ADDRESSING 'HR TRANSFORMATION' IN THE 3G SAF

What are the roles of human resources (HR) as the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) transforms into a 3G force?

Head, Joint Manpower Department, Colonel (COL) Peter Wee (right), examined and explained these roles and the need for HR Transformation in a speech he delivered at the International Military Testing Association (IMTA) Conference held in Singapore in November.

COL Wee started by highlighting some current challenges.

First, demographic factors like falling birth rates and an ageing population meant that it had become imperative to restructure the SAF "into a more dynamic and leaner force that will rely less on manpower".

A second challenge is to tap on technology, with an eye on optimising HR.

"We could potentially structure the SAF with less people, but we will expect more out of these highly qualified people who will man the future capabilities that the 3G SAF acquires in the next few years," he explained.

COL Wee stressed that commanders have a significant role in grooming and developing their people. Mentoring and coaching skills have been formalised so that our leaders can take constructive action to bring out the best in their people.

An asset of the SAF is that it trains officer cadets and commissioned officers at the SAFTI Military Institute, with a focus on tri-service integration. The warrant officers corps was also given a boost in its leadership training, with the setting up of the Specialists and Warrant Officers Institute last year.

Next, talent had to be managed correctly, said COL Wee. Training awards and scholarship schemes attract the best and brightest to the SAF while route of advancement courses and continuous education programmes help keep these talents in the organisation.

Nonetheless, HR policies in the SAF must keep changing to remain relevant. For instance, the performance management system reflects market best practices where an employee is rewarded not simply based on his seniority but also on how well he does his job.

New ways of managing HR must also be developed, urged COL Wee. For instance, in the last few years, various HR organisations were grouped together under one office at the division level, allowing personnel officers to share knowledge and manage employees more effectively.

But it is not enough to just think locally, especially when the SAF has evolved into a global network of temporary and permanent training arrangements. COL Wee said HR policies developed for local operations must now increase in scope, to manage staff who are based overseas.

In addressing HR Transformation, COL Wee stressed that "we must change the way we think about HR's role in delivering value to our stakeholders and not just focus on how HR services are delivered and administered".

"HR transformation requires integrating the HR organisations, various HR practices and systems to focus them jointly to achieve desired outcomes," he said.

In closing, COL Wee re-emphasised the importance of people in the 3G SAF.

"War is a human enterprise. We may have the state-of-the-art hardware and the latest technology, but we must have the right people, to man the systems and use the technology," he said.

"In other words, we must have the right 'heartware'."