Issue 3: Public Sector Excellence UAE

ISSUE 3 MARCH 2015

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE

EMPOWERING EXCELLENCE

Our second installment of the excellence enablers: Leadership

SHARING EXCELLENCE

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Dr Shaikha Mohammed Saeed Al Mulla, Director of the Child Development Centre, Ministry of Education shares her passion for education and development

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Benchmarks

A look at some of the good practices in public education from around the globe

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A DIVERSE CHOICE OF BACHELOR’S, MASTER’S AND DOCTORATE DEGREE PROGRAMS

TODAY WE CREATE TOMORROW’S SUCCESS

Led by our vision for a better future for every generation, Abu Dhabi University was founded in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain to promote academic excellence through degree programs in various specialties.

Our 23 bachelor’s degree, 8 master’s degree and doctorate degree programs are all accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

We at Abu Dhabi University proudly continue to pave the way forward to a new era, providing you with the finest learning environment and resources to empower your future.

College of Engineering Programs are Internationally Accredited by ABET*

* Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Apply today for tomorrow’s success.

Toll Free: 800 ADYOU (23968) | Email: admissions@adu.ac.ae

@ADU_Tweets ADUCHANNEL

Visit: www.adu.ac.ae

@AbuDhabiUni

About ADU

Abu Dhabi University (ADU) was chartered as a private institution of higher learning in the year 2000 under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler's Representative in the Western Region and President of Abu Dhabi Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi and the other in Al Ain City. ADU has four Colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS); the College of Business Administration (COBA); the College of Engineering (COE); and the University College (UC); all of which is open to students from all nationalities and uses the American model of higher education.

Vision

Abu Dhabi University is an internationally recognized for quality education and applied research that drives regional economic and social development in the region and beyond.

Mission

The mission of ADU is to produce highly qualified career-oriented graduates in alignment with regional and global needs through excellence in teaching, student learning, faculty scholarship and engagement in community development.

Undergraduate & Postgraduate Programs Scientific Research and tailored to meet the dynamic demands of the regional industry.

College of Arts and Sciences

• Bachelor of Arts in Arts, Culture and Heritage Management • Bachelor of Arts in English • Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication • Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health & Safety • Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science • Bachelor of Science in Public Health • Bachelor of Law (In Arabic) • Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication (In Arabic – Offered in Fall 2015) • Professional Post-Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Al Ain) • Master of Law (In Arabic – Offered in Fall 2015)

College of Business Administration

• Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting • Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance • Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resources Management • Bachelor of Business Administration in Management • Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing • Bachelor of Business Administration • Master of Business Administration Concentrations in: (Logistics & Supply Chain Management ; Project Management; Human Resource Management; Finance) • Master of Human Resources Management • Doctor of Business Administration

College of Engineering

• Bachelor of Architecture • Bachelor of Science in Aviation • Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering • Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering • Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering • Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering • Bachelor of Science in Information Technology • Bachelor of Science in Interior Design • Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering • Master of Engineering Management • Master of Project Management • Master of Science in Civil Engineering Concentrations in: (Structural Engineering; Construction Engineering Management) • Master of Science in Information Technology

SHARING EXCELLENCE H.E Salama Al Amimi, Executive Director of Organizational Development and Excellence for Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), shares a glimpse of the future of Abu Dhabi’s education system.

A look at some of the good practices in public education from around the globe

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CURRENT NEWS AND AFFAIRS

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT AT A GLANCE

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A summary of the latest public-sector news and current affairs across Abu Dhabi This month, it’s time for action as we explore the project execution phase of project management

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WORD FROM THE EDITOR

Denise Daane, Managing Editor at PSP introduces our third issue of PSE: The Education Edition

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BENCHMARKS

KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE

W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, INSEAD Professors of Strategy and Co-Directors of the INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute summarize the four pillars of Blue Ocean Leadership

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EMPOWERING EXCELLENCE

IN FOCUS

Our second installment of the excellence enablers: Leadership

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Dr Shaikha Mohammed Saeed Al Mulla, Director of the Child Development Centre, Ministry of Education shares her passion for education and development

LOCAL ENTERPRISE

Rashid Al Shamsi, Founder of Ixtel and Board Member of the Emirati Entrepreneur Association, shares his start up success story and offers valuable advice to aspiring local entrepreneurs

An in-depth look at the present and future state of Abu Dhabi’s education system

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IDEA WATCH

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BUILD YOUR SOCIAL PROFILE

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An overview of the portfolio management approach to strategy implementation and strategic alignment

52 Learn how the public sector can utilise Twitter for effective public relations and marketing initiatives

OFF TOPIC

Information on some of Abu Dhabi’s favorite residential communities

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information centre

OUR UPCOMING ISSUES Stay updated with our upcoming issues. Every month we will take an in-depth look at the key Abu Dhabi public sector industries that are shaping the city today.

april 2015

MAY 2015

JUNE 2015

Discover how Oil & Gas has transformed Abu Dhabi and learn more about the new techniques being employed in the field

Learn about the initiatives that are helping Abu Dhabi improve the health and safety of citizens and residents in our Health Edition

Explore Abu Dhabi’s rapidly expanding Tourism Industry and see what lies ahead in our Tourism Edition

How to Contact Public Sector Excellence EDITORIAL:

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Managing Editor Denise Daane denise.daane@psemagazine.com Senior Editor Paul Cook paul.cook@psemagazine.com

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Public Sector Excellence is published by Public Sector Publishing FZ LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or in part, without prior written permission of Public Sector Publishing FZ LLC. is expressly prohibited. Public Sector Publishing FZ LLC, PO BOX 769365, Blue Building, Office 41, Sheikh Zayed Street, Eastern Ring Road, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

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WORD FROM THE MANAGING EDITOR

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UR THIRD EDITION is focused on one of the most important priorities of Abu Dhabi’s Vision 2030: Education. In its efforts to transform Abu Dhabi and the UAE into a global leader and knowledge-based economy, the UAE government has placed education in center stage. In this issue, we explore the remarkable transformation that has taken place in Abu Dhabi’s educational reforms and review some fine examples of good practices in public education from around the world.

In this issue of “Sharing Excellence”, PSE meets up with two shining stars of the education sector who share their wealth of experience with us as well as their outlook on the future of education in the UAE: H.E. Salama Al Amimi, Executive Director at the Abu Dhabi Education Council, and Dr. Shaikha Mohammed Saeed Al Mulla, Director at the Child Development Center of the Ministry of Education.

In continuing with our series on Enablers, in the “Empowering Excellence” section this month, we delve into one of the most talked about management concepts today: Leadership.

