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Inspiration through innovation

Inspiration through innovation

For Southbank resident and deputy dean of media and communication at RMIT University Dr Peter Ling, the key to learning has always been based on sharing.

“My philosophy is the more I share the more I learn,” he said. “I used to encourage all of my students to share what they had learned.”

“Some people tend to share their knowledge and others keep it only to themselves. I believe in keeping to your mission, your values and your vision.”

With a decorated career in business, marketing, media and education, this philosophy has been a guiding principle behind much of his success – all captured in his new book Be The Innovators, which goes on sale this month.

While boasting a long list of academic journal articles, book chapters and newspaper contributions, the Singaporean said his potential as both an academic and accomplished author were passions that almost weren’t realised.

“Once we moved to Australia, I spent seven years playing golf socially and I didn’t really want to work as it was a bit of an early retirement from advertising,” he said.

“After seven years my wife said I think you should do something better with your time!”

Having left his last international advertising role in Taipei in 1994, Dr Ling and wife Alicia originally settled in Perth.

Throughout this time Dr Ling also consulted and facilitated workshops on team creativity and innovational thinking across Asia, having trained in synectics, an innovative problem solving process founded in the United States.  

After putting his golf clubs aside, he undertook a doctorate of education on team creativity at the University of Western Australia, before devising his own course on the subject during his time as a lecturer at Edith Cowan University.

Having received an award for “thesis of the year” by his university in 2006, Dr Ling said the doctorate was the catalyst behind his new book.  

“One of my examiners recommended that I publish it into a book and she found it very interesting and useful but I originally just put it aside because I didn’t want to do another kind of academic book,” he said.

“I used the framework from my thesis and then I copied in some of my professional experiences and made it into a book that would be useful for public, private and not-for-profit companies.”

“I think it will have a wide appeal because academic books as such wouldn’t appeal to a broad audience.”

Dr Ling moved to Southbank in 2012 after initially taking on a role as associate dean of advertising, design and photography at RMIT, before switching to his current role in 2014.

While his new book is barely fresh off the printing press, he is already earmarking his next written projects beginning with a new book on marketing and communications, which he plans to nut out this year.

And true to his philosophy of sharing with his students and readers, he said he also hoped to share more of his time with the community in Southbank, which he described as “a great place to live.”

“I was exploring the Lion’s group because eventually down the road I would like to get involved,” he said.

“I was involved in Rotary Club in Singapore and I like that kind of community involvement. When I was younger I used to be involved in community work, social work and I like to reconnect with my roots.”

“Southbank has been good. I enjoy some of the restaurants and just the convenience of it. I look forward to the area being more developed.”

For more information about Dr Ling’s new book or to purchase a copy head to

www.oup.com.au/titles/higher_ed/business__and__economics/business/9780195590173

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