personal life.
I think it is important to have a purpose in life. It does not matter where you are in the organisation. What matters is doing your best in your given role. Perhaps, it is my upbringing – I was taught that it is an honour when your boss gives you work, it means there is trust. So, I never say no to my bosses. Instead, I will find the best way to do the job, and over the years, I have developed a network of friends and colleagues who are always willing to come to my aid.
Everything we do can end up being ‘ordinary’ or ‘extraordinary’. Either way requires the same effort, although some creativity and innovation is all it takes to make a difference. I’ve always enjoyed the excitement that comes from making a difference, but this time, I hope to help younger IT professionals fulfil their aspirations. LTA creates plenty of opportunities through the newer ICT projects, which give third-party developers a chance to get involved in big national projects so that they can take over the helm one day.
As a management board member of NUS-ISS, how do you see NUS-ISS growing and contributing in the next five years?
I was a student of ISS when I first started my IT career. Now, as a board director, I am happy to observe that ISS has kept itself relevant by developing new curriculum that addresses new and emerging challenges faced by IT professionals. For example, ISS has complemented its signature programme in Graduate Diploma in Systems Analysis with the Masters in Technology, e-Government Leadership, Continuing Education & Training and Professional Studies. Over the next five years, ISS will continue to play a crucial role in equipping ICT professionals with business analytics and enterprise social business skills, and providing opportunities for them to interact in the digital age. IT professionals have to learn to be more collaborative and will need an array of skills to survive.
What are the focal points for organisations driving innovation through IT?
Organisations innovate for various reasons. Private companies innovate to lower costs, improve ROI, and create new products or services, while public sectors aim to improve public services delivery, citizen welfare and national competitive edge to bring in more investments and job opportunities.
Regardless of the reasons, organisations need to be open and honest with themselves. Only by understanding their weaknesses and gaps can they identify the right areas for innovation and create opportunities for growth. This means understanding the issues in detail before coming up with a strategic plan. There should be management courage to make changes and remove obstacles, if all else fails.
Ideas for improvement should come from everyone in the organisation. Adopt a collaborative style of management to encourage feedback from employees as well as other stakeholders such as customers and suppliers. Use challenges to rally the creative energy that can bring out the best in everyone.
Keep pace with IT developments. The social media and smartphone are lessons of how rapidly IT can disrupt established global businesses and way of life. IT is no longer just about operational improvement; it is a strategic tool for transformation. And today’s CIOs have become strategic partners of businesses in co-creating innovative breakthroughs.
This article is first published in NUS-ISS quarterly e-newsletter, Issue 6 (Apr-Jun 2014).