In “Knowledge Exchange”, W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, INSEAD Professors of Strategy, and Co-Directors of the INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute, contribute with their article, titled “The Four Pillars of Blue Ocean Leadership”. In our ongoing series, “Project Management at a Glance”, we continue from where we left off in our last issue’s project planning article, and carry through into the project execution process.

In our “Local Enterprise”, PSE meets up with Rashid Al Shamsi, Founder of Ixtel and a Board Member of the Emirati Entrepreneur Association, who shares his success story with us and provides valuable advice for anyone thinking of establishing their own business in Abu Dhabi. We continue to provide you with the latest public sector news and affairs, as well as our monthly “Idea Watch”, where we explore Portfolio Management for Strategy Execution; and our “Off Topic” article on a quick tour of some of Abu Dhabi’s favorite residential neighborhoods.

A WORD OF THANKS TO OUR READERS WHO HAVE PROVIDED US WITH THEIR COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK; WE APPRECIATE YOUR VIEWS AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE SENDING US 7 YOUR REVIEWS.

A word of thanks to our readers who have provided us with their comments and feedback; we appreciate your views and encourage you to continue sending us your reviews.

For additional articles, downloads, and professional resources please check out our website on: www.psemagazine.com Best regards Denise Daane Managing Editor

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PUBLIC SECTOR NEWS AND AFFAIRS

Abu Dhabi Current News and Affairs ABU DHABI GOVERNMENT THIRD WORLD SUMMIT HOSTED BY ABU DHABI SYSTEMS AND INFORMATION CENTRE

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ADSIC has announced the hosting of the third highly acclaimed World Summit Award on mobile content. The initiative aims to facilitate local solutions and employ new technologies to create sustainable and knowledge based economies.

cellence in Government Performance Award 2015, which is now in its fourth session.

The coordinators learned about the general goals and of the improvements that have been made – such as - the addition of categories for entities according to maturity (beginner, implementing, influenced). This classification aims at motivating entities and increasing their performance levels and honouring those with the highest remarkable performance levels, according to the new classification.

EDUCATION

LAWS REGARDING DRONES The UAE is a global leader in terms of endorsing drone laws for safe drone usage.

The General Civil Aviation Authority has revealed in a recent statement that a draft of regulations concerning drone usage is in the process of being finalized, and the new roles for drones will soon become available.

NEW CATEGORY ADDED TO ABU DHABI EXCELLENCE AWARDS Awareness sessions have been conducted by the Executive Council to Excellence Coordinators from more than 51 government entities to introduce them to the most important developments in the Abu Dhabi Ex-

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FIRST BACHELORS DEGREE IN METEOROLOGY Abu Dhabi’s first undergraduate degree in meteorology was launched after Abu Dhabi Polytechnic signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Center of Meteorology and Seismology. The meteorology degree is the first of its kind in the Arab region.

TEACHING AND LEARNING INTERNATIONAL SURVEY Abu Dhabi’s participation in the Teaching and Learning International Survey has

been lauded as the UAE is now considered the first, and only Arab nation to contribute in such an event.This is in line with the Emirate’s strategic plan to bring about globally renowned benchmark practices in the field of teaching and learning to all school and educational institutions.

STUDENTS FROM ABU DHABI, DUBAI, AND AL AIN EXPERIENCE SOLAR IMPULSE 2 André Borschberg, the Swiss co-founder, CEO, and pilot of Solar Impulse, along with Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany, Director of Sustainability at Masdar, welcomed Her Excellency Dr. Amal Al Qubaisi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and students from across the UAE to the Solar Impulse hangar at Al Bateen Executive Airport.

During the event, which took place in mid-February, approximately 1000 students experienced an inspirational presentation and gathered beneath the wings of Solar Impulse 2; the first solar-powered plane with the ability to fly by day or night, without fuel.

INFRASTRUCTURE

ZAYED HOUSING PROGRAM Amid the rising demand for residential

PUBLIC SECTOR NEWS AND AFFAIRS complexes, the Zayed Housing Program has announced its plans to issue around 7000 decrees on residential property in the emirate within the year 2015.

PROJECTS WORTH DH10B UNVEILED ACROSS UAE The Ministry of Public Works has announced a massive portfolio of projects worth more than Dh 10 billion across all of UAE. The portfolio is considered the most innovative and sustainable project to be completed by the ministry, and will only follow international standards and designs that will improve the efficient consumption of resources such as energy and water.

TRANSPORT AND PORTS

ENHANCING THE SCHOOL TRANSPORT SYSTEM A series of regulatory measures have been adopted by the Transport Executive Committee to promote a safe and efficient transport system through mandatory school bus specifications. Examples of these measures include the installation of safety belts in school buses and mandatory medical examination of school bus drivers.

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT WINS “BEST M-APPLICATION” AWARD Abu Dhabi’s Department of Transport (DoT) was honored for its smart application “Darb”, which won the “Best m-Government Service Award” in the transportation and infrastructure category during the Government Summit 2015. H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of DoT, received the award from H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, at the Government Summit honoring ceremony.

LARGEST CAMPAIGN OF FIELD SURVEYS IN THE EMIRATE The Department of Transport has announced the launch of the largest campaign of field surveys which will study transport patterns and norms in all regions of Abu Dhabi. The survey will help to provide vital information on transportation services and structural requirements, which would improve strategic processes for future requirements.

UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF CARGO HANDLED AT ABU DHABI PORTS Abu Dhabi Ports have reported to have handled unprecedented levels of cargo in the previous year. According to the statistics, both the number of containers and volume of general and bulk cargo handled through all of Abu Dhabi Ports have significantly increased. Abu Dhabi Ports have the capacity and scalability to take advantage of the growing global trade opportunities, as only excellent facilities are offered to ensure highest levels of turnaround times.

ENT TOURISM AND DEVELOPM

11TH CORPORATE REGISTERS FORUM Abu Dhabi is set to host the 11th Corporate Registers Forum from 9th to 15th March 2015. The event will be held in the Middle East for the first time since its inception, and is organized by the Department of Economic Development in collaboration with the Corporate Registers Form.

SUDANESE PRESIDENT URGES EMIRATI BUSINESSMEN TO INCREASE INVESTMENTS IN SUDAN Sudanese president Omer Hassan alBeshir has invited Emirati businessmen to double their investments in the Sudanese markets, noting that the Sudanese Investment Forum will be held in Abu Dhabi to highlight investment potential and opportunities in the Sudan.

INTERNATIONAL ROBOTICS CHALLENGE ANNOUNCED Khalifa University has announced the first ever Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge. The international event will be held every two years, offering prizes worth up to a total of US$5 million. The first event will be held in the November 2016.

DUTY FREE REVENUES EXCEED DH1 BILLION Abu Dhabi Airports have announced impressive sales for the year 2014, with duty free sales exceeding Dh1 billion.

