Q&A with Clarence Yeo, Senior Adviser, SIM Centre for Systems Leadership
Last year Singapore saw troubling viral incidents of “zombified” teenagers, from a 17-year-old falling while alighting an MRT to another acting aggressively on an overhead bridge, signals of a deeper public‑health threat as Kpod use spilled into public spaces.
The government mounted a whole-of-government response: the Police and Central Narcotics Bureau coordinated operations with the Health Sciences Authority, ICA tightened border checks to curb smuggling, and NParks and NEA increased patrols in public areas. These enforcement measures were paired with public‑education campaigns led by the Health Promotion Board, which partnered with the Ministry of Education to push anti‑vaping messaging in schools and provide resources for parents.
This was systems leadership in action. Rather than simply reacting to individual incidents, the government targeted the underlying systems and conditions that enabled them through sustained collaboration.
Such an approach is becoming increasingly necessary because the context in which leaders operate has fundamentally changed. For years, people spoke of a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world, where things were unstable but generally still knowable and manageable to some extent. Now, however, it is more apt to look at the world through the lens of BANI (brittle, anxious, non-linear and incomprehensible), where small disruptions can lead to sudden, outsized consequences.
Clarence Yeo, Senior Adviser at SIM Academy’s Centre for Systems Leadership, shares his thoughts on why, under such conditions, wicked problems like ageing, healthcare and social welfare cannot be solved through linear solutions or traditional top-down, siloed approaches. Just as these problems are interconnected and constantly evolving, so must the way we lead and work together. Prior to his retirement from the public sector in 2024, Clarence held various senior leadership appointments including Commissioner of ICA, Chief Executive of Home Team Academy and Senior Advisor (Special Duties) at the Ministry of Home Affairs. Now serving on multiple boards and advisory councils, he believes that systems leadership demands cross-agency collaboration driven by a shared vision to create lasting, collective impact.
Q: Can you share your definition of systems leadership and why it’s critical in the public sector?
To me, systems leadership is the ability to see the big picture, recognise how different parts of a system interact, and work across boundaries to tackle root causes rather than symptoms. It drives change by addressing the interconnected factors that shape outcomes in complex environments, seeking long‑term, collaborative and sustainable solutions. Rather than fixing isolated problems, systems leadership transforms underlying structures, encourages reflective, generative conversations, and shifts teams from reactive problem‑solving toward co‑creating a better future.
The shift from traditional to systems leadership is driven by both internal and external forces. Globalization and technology have made the world more interconnected, while the global landscape has evolved from a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world to a BANI (brittle, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible) world.
Against this backdrop, doing more of the same will not be good enough. We must learn from the past, transform the present in order to secure our future so as to achieve organisational excellence, operational preparedness and future-readiness.
By aligning stakeholders and coordinating policies, systems leadership enables governments to tackle these cross-agency problems and deliver coherent, integrated solutions that reduce fragmentation, enhance citizen experiences, and create lasting positive impacts.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges faced in implementing systems leadership principles, and how can they be addressed?
Fragmentation is a persistent challenge in government because agencies operate with their own mandates, systems and priorities. While this ensures discipline, it also creates inefficiencies and misaligned efforts that citizens experience as gaps in service — they see “one government”, not individual agencies.
Different stakeholders see different parts of the problem, but everyone is under pressure to deliver quick wins, so you rarely start with a shared understanding or shared goals.
Change needs to start internally. Leaders often seek clarity and control, but systems leadership requires making space for ambiguity and exerting influence rather than authority. You can’t control a cross-agency system, but you can shape how well it coordinates, learns and moves together. This means strengthening trust and collaboration, sharing accountability, and being willing to act for the system even when it requires letting go of something at the agency level.
The biggest obstacle is almost always culture, not strategy, so invest time in building trust and a shared language before rolling out anything big.
Q: Can you share an example of effective systems leadership from your past roles?
During my time as ICA Commissioner from 2010 to 2018, the Integrated Checkpoints Command (ICC) was launched to strengthen coordination among the Home Team agencies. Spanning land, sea and air, it was driven by the recognition that safety and security are wicked problems that are impossible for any agency to address alone.
The ICC integrated the efforts of multiple agencies — law enforcement, immigration, customs and transport — under a cohesive, unified operational framework to manage checkpoints efficiently. They shared ownership of outcomes, namely improving checkpoint efficiency and maintaining security, and decisions were made with an understanding of how checkpoint performance impacted areas like public satisfaction, trade flows and national security.
Feedback loops were also established to ensure continuous improvement and adaptability, including real-time monitoring tools that captured data on passenger flows, wait times and security threats, which teams used to adjust staffing and streamline processes.
As a result, we saw tangible outcomes: improved efficiency and reduced delays due to coordinated operations at checkpoints; enhanced security with quicker threat detection and response; and greater customer satisfaction arising from a more seamless travelling experience.
The ICC was a prime example of systems leadership in advancing the One Home Team approach by embodying interconnectedness, feedback loops, and systemic alignment. As a result of breaking down silos and emphasizing shared goals, the ICC not only improved checkpoint operations but also reinforced the larger vision of seamless collaboration across the Home Team ecosystem.
Q: What strategies can be implemented to foster collaboration between different teams towards a common goal?
Systems leadership shifts away from hierarchical decision-making towards collaborative efforts involving multiple stakeholders. Here are five key strategies to promote collaboration across the wider ecosystem:
- Build trust and relationships by enabling voluntary, cross-boundary teams where people contribute complementary skills and shared interests. Strong relationships foster reciprocity, reduce resistance and sustain collaboration over time.
- Create a shared vision and outcomes by aligning stakeholders around common goals, such as citizen needs or national priorities, rather than individual organisational agendas. This is often achieved through dialogue and co-creation.
- Enable clear communication and ways of working by establishing agreed processes for information sharing, decision making and conflict resolution.
- Mobilise resources and empower teams by allowing expertise, data and funding to flow across boundaries, and giving frontline teams the authority to act without unnecessary escalation.
- Embed feedback and learning through iterative approaches, prototyping and continuous stakeholder input, allowing initiatives to adapt to changing system dynamics.
Q: What advice would you give to emerging leaders in the public sector who want to foster a more collaborative and integrated environment?
American systems scientist Peter M. Senge wrote in his book The Fifth Discipline, “You cannot have a learning organisation without shared vision. Without a pull toward some goal which people truly want to achieve, the forces in support of the status quo can be overwhelming.”
I fully agree. A shared vision is the north star that guides decisions, coordinates actions and sustains momentum through complexity and change.
Articulating this shared vision starts with building quality relationships, which drive quality thinking, actions and ultimately, results. Promoting open, two-way communication is key to developing such relationships. Success then strengthens relationships in a self-reinforcing loop.
Finally, perspective is important. Focus on higher-impact, long-term actions rather than reacting at the event level.
For more information on Systems Leadership Programmes for your organisation, please contact us at simacademy@sim.edu.sg.