The Power of Collaboration to Upskill Employees

The “great resignation” that dominated headlines this past year shows we are in a time when professionals are more focused on their career development than ever. Employees want to know if they are headed down a career path that best suits their needs and skills, and employers are struggling to give them the tools they need to determine the career progression that works best for them.

This series aims to share the stories and wisdom of successful shared services practitioners. We will explore how they found their way into the space, the key career decisions they had to make, and some lessons they would like to impart to younger generations. If you have any career questions you would like answered, please reach out to Sally via email (sally.fletcher@ssonetwork.com) or connect with her on LinkedIn. 

Sally Fletcher, Director of Online Events for SSON, has continued to bring in a diversity of career arcs and skillsets to her “GBS Career Corner” series, and her fifth episode was no exception. During the episode, Sally was joined by Dennis Lui, Chief Executive of VITAL Shared Services, the shared services arm of the Singapore Public Services. Dennis and his team serve over 100,000 public officers today across 100 Ministries, Departments, Organs of State, and Statutory Boards in the areas of finance, human resources, and procurement.

VITAL has become an award-winning hub for innovation thanks to its use of creative technology solutions, which have been showcased at events worldwide. During Dennis’s conversation with Sally, they discussed the value of collaboration, three skills shared services professionals must develop, and how RPA and low-code technologies can give employees the power of creation. 

Transforming Careers with Technology 

One of Dennis’s biggest motivators as a leader, and something he takes great pride in, is growing and developing his staff. VITAL serves thousands of public officers across 100 different ministries and departments. The magnitude of VITAL’s work is immense, and according to Dennis, it’s typical for employee turnover rates to be high because of their large workloads. However, one way VITAL has been able to improve retention is by deploying low-code/no-code technologies that are transforming the work of these employees.  

“Imagine instead of doing tasks as a daily grind, you become the boss of robots that do the work for you,” Dennis said. “The best part about it is the employees are then empowered and equipped to create their own bots.” 

When people are equipped to do their jobs better than they ever had before their work gets noticed, they begin to get rewarded through promotions and raises. So not only are employees appreciative of being advanced in their careers, but they’ve also learned to work with tools that are meaningful in today’s digital world. 

Skillsets Required for a Shared Services Leader 

When Dennis was asked what skillsets he believed were essential for a shared services leader he had three immediately come to mind. 

1. Comfortable with new technology: A leader doesn’t need an IT background to succeed in this area but rather an understanding of how their shared services organization operates and how new technology can best fit into that structure.
2. Ability to manage groups of people: A good manager understands every group of employees that reports to them. It requires an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses that can be used to upskill them in the right areas. By taking the time to understand these different groups, retaining talent and maintaining the level of continuity that helps growth becomes easier.
3. Working across ecosystems: According to Dennis, having a background in management is important, but an even more valuable trait of a shared services leader is knowing how to manage ecosystem partnerships. This means understanding how to manage different partners, including vendors, other internal agencies, and even other private sector partners. Managing and fostering these relationships enables a shared services leader to bring in a wealth of insights they would have otherwise not learned had they stayed within their own domain. 

Collaborating to Upskill Staff 

As a government entity, VITAL does not always have the resources to pay employees as much as someone might earn in the private sector. As a result, Dennis and VITAL must hire individuals with unique educational backgrounds and provide them with the proper training.

In order to train these employees, Dennis has had to get creative, and one solution he has had luck with is collaborating with technology vendors to create training sessions that teach people how to work with no-code/low-code solutions.

“I know my people don’t have a background in education and training,” Dennis said. “So, I approach universities or technology vendors, and they are often eager to work with us.”

Dennis says vendors are happy with the exposure these trainings provide their solutions, and they have the experts and resources at hand who can guide his employees in a way they will understand.

Today, VITAL sends employees in batches to these training seminars where people receive the education they need to develop their careers and become more technically savvy.  

If you like the audio medium and would like to hear a detailed interview that dives much further into Dennis Lui’s career advice, please listen to Careers Corner with Sally Fletcher on Spotify or Apple Music.