The increased revenue represents an increase of 10.5% compared to 2013, which experienced total sales worth Dh912.9 million.

BANKING AND FINANCE

ABU DHABI’S CREDIT RATING AMID OIL SLIDE Standard & Poor’s (S & P) credit rating agency has announced Abu Dhabi’s credit rating, proving that the Emirate is in a strong financial position despite lower oil prices, and relatively undiversified economy. The credit rating agency has affirmed an AA rating for short-term debt, and the Emirate’s financial status remains stable, which shows a healthy reduction of reliance on oil.

POLICE AND DEFENSE

12TH EDITION OF IDEX PROVES BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER The 12th International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) was held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center from 22nd - 26th February 2015.

Approximately 1,200 local and international companies showcased their latest defense and security products and merchandise over an area of 133,000 square meters that includes both indoor and outdoor displays. In addition to the regular exhibitions, this year saw the introduction of the first Unmanned Systems Exhibition (UMEX).

This year’s successful event was attended by key local and international dignitaries, and high ranking military and government officials where billions of dollars’ worth of commercial agreements were concluded with local and international companies.

REDUCTION IN CRIME RATES 14th Feb 2015 - Based on the statistics published by the Abu Dhabi Police, the number of criminal cases handled by the Capital Police has decreased by 18% in 2014, compared to cases handled in 2013. Furthermore, cases of bounced checks were reduced by 20% in comparison to 2013 figures.

UAE COMPANIES LAND DEFENSE CONTRACTS Local exhibitors from Abu Dhabi; including Abu Dhabi Ship Building, Al Taif Technical Services, Nimr Automotives, Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments, and many others succeeded in acquiring large defense contracts at this year’s IDEX event, injecting billions of dirhams into the UAE economy.

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT AT A GLANCE

The Art of

Project Execution I

N OUR FIRST TWO INSTALLMENTS of this series we focused on the phases of project initiation and planning. From the point of view of the project team, the Execution Phase is where the fun starts. It is in this phase that all of the work previously done—evaluation of alternatives, decisions regarding practicability and affordability, resource planning, stakeholder identification, scope definition, and other activities that went into the initiation and planning phases—comes to fruition. Work actually starts on the building the new program, the business re-engineering, or whatever the end result of the project is.

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During the first two phases of a well-managed project, the project sponsor, manager, key team members, and stakeholders collect and analyze all relevant information to decide if the project is not only necessary, but, among all other alternatives, is the best use of financial and human resources. By the time we arrive at the Execution Phase, we can consider that the project proposal has been deemed worthwhile and the required steps of the previous two project phases have been completed, including the all-important documentation.

If this is indeed the case, you can consider yourself and your organization in one of the elite, top-per-

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forming project management organizations on the planet. The sad fact is that there are as many excuses for not adequately initiating and planning a project as there are organizations that run projects. It seems that, while there is frequently insufficient time and resources to properly initiate and plan a project, somehow there is always time to rethink, re-plan, and re-do those parts that have gone sideways. Normally, the reason for the sideways movement is rooted in poor planning.

Now that we’ve made and remade the case for proper initiation and planning, let’s take care of one important definition before we dive into Project Execution.

All project managers hear the constant refrain, “But we can’t do it that way here. That might work in other organizations, but we’re different.”

As it stands, every organization is different, and that is precisely why, in all the sub-processes listed below, we include as an input Enterprise Environmental Factors.

Enterprise Environmental Factors are the culture, structure, political climate, current economic conditions, staff strengths and weaknesses, and all other factors that define and constrain each unique organization. They are internal and external and influence directly or indirectly every decision and activity of the

enterprise. Moreover, they not only determine the day-to-day operations, but strongly influence how projects are managed. Considering Enterprise Environmental Factors is how we tailor the guidelines of any project management methodology to the specific organization.

Enterprise Environmental Factors are so important, and this is precisely why we go to such pains to identify all stakeholders of the project as they will bring to the initiation and planning phases, all factors that need to be considered when defining, designing, and executing the project.

We will break the Project Execution Phase into eight sub-sections for purposes of management.

During the course of executing the project, these will overlap and are not to be taken as independent, stand-alone processes.

Direct and Manage Project Execution In this group of work, the project manager will ensure that the tasks in the schedule are being executed.

The schedule is part of the Project Plan, that grand document that includes all the answers to not only when and who, contained in the schedule, but the what, how, and why of the project. If the project manager, (PM) was dealing with computers and entered the right

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AT A GLANCE command, pressed enter, then the process would start and complete on schedule. However, this is not the case when you’re dealing with a project management team. In Project Execution, a PM spends much of the dealing with personnel challenges, misunderstandings, change requests, and conflicting work requirements that inevitably arise in any organization. Therefore, a vital input to this process group is Organizational Process Assets—those humans, machines, and systems that make the organization run.

In this part of the PM’s job, the ability to fully understand the relationships between all the tasks in the schedule and how all those team members fit into the project becomes vital. As an example, in a data processing system development project, a database subject matter expert may be called off the project for a time to manage a critical production problem. Deciding whether tasks can be rearranged and the schedule maintained, or if indeed the project will be delayed is part of the PM’s job. That decision will not be made solely based on the PM’s knowledge, but also in discussing the issues involved with the project team’s subject matter experts.

Perform Quality Assurance During the Planning Phase of the project, the team developed criteria concerning acceptable quality for the project and specifically how quality would be measured. The Quality Plan was designed to ensure that the end result of the project could fulfil the needs of the enterprise in a cost effective manner. As they say in engineering, “Anyone can build a bridge that stands; it takes an engineer to build a bridge that barely stands.” In other words, we don’t want to over-design whatever the output of the project is because that normally results in higher costs. We want the quality of the project and its output to meet the needs of the organization, but

nothing additional, as other projects and needs of the organization are vying for those same scarce resources. Spending time, capital, and human resources unnecessarily means that some other vital project goes unfunded. By conforming to the quality plan, the project team ensures that the end result satisfies its objectives and adheres to budget. Auditing the project for quality includes not only the product of the project, but the project’s management, as this is where the work becomes valuable and practical.

During Project Execution the PM, or in some cases, a separate Quality Assurance group, will periodically review the deliverables and other outputs and compare them against acceptable standards, as defined by the planning team.

Acquire Project Team During the planning process, a core team, being the key subject matter experts, was assembled for purposes of adequately planning what would be required to produce the desired output of the project.

It is during the Project Execution phase that all of the personnel required to complete the tasks of the project will actually be acquired, and when they will be required to perform work and complete deliverables. Each organization has its own procedures for assigning people to tasks, and that is when Enterprise Environmental Factors come into play. The PM may have a great deal of involvement or even very little, in the assignment of individuals to the project. Whatever the case, the PM must work with the company’s processes to ensure that the project team includes all skills necessary to complete the tasks, and that they are available for the required duration.

