The Ingredients of an Innovative Culture

November 4, 2011 in Articles, Events@PLF, PLF News, Spotlight

YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Azman Hashim, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Perdana Leadership Foundation

Innovation is key to Malaysia’s success in the 21st century as it aims to reach high-income status by the year 2020. This was the basis of discussions at the 13th Perdana Discourse Series “Building a Culture of Innovation in Malaysia: Successes, Strategies and Challenges” organised by the Perdana Leadership Foundation and Universiti Teknologi MARA on the 2nd of November 2011.

In his welcome address, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Azman Hashim, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Perdana Leadership Foundation, remarked, “Where industrialisation relied on our natural resources and labour, now it will be the application of knowledge to innovate and the speed by which it is applied on the part of governments, businesses and the workforce that will determine our success in this new age of rapid technological change.”

There were Malaysian success stories highlighted in the keynote address of Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Augustine S.H. Ong, Founder-President of MINDS (Malaysian Innovation and Design Society) and former Director-General of PORIM (Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia). An eminent scientist with 14 patents to his name, Tan Sri Augustine highlighted the Malaysian innovators such as Pua Khein Seng, the inventor of the thumb drive, and Professor Dr. Raja Noor Zaliha Raja Abdul Rahman, who was the first scientist to crystallise protein – but also stressed that Malaysian discoveries often do not receive sufficient support nor recognition from the public and funding sectors.

Tan Sri told the tale of Tocotrienols (an essential component of vitamin E) which were first isolated by Malaysians working in palm oil research but which subsequently were leveraged by others, namely the Americans, due to lack of support in Malaysia to take this discovery further.

YBhg Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Augustine S.H. Ong, Founder-President of MINDS, being candid during his keynote address.

During the panel session, panelists Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO of Multimedia Development Corporation, Mr. Prakash Chandran, CEO of Siemens Malaysia and Encik Johan Mahmood Merican, CEO of TalentCorp, all agreed that innovation thrives in an open culture that encourages questions and ideas. Formality and bureaucratic layers should be reduced to encourage the free-flow of ideas, and diversity – of backgrounds, expertise and knowledge – will boost innovation. Silicon Valley’s diversity of human resources – where many entrepreneurs come from other countries – was cited as a prime example of diversity working in innovation’s favour.

Mr. Prakash also listed the various factors that encourage innovation in an organisation, using Siemens and its long track record of producing inventions and discoveries, as a model: leadership support, talent procurement and management, resources and technology. He reminded the audience that innovation is not the exclusive domain of scientists and researchers but should be pursued across all of an organisation’s departments. This change in thinking, he said, is one of the challenges faced at Siemens.

Datuk Badlisham also stressed that ideas on their own are not unique and it is in execution of the idea that value is generated. “Do not be too protective of your idea,” he advised.

Johan Merican emphasized three factors that he believed are key to an innovative culture: Knowledge, Leadership and Thinking Skills, and added that ethical underpinnings are also necessary to ensure innovations lead to positive outcomes.

During panel session – (from left) Mr Prakash Chandran, President & CEO of Siemens Malaysia, En. Johan Mahmood Merican, CEO of TalentCorp Malaysia, Puan Zuraidah Haji Musib, CEO of Primakarya Media and Communications Consultancy and Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO of MDeC

Members of the 200-strong audience consisted of students and academics, as well as R&D staff of corporations.

The Perdana Discourse Series debuted in August 2004 when Tun Dr Mahathir discussed the inaugural topic of “National Unity”. Other Discourses within the series dealt with subjects such as National Sovereignty, Media and National Development, and Political Stability.

The Series aims to foster interaction and dialogue between older and younger Malaysians on issues of national importance, such as unity, social re-construction and education; attracting and stimulating the young Malaysian’s interest and increase awareness on the country’s leadership path by tracing the policies, strategies and models used during the tenure of the past Prime Ministers. A monograph of the discussions and issues arising from the discourse will be documented and published.

The Perdana Discourse Series is sponsored by PROTON Holdings Berhad.