From London to Singapore: The Strategic Synergy of Personal Connections

We invite him to pen his thoughts on this month’s theme of “Unlocking Potential with Strategic Synergy” during his recent visit as the NIE’s 16th CJ Koh Professor.

As the NIE’s 16^th CJ Koh Professor of Education, I was privileged to spend two weeks in Singapore engaging with colleagues, visiting schools, museums and science centres, as well as absorbing the city’s rich cultural scene. I first visited the NIE in June 1996, where I had spent one and a half days meeting a number of staff, all of whom have since retired. My last visit was in 2014, for the International Science Education Conference, and several of the staff and students who I met are still working. This time, however, my visit was significantly longer and, as a result, provided an excellent opportunity to tap into strategic synergies and contribute to strengthening the NIE.

Spending a fortnight here provided me with the opportunity to have in-depth meetings with the Minister for Education, colleagues from the MOE Geography team, school teachers and the NIE staff. I also visited the Singapore Science Centre, the National Museum of Singapore, the Singapore National Gallery, Gardens by the Bay and the newly opened Bird Paradise (with some of the students from the Leaders in Education Programme). As a result, a number of connections have been made. However, like neural connections in the brain, if they aren’t reinforced, they will fade away, as was the case after I visited in 1996. Networking isn’t just about meeting people; it’s about making those connections permanent.

So, how are networks strengthened? Reciprocity is one way – a number of people I met will be visiting University College London (UCL) over the next few months – I will ensure that I meet them professionally and socially. But then what? It’s the collaborative outcomes that strengthen networks – two NIE staff have written a chapter in a book that I am co-editing, which is a start. Other opportunities might come through being nominated to be on advisory boards for projects. However, simply creating my own NIE network isn’t enough, I need to integrate it into my other networks to facilitate sustainability. So, for instance, I might introduce the NIE visitors to my UCL colleagues or to colleagues who work in museums and science centres in the UK.

I met one of my students from last year when I visited the Anglo-Chinese School and I will keep in touch with him. I know that one of my new MA Education (Science) tutees starting at UCL this term is from Singapore – she will almost certainly be an NIE alumna. Singaporean Master’s students will have loyalties to the NIE and to UCL – and when I next visit, I need to make sure I say “hello” to as many of our past students as possible – they are a bridge between the two Institutes that we often neglect.

Being CJ Koh Professor of Education involves giving a seminar to NIE colleagues and a public lecture. Both events provided opportunities for meaningful engagement. The public lecture brought together NIE staff, MOE staff and school leaders – so my visit provided an opportunity for the Institute to maintain its engagement with its key stakeholders – a win-win situation for the NIE and for me.

As I sit in Changi Airport waiting for my flight back to London, I reflect on the value of strategic synergy through face-to-face meetings. It’s a long way to come, but the thought of doing everything by Zoom or Teams instead would be a pale imitation. Networks need emotional and visceral engagement. And if I’d just been an online Professor then I’d have missed the noise of the F1 Grand Prix, the taste of durians, and the heat of a Singapore day; and my network would be one-dimensional rather than multi-dimensional. Networks are about people, but people come to life when you meet them in their own place.