Project staff assignments and resource calendars are extremely significant and of great consequence to the success of the project. (Did we

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT AT A GLANCE

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adequately express that you really need this information?) The more complex the project, and the more people involved, the greater the importance of documenting and publicizing exactly what personnel is required and the period of time they would be required. A line manager who says, “Just let me know when you need someone and I’ll make sure I assign someone on my team when the time comes,” should be cause for alarm for the PM.

Develop Project Team It’s not at all unusual for members of the project team to undergo additional training before the launch of the new product or process, since this is new to the organization; it may even be entirely new to the world!

Project team members will frequently be the lead personnel in running

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the new product or will be key in a new process. The importance of education and development is a normal part of a project plan and should not be undervalued.

It may also be the case that people on project teams are not skilled in working on projects, and the PM should ensure that the project team understands the basics of whichever project methodology is being used, how they fit into the overall plan, and their role in the project’s success.

Manage Project Team Once the team is assembled, the PM has the unenviable task of dealing with all the intricacies of human relations. The ability to manage project personnel is, to a great extent, a function of the type and amount of authority the PM has to

directly resolve issues. That authority is at least partially determined by the organizational structure the PM works within. With relation to projects, organizational structure can be roughly defined as functional or projectized. Between these two extremes lies the matrix organization which can be somewhere on a continuum between weak and strong.

In a purely functional organization, where staff is organized under functional managers, where the project manager has a coordinating role external to the organizations from which the team members are drawn, the PM relies predominantly on force of personality and “tribal knowledge” of the organization to ensure that goals are accomplished.

The organizations supplying the personnel have their own day-to-day business to attend to, so this type

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AT A GLANCE of structure normally results in project human resource allocation as a low-priority issue. In a purely functional organization, planning can be difficult and maintaining a schedule can be virtually impossible.

On the other side of the scale is the projectized organization. In this type of structure, employees within the organization are either assigned to business maintenance or project work; an employee from one side of the house rarely works for the other. In a projectized organization the PM has high, to almost complete control over assigned personnel during the period of the project. In this environment, the PM has budgetary responsibility, is a full-time project manager with administrative staff, and considered part of the organization’s leadership.

There are intermediate structures between these two, called matrix organizations; defined as weak, balanced, and strong depending on the PM’s mix of project control, personnel authority, and control over budget. Depending on where the organization falls within that spectrum, the PM has more or less direct authority over his or her project team.

Those whose talents lie in the realm of human relations work well in a strong matrix organization where they can work directly with the individual members of the project team. Others who are less inclined to this particular section of project management might appreciate being part of a weak matrix, or even a functional organization, where all interpersonal relationship challenges can be handed over to the line managers to whom the individual team members report.

communicate the project progress to the project stakeholders. As with virtually every other sub-process within Project Execution, an input to this is the Project Management Plan because that’s where we’ve placed the Communication Plan.

All project performance information that anyone might need will be contained somewhere in one of the reports to stakeholders. The “report” may be anything ranging from an email to a formal standup presentation, including the requisite PowerPoint charts and graphs.

The important point, though, is that the information and its format has been planned and accepted as adequate by the stakeholders in the previous project phase.

But don’t be alarmed. In fact, if you don’t find in the early stages of the project that someone was left off a report distribution list, better check again. It’s a very rare project plan that covers ALL the bases without error, and it’s for exactly this reason that an agenda item, in all early team meetings, and on occasion throughout the project, is a review

of stakeholders and of the Report Distribution Matrix. When the project team actually begins the work of the project, oversights in who needs to receive which communication will be noticed. Distribution lists of reports are easy to update—and the earlier the better.

The PM must work within the organization’s preferred methods of communication. Whether it be emails, broadcast phone messages, paper reports, PowerPoint presentations, or whatever, the project manager is responsible for being able to manage the medium properly and effectivelyThe PM is also responsible for ensuring that all communication needs are met, and if there is a gap in communication channels, or if the preferred communication methods are inadequate for the needs of the project, it is the PM’s responsibility to rectify this.

Manage Stakeholder Expectations Sometimes this can be more diffi-

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Distribute Information In the last installment of this series, Project Planning, we stressed the importance of planning communication. Now it’s time to actually put that plan into practice and

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT AT A GLANCE In many projects the purchase process has the longest lead time of any activity on the schedule. The inputs to this sub-process are numerous and complex—procurement documents, source selection criteria, qualified vendor list, vendor proposals, make or buy decisions, teaming agreements, and more. If the project includes purchasing, this activity may have to begin before any other part of the project. In fact, as soon as the project and funding are approved, procurement should be high on the list of activities to begin immediately. Even if there is sufficient lead time in the schedule, a prudent project manager will make the purchase decisions as soon as possible. Anything the PM can do to ensure the equipment is on site and ready to use at the right time will benefit the project.

Working Miracles?

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cult than managing the work of one hundred team members over eighteen months with a thousand-line schedule. Earlier, in the Project Planning Phase, we stressed how important it is to firmly establish the project scope. This is not only a specific statement of the exact output of the project, but what resources will be required to produce that output. These can both be pits of quicksand if not properly handled in the planning phase and are directly related to stakeholder expectations.

Resources—people, equipment, financing, etc.—will be required at specific times throughout the project life. If the concerned managers responsible for these resources do not have these requirements in their organization plans, the PM will experi-

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ence some unexpected obstacles; this is why part of the PM’s role job is to secure the required resources, whilst reminding those responsible ahead of schedule that they will be needed.

Also useful in Managing Stakeholder Expectations is periodic reviews of the project scope. Change requests will normally affect the scope of the project, so whatever the outcome of a request, the scope of the project should be republished so that everyone interested in the project is reminded of exactly what they may expect from it.

Conduct Procurements Last but not least, we get to buy things. This can be another pit of quicksand if not properly planned.

So, there we have the basic outline of Project Execution, with emphasis on “basic.” During this phase, a PM will be handling many duties that didn’t make it into the process definitions. To compound the difficulty, many organizations don’t consider a project manager to be actually working until he or she has at least four or five projects on their plate.

For someone who does the job well, the PM moniker actually stands for Performer of Miracles.

As has been stated many times, though the execution phase is greatly aided by proper initiation and planning, initially, it is the project sponsor’s, and subsequently the PM’s, to ensure that those two phases are completed before Project Execution begin commences.

Without spending sufficient time and resources on the first two vital stages of any project, the Project Execution Phase can be unmanageable even by the most experienced and knowledgeable PM and will truly require more miracle worker than project manager.

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Let’s Benchmark!

Educational Reform:

Key Considerations 16

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ODAY’S EDUCATION SYSTEM is based on a pattern of traditional instructions where values, beliefs, knowledge and skills are transferred from one generation to the next.

