Civil servants, teachers and postgraduates mulled for programme

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will consider sending 1,000 civil servants, 1,000 teachers and 500 postgraduates from public universities to attend the Design Thinking Innovation Ambassador (DTIA) programme annually over the next three years.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday that Diplomatic and Management Officers (PTD) cadets and personnel who attended the DTIA programme had improved efficiency and productivity.

“I have heard positive feedback on how it has been applied to improve processes in government units like the Public Works Department, Fire and Rescue Department and police.

“For instance, the police piloted an initiative called ‘Talk To Us’ to improve community engagement. The police were very encouraged by the response.

“Therefore, design thinking should be a core competency for in-service personnel, and especially as a core module in the National Institute of Public Administration’s PTD Cadet Training.”

Najib said some states were eager to embrace design thinking as a forward-thinking move.

Sarawak, he said, would be the first state to commit to designthinking training.

Najib was speaking at the 5th anniversary of Genovasi Malaysia here yesterday.

He said students at the soonto-be-established Genovasi Malaysia College would be taught practical skills to empower them to contribute to the Fourth Industrial Revolution effectively.

As for small-and-medium enterprises, Najib said, design thinking would enable them to thrive in the digital landscape.

“Genovasi can equip them with an innovation mindset, a requisite for them to respond not only to changing market conditions, but also to the trendsetters in ecommerce.”

He said Genovasi, in a collaboration with Kumpulan Media Karangkaf and Oriental Press Group, would also conduct its programmes in Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin.

“We want as many people as possible to be part of this design thinking movement, to be ready to face the challenges that an ever-changing future will bring. I am hopeful that having these modules available in Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin will allow more people to attend the Genovasi courses.”

Genovasi, which is part of the government’s Agensi Inovasi Malaysia under a public-private partnership with Ancom Bhd, has trained almost 4,000 participants from the public and private sectors using the “Stanford d.school” and Has-Plattner-Institut DT model.

Genovasi will soon start another design thinking programme, called Catch em’ Young, to reach out to those aged between 10 and 14.

Design thinking is an internationally recognised, proven and widely-used innovation methodology that is applied across businesses, disciplines and fields to solve complex problems.

The five-step process of design thinking relies on its human-centric approach to innovation, incorporating key elements that leverage on multi-disciplinary teams, flexible environments, uninhibited brainstorming activities and empathy for the end user.