Teaching, or instructing, is accomplished via explanation, rote memorization, directed research, storytelling, or discussion.

Formal education is normally divided into different stages based on current education levels, which roughly correspond with the student’s age: pre-school, primary and secondary school, followed by college or university, or a trade apprenticeship. Most of the world’s countries recognize an individual’s

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right to education. However, despite education being almost universally compulsory up to a certain age, school attendance reflects a different and unfortunate reality.

Research indicates a positive correlation between education achievement and economic prosperity. The empirical evidence shows that a nation’s level of economic progress and the general level of well-being are directly tied to the educational development of its citizens.

With that in mind, we take a look at some global best practices in education to see if there may be lessons to be learned from others in advancing education in the UAE.

Education Policies and Reforms in

Australia

In the attempt to support a greater degree of equity among students of various socio-economic backgrounds in Australia, the National Early Childhood Development Strategy (2009) was drafted with the goal of building a more effective and better-coordinated system for early childhood development. The initiative covers children up to the age of eight years old.

The program prioritizes and concentrates on sensitive areas that contribute to a positive and fruitful educational environment: support to

Let’s Benchmark!

vulnerable children, creating awareness amongst parents about the importance of early development, improvement of the early childhood environment, strengthening of childhood development and family

support services, and enhancement of maternal, child, and family healthcare services.

The goal of the Australian government is to enhance the skills provided through the education sector for the rapidly changing economy. The Advancing Quality in Higher Education Plan (2012-14) introduces various performance measurements in support of the goal for improving the level of teaching, as well as learning in higher education. The program also provides additional funding for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing finance for grants

and contingent loans.

The state is also working to improve the level of apprenticeships by offering incentives to employers as well as students. The Australian Apprenticeship Center is a centralized information and support center for employers, new entrants to the workforce, and students.

The government has also developed a national program to raise teaching standards, Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (2010). This program has designated four career stages in the field of education—Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished, and Lead Teacher. The National Partnership in Improving Quality (2009-2013), provides funding to attract the best gradates into the field of teaching in the attempt to entice top-quality talent and create a superior teaching force.

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Let’s Benchmark!

Education Policies and Reforms in

Norway

A kindergarten reform was introduced in 2004 with the objective of increasing accessibility to quality kindergartens by allotting land for school development, setting a limit on the maximum tuition fee, and increasing funding for public and private kindergartens. The initiative led to the increase of participation of one- to five-year olds from 72% to 90% between 2004 and 2012. National strategies for raising competence of staff (2007-2010) and for recruitment of kindergarten teachers (2007-2011) were also implemented to increase the number of qualified teachers.

In 2006, the Knowledge Promotion Reform was introduced for primary and secondary education. The reform increased focus on specific skills such as reading, oral expression, writing, numeracy and use of digital tools, and the promotion of knowledge.

In the attempt to curtail dropout rates, the New Possibilities-Ny GIV (2010 through 2013) was introduced.

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The program is a national effort to increase the successful completion of upper secondary education and training.

It was successful in increasing the completion rate from 69% to an estimated 75%. It offered students an alternative to dropping out of school by opting for a two-year training program instead of the four year secondary school model, allowing them to work, while at the same time, completing their basic education.

To help facilitate a better environment for learning, the Better Learning Environment Initiative (2009-2014) was introduced which includes various local school development projects and offers an evidence-based learning guide for participating students. To improve teaching standards, National Guide-

lines for Differentiated Primary and Lower Secondary Teacher Education Programs were introduced. The unified structure helped to raise the quality of teachers and improve accreditation and accountability amongst them.

GNIST (SPARK) teacher recruitment campaign (2009-2014) is a national partnership between the Ministry of Education and key stakeholders. The campaign effectively raised the status and prestige associated with the profession, and simultaneously raised the quality standards for those in the profession. Since the initiation of the campaign, the number of applicants to the teacher education program has risen by an unprecedented 60%. There has also been a 27% increase in applications for higher education programs.

Key Considerations

Performance Metrics

Through the development of performance metrics in the education sector, policy makers can gauge the relative success or failure of various facets of the system, allowing improvements to be made precisely where needed. Performance metrics point the way toward, and enable the development of strategies and policies that directly address the root cause of problems. Making small, surgically precise modifications then allows observers to evaluate the resulting change

Issue 3 - march 2015

through an improved or degraded data set of measurements.

their operations, as well, providing a pool of promising future employees.

Establishment of Centralized Apprenticeship Centers

Autonomous Accreditations for a Career in Education

Establishing apprenticeship centers would ease the transition for students from an academic environment to the work environment. Apprenticeship programs would also allow recent graduates to acquire invaluable experience in their respective industries, while at the same time enabling organizations to acquire affordable temporary workers to aid in

To improve the state of education, accreditation boards for educators may be established. For example, there might be an Association of Certified Educators, an autonomous body charged with the responsibility of regulating the qualification standards for those in the education profession. Various certifications may be offered for subject specializations

Let’s Benchmark!

Education Policies and Reforms in

Germany

stricted access to secondary education courses regardless of the route previously chosen—academic or trade. Further, the system facilitates transitions from one path to the other when desired.

Education Policies and Reforms in The German government has introduced a comprehensive secondary schooling system that offers a range of diverse qualifications and has simultaneously merged the two lower-level tiers into one. Most importantly, the system has been changed to allow students unre-

The National Integration Plan (2007) was designed to achieve better recognition of alternative qualifications, such as vocational education. Other policies such as the BAföG and the Bildungsprämie offer grants and loans to individuals for education and training. In order to support extra-curricular activities, the

Education Alliance (2012) was formed.

The program supports students from disadvantaged backgrounds. It initially received 30 million EUR in funding which is to be increased to up to 50 million EUR in subsequent years. The program gives underprivileged students a chance to participate in activities such as school excursions, sports, and musical and cultural activities to increase their level of motivation and create a sense of belonging. To smooth the path between school and work, the ambitious JOBSTARTER program was initiated in 2006, which funds innovative projects to help create additional training and apprenticeship programs.

The federal government and the Lander agreed on the Quality Offensive in Teacher Training (2013). The program improves training standards for teachers and improves the recognition of such courses and certificates.

The Qeudlinberger Resolution (2005) includes voluntary guidelines for the acceptance and accreditation of undergraduate and graduate programs in terms of teacher qualifications. Otherwise the First State Examination is considered as the equivalent to a master’s degree for a career in education.

and levels of education. A recognized set of professional standards, in addition to helping improve the quality of education, could provide a level of prestige based on achievement which would motivate those already in the field to greater accomplishment, and attract high-quality individuals to the teaching profession.

Incorporating Digital Education into Student Curriculum Our world has significantly evolved due to the rapid digitalization and new media. Part of a child’s education nowadays should include coaching in the proper and responsible use of media, which should be integrated into everyday education experience. Due to social media,

Let’s Benchmark!

Education Policies and Reforms in

South Korea

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The government of South Korea introduced Service Teacher Training Institutes (1986), which were established at each provincial board of education to upgrade the quality of the teaching force.

In the late 90s, the aging population of teachers became a concern. As technological advancements induced rapid growth and a high demand for technical employment, the number of young people entering the teaching profession declined. To combat this situation, the ministry of education took drastic measures and lowered the teacher retirement age from 65 to 62, increasing the desirability of teaching while at the same time creating many job opportunities for new teachers. This rejuvenated the teaching force and within two years, over 50,000 teachers were replaced as opposed to the average of 7,000 each year.

In 1995, major educational reforms took place under the name of 5.31 Edu-

cation Reform Proposals (ERP). Through ERP’s, the previously authoritarian and centralized system was replaced by market forces in the education sector.

Through the ERP, three main policies were implemented. First was deregulation of the education sector along with the implementation of accountability measures such as performance-based funding. Then the curriculum was completely reformed, allowing for diversification within teaching as well as learning.

Lastly, information and communication technology was incorporated within the lifelong education system, expanding the educational opportunities for all.

In 2001, the education minister’s political status was upgraded to the Deputy Prime Minister level, allowing the ministry to oversee and coordinate not only educational policies but also human resource developmental policies.

Within the ERP initiative, the vocational

and technical education system was improved, which had started to lag behind since the adoption of capital intensive business practices. The most important role was the integration of the vocational and technical curricula within high schools. Students were now able to devote one extra year of education to acquiring field experience. Furthermore, ERP brought diversification to high schools by introducing two different types of schools: integrated and specialized. This provided an efficient and specialized workforce along with a greater number of career choices to students.

The workforce of South Korea, given the country’s information economy, requires continual upgrading of skills and lifelong learning. The government has answered this call with vocational high schools and universities for continuing education.

The education system of South Korea is considered to be one of the best in the world, fueled by social and economic demand. The choices the government made and the programs instituted, show that both access and equity can be achieved simultaneously if the government and the populace are ready to address potential tradeoffs and make difficult decisions from the planning stages through to implementation.

the problem of bullying has migrated into the virtual realm, making it even more difficult to manage.

Young students should be taught the positive uses of platforms that offer incredible potential for learning and growing. As children mature in a technologically advanced educational environment, their interests in the world hidden within the technology and the broader world around them, brought closer by that very technology, may encourage them to seek higher and more advanced education. As we have already noted, research indicates a

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Let’s Benchmark!

Education Policies and Reforms in

Japan

Education Policies and Reforms in Practical evidence shows that the importance of establishing foundational cognitive and non-cognitive abilities well before the age of five is fundamental to the lifelong educational and learning experience of an individual (Heckman and Masterov, 2007). Taking this philosophy to heart, the government of Japan places a great deal of emphasis on their early education policies. It expanded the capacity of licensed pre-primary education centers from 2.15 million in 2010 to 2.41 million in 2014, effectively eliminating the problem of waiting lists. The government’s New Growth Strategy (2010) set out to integrate childcare and kindergarten to eliminate categorization in early life education into kindergarten, childcare, and nursery schools.

The government implemented the Global 30 Project (2008) to internationalize the Japanese educational sector, which is expected to include 300 thousand foreign students by 2020.

The project encompasses 30 universities with a total budget of 3 billion yen.

Another project was launched in partnership with South Korea, dubbed Campus Asia (2010). Its goal is to promote student exchange programs and attract

positive correlation between education achievement, and economic prosperity. Advancing the cause of education at all levels can only be a positive development for the UAE.

Promoting Research and Development in Educational Institutions Encouragement of corporations by government to fund research and development projects within universities not only promotes innovation, but also provides an environment where students experience that

high-achieving foreign students.

To improve the academic standard at the tertiary level, the government has suggested improving efficiencies through economies of scale. Since 2002, 29 national universities have merged into only 14. However, the average size of Japanese national universities still remains very small compared with some other countries.

This suggests that it may be possible to consolidate the education sector even further to promote institutional excellence.

The Japanese education sector is renowned for promoting innovation through learning and education. The

environment on a daily basis. The Abu Dhabi government has already taken the initiative in facilitating innovation. With the input of private corporations funding research and development in universities, funding levels will significantly increase, and innovative leaders of the future will be discovered.

Internationalizing Local Education Abu Dhabi has made significant progress in establishing its presence in the international market through

amount of spending on research and development in Japan is among the highest in the world. The Third Science and Technology Basic Plan 2006 further increased the role of tertiary education in innovation by strengthening ties between universities, industries, and the government. Furthermore, the University Intellectual Property Headquarters and Technology Licensing Organizations increasingly promote innovation within educational institutions. Over twelve percent of all research and development was performed in universities, with research funds in universities soaring to 41 billion yen.

various global initiatives such as the Drones for Good Award. The ultimate goal for any education sector is to export their services to the international market. The current trend among students worldwide is towards the preference for a foreign education which many feel will provide them with increased career opportunities. Abu Dhabi can leverage this trend and attract students to the Emirate for quality education, a strategy that is bound to increase global recognition of local educational institutions and facilities.

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EMPOWERING EXCELLENCE

Leading an Organization to Excellence

The Leadership Enabler C

REATING AND SUSTAINING a culture of excellence can only start from the top down. An organization’s leaders are the only persons who can effectively motivate and inspire employees towards a vision of organizational excellence.

Of all the excellence enablers, the leadership criterion is probably the most important in enabling excellence in an organization. Leadership has and continues to be one of the most frequently discussed business management topics, with countless books, frameworks, and examples that have proven effective for various practitioners. The Abu Dhabi Excellence Awards,

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based on the European Foundation Quality Model (EFQM) is among the most practical and well-structured guides for leadership excellence and is the basis of this article.

An organization needs strong leadership, one that guides and molds the workforce and unites them under a common set of goals, defining a clear strategy that translates into efficient management of resources and stakeholders, as well as the development of efficient processes to develop and produce products and services that delight customers. In other words, without

EMPOWERING EXCELLENCE sound leadership, there will be no way to integrate and reconcile all the different criteria to meet the needs of the stakeholders.

So what exactly can leaders do to implement an effective management system and foster a culture of excellence?

Develop a Shared Vision, Mission and Values The first thing that should be on any excellent leader’s agenda is to define a clear purpose for his/her organization. A corporate vision and mission needs to be clearly stated, reiterated and communicated to all stakeholders involved in an organization’s business. The vision and mission can be used to unite an organization’s employees under one common all-encompassing goal that gives them a clear direction.

This helps secure an organization’s future by defining all its aims and the activities required to get there.

Shaping an organization’s culture and character is a key component to developing a shared vision, whereby leaders should define a set of corporate values that that guide how employees behave and make decisions. These set of values help define an organization’s business climate, and determines how an organization approaches their work and associated problems. These core values must be devised in a manner that will allow the employees to work together and set common goals for efficient work flow. There should be trust, openness, and accountability, so that all employees can work towards the company’s interests, much as the company does for them.

Leaders should also make sure their people understand and live by ethical codes of conduct by continuously emphasizing the impor-

tance integrity and loyalty. Common values create harmony in the workforce by guiding an organization’s internal conduct as well as its relationship with its customers, partners, and shareholders.

Act as Role Models Much like a child would do as his/ her parents do, rather than what they tell them to, so will employees take directive from a leader’s behavior and actions, rather than verbal instructions and directives.

A leader must embrace the qualities he wishes to foster in his people, and the best way to engrain the company mission, vision, and values is to live by them yourself.

To be a true leader, one must lead his/her people by example and maintain a work attitude that will inspire them and propel them into action. If a leader displays the integrity and the sense of social responsibility that they wish to see in their people, he will create a workforce that is dedicated and loyal and thus respects and looks up to him/her.

Honesty is key in both internal and external dealings of a firm, and this is something a leader must reflect in his/her actions because as Lewis Cass said, “People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do.”

Improve Management and Performance Constant improvement is of paramount importance in the pursuit of excellence. A good leader persistently devises new tools to review methods and strategies so that they can be improved in any way possible. A leader must establish cause and effect relationships, to establish which actions lead to certain results. That way, desired results can be reinforced and the rest can be discarded.

The ways a company’s affairs are

managed also needs to be assessed by monitoring the results that are achieved. Sustained excellence must be achieved, and so management techniques must be revised regularly to keep them up-to-date in the world’s current state of fastpaced business and environmental changes.

Organizational processes must be carefully designed to adapt and stay ahead of the latest business and economic trends. A good leader always has current information available, and can apply this information within the context of his/ her organization, ensuring that a competitive edge is always maintained. Decision-making leaders should be well informed and ensure that business decisions are based on facts before taking action and driving change. When such considerations are made, resulting actions and processes are often more reliable, and it becomes easier to base future predictions on the results achieved.

Excellent leaders must also be transparent with their stakeholders about their performance. Stakeholders should be kept abreast about how the business is doing and what steps the leaders are taking to ensure good performance.

Good leaders understand that they are accountable to their stakeholders and therefore act accordingly. It is this feeling of responsibility that drives exceptional leaders to go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that his/her people, processes, and systems are aligned to achieve excellent results. Sharing information and being transparent with stakeholders is a key factor in maintaining their support. Not only do good leaders share good news, but they also share bad news and discuss risky business decisions as well. This way, leaders can garner the support of their stakeholders when times are good, but also when times are tough.

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EMPOWERING EXCELLENCE

Engage with external stakeholders

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Excellent organizations are always looking for new innovations, and the best leaders know how to work with different groups that are involved in the company’s interests to fish for new ways to improve products and productivity. At a basic level, organizations essentially strives to align its goals with those of its stakeholders, and excellent organizations have leaders that can identify who these various beneficiaries are, where they lie on the power and interest map, and how to best serve their needs and exceed their expectations.

Good leadership is an organization’s driving force behind figuring out how to best engage its partners, customers and the society at large in new and creative ways to enhance the organization’s reputation and that of its processes, products and/or services. A good leader takes the time to know the people and groups his/her organization interacts with, and knows how to a brand that attracts and keeps happy customers and partners.

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In order to develop and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with other organizations such as suppliers and distributors, a leader needs to have the sense of how their strengths will complement their own, and how they can best serve the firm’s strategic goals.

Once these factors are established, the relationship must be handled with openness, mutual trust and transparency.

Reinforce a Culture of Excellence Excellent leadership entails fostering a business environment where the organization’s people are engaged and involved in the ongoing processes and activities of the firm.

Employees of excellent organizations feel empowered, and have a sense of ownership and accountability towards their objectives. In order to create this sense of belonging, employees must be made to feel that they are valued and are an important part of the organization.

Only then will they feel motivated to put their hearts and souls into reaching the organization’s goals.

There should be no feeling of de-

tachment or isolation; they need to feel like the company’s interests are their own and they must be inspired to treat their work as their passion, not just a sum of hours they need to clock in to get a pay cheque.

The organizational ambiance should encourage innovation, creativity, and out-of-the-box thinking that can set the organization apart from competitors and benchmark organizations.

Excellent leaders set the pace for this kind of innovation and constantly encourage and reward innovative solutions and improvements in products, services, and processes. It is important for excellent organizations to disrupt and reinvent the field they are in, and they can only do this with a confident, creative and passionate workforce, which can only be nurtured by excellent leaders. Employees should not be afraid to break rules and take calculated risks, and must be encouraged to venture out of their comfort zone in order to discover the new and unknown. They must also be supported and guided, and their efforts should be well organized so that they can achieve these innovative goals and targets in a timely manner.

EMPOWERING EXCELLENCE

Leaders should also ensure that they promote equal opportunities and diversity in the organization.

This not only keeps all employees motivated, but also attracts diverse range of innovative solutions and ideas to the firm and improves the organization’s overall image.

An excellent leader fosters an environment where people love to work, and are loyal to the firm’s agenda, finding a safe environment to be creative and move ahead, and strive for excellence in everything they do.

Ensure flexibility and the ability to manage change effectively In order to manage change effectively, a leader must first understand which factors drive change, and how these factors function.

This understanding can help them anticipate when the tide is about to turn, and to come out on top when the dust settles.

When making decisions, a leader must be able to use previous experiences to guide them along with

the information available to them, to take timely actions. A quick response reflex is an excellent leader’s forte, and he/she should be able to understand the intricate and multi-faceted impacts that his/ her responses will have on the firm and on stakeholders when making such quick responses. They should be flexible enough to adapt to new situations, and to tweak their strategies to align with these newly arisen circumstances in a way that will positively affect the firm, while keeping the trust of all stakeholders involved.

Times are always changing and the business world in particular is rapidly evolving. New concepts and processes are constantly developed, and in order to achieve sustained excellence in this world, it is important to change with it.

To this end, a good leader must demonstrate the ability to learn and act quickly, and keep coming up with new ways of solving strategic issues that can improve their effectiveness and increase efficiency. Short-term gains can only take a company so far, and an excellent leader always thinks long-term.

Staying competitive is also a quality a leader must have, which can keep their methods current and up-todate in order to be able to stay in the race towards excellence.

This comprehensive set of leadership attributes and skills are an embodiment of excellence in leadership that every organization needs to have in order to succeed in a competitive and fast faced world. It allows a leader to make sure all the other Enabler criteria, strategy, people, processes, products and services, and partnership and resources, are well-organized, adequately managed and are working to their fullest potential.

The Abu Dhabi Excellence Award for Government Performance uses this model criterion to seek out the firms worthy of this honor, and through it the government encourages its organizations to strive for excellence. Leaders in the Abu Dhabi public sector contending to be part of this program can look within for these qualities, and try and incorporate the ones that are missing so they can lead their organizations to excellence.

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KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE

Blue Ocean Leadership

W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, INSEAD Professors of Strategy and Co-Directors of the INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute

27 To unleash employees’ untapped talent and energy, leaders need a strong repertoire of actions, not just better awareness and empathy.

M

OST LEADERSHIP programmes are generally designed to hone the cognitive and behavioural skills of leaders with the implicit assumption that this would ultimately translate into high performance. Leaders are accordingly called on to develop traits like

self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy, for example, all of which require deep self-reflection and introspection to assimilate into a person’s being. While cultivating such values are important, when we asked people to look back on these programmes, most reported not seeing a marked change in leader-

ship caliber. As one executive put it, “Without years of dedicated efforts, how can you transform a person’s character or behavioural traits? And can you really measure and assess if leaders are embracing and internalising these personal traits and styles?

In theory yes, but in reality it’s hard at best.” In the end, millions of dol-

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KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE lars were often spent, excitement was initially generated, but real leadership change did not set in.

Pillar One: Focus on acts and activities.

Blue ocean leadership, in contrast, is action-based, just as strategy is. It focuses on what acts and activities leaders need to do to provide a leap in motivation and business results driven by people, not on who they need to be. It’s the difference between being asked to be motivating versus being asked to provide those you lead with real-time feedback and best practice lessons that internally motivate and guide those you lead to up their game while feeling valued. The summation of these acts and activities is the leadership equivalent of a company’s strategic profile only here the aim is the development of a compelling leadership profile grounded in actions that are easy to observe, measure, and are directly linked to performance. This difference in emphasis has an important consequence for the time and resources needed to bring about a change for high performance. It is markedly easier to change a person’s acts and activities, than their values, qualities, or behaviours.

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Of course, changing a leader’s activities is not a complete solution, and having the right values, behaviours, and qualities is important. But changing acts and activities is something that any individual can do, given the right feedback and guidance.

Pillar Two: Connect leadership to market realities by engaging people who confront them.

We observed that the leadership approaches employed by organisations are often generic and detached from what firms stand for in the eyes of customers and the market

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results employees are expected to achieve. At one insurance company, for example, call center personnel were tasked with fulfilling customer claims rapidly, while their frontline leaders maintained a hands-off approach to getting the claims department to cut checks rapidly. Call center personnel rightly felt set up to fail, hugely demotivated, and let down by their leaders.

Blue ocean leadership, in contrast, focuses on what makes effective leaders, not in a vacuum but in light of the market realities their organisations confront and their direct reports must deliver on. Blue ocean leadership does not subscribe to a generic approach of common leadership acts and activities much as strategy does not subscribe to the same strategic profile across organisations.

Instead people who face market realities are asked for their direct input regarding what acts and activities their leaders do that hold them back and what they need from their leaders but aren’t currently receiving to be their best and effectively serve customers and key stakeholders.

When people are asked to help define the leadership acts and activities that will make them thrive and are connected to the market realities against which they need to perform, people get the type of leadership they and their organisation need and are highly motivated to share their energy and perform to the best of their abilities. As one employee put it, “I am under constant pressure to produce market results. I need the decisions and actions of my boss to support me to succeed in achieving market results. Currently there is a disconnect here.”

Pillar Three: Distribute leadership across different management levels.

While the market realities that organisations face today demand that there should be leaders at every

level, the majority of leadership programmes we observed still remained largely focused on the top. But the key to a successful organisation is having empowered leaders at every level. It’s an illusion to expect or rely on top management on its own to deliver high performance especially as outstanding service all too often comes down to the motivation and actions of frontline leaders who are often in closest contact with the market. Executives need to push responsibility down in the organisation so that people on the frontline can deliver world-class service. Organisations need to develop effective leaders deep in their organisation by distributing leadership across different management levels, but that was often not the case.

Blue ocean leadership addresses this need by focusing on distributed leadership, not top leadership. By distributed leadership we refer to leadership distributed at the senior, middle, and frontline levels. Blue ocean leadership sees leadership as needed at all three levels to unlock the ocean of unemployed talent and energy that stretches deep into organisations. It also understands that these three levels are different enough from one another.

Each requires a different leadership profile to be effective since each has a different positional power, task environment as well as focus on and interaction with the external environment. The factors that define good leadership are derived by the acts and activities leaders need to take at each level to create a leap in value for both employees and customers. In this way, blue ocean leadership, like blue ocean strategy, is about creating a nonzero-sum, win-win outcome. As we’ve heard repeatedly, “Almost everyone leads someone, not just the top. But when it comes to leadership, we focus on the top. The truth is 90% of our people don’t even have contact with them so how is their greatness supposed to transform our organ-

KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE isation? We need effective leaders at every level.”

Pillar Four: Pursue high impact leadership acts and activities at low cost.

Leadership practices are all too often seen and treated as something added on to people’s regular work.

But with secretaries and administrative staff in most organisations al-

ready cut back to the bare minimum and the market reality intense, most leaders’ plates are already full. Finding the time to do one’s regular job is tough enough, let alone attempting to up one’s game. So a stepchange in leadership strength rarely occurs. Time is just not enough.

Blue ocean leadership recognises this. It breaks the trade-off between impact and cost by focusing as much on what acts and activities leaders

Conventional Leadership Development Appoaches

need to eliminate and reduce in what they do as on what they need to raise and create to unlock the ocean of unemployed talent and energy to drive high performance.

In the context of leadership, high impact refers to achieving high motivation and engagement of people to drive business results while low cost refers to a lower investment of time by leaders, which is their most expensive and limited resource.

Blue Ocean Leadership

Focus on the values, qualities and behavioural styles that make for good leadership under the assumption that these ultimately translate into high performance.

Focus on what acts and activities leaders need to undertake to boost their teams’ motivation and business results, not on who leaders need to be.

Tend to be quite generic and are often detached from what organizations stand for in the eyes of their customers and the market results their people are expected to achieve.

Connect leaders’ actions closely to market realities by having the people who face market realities define what leadership practices hold them back and what leadership actions would enable them to thrive and best serve customers and other key stakeholders.

Focus mostly on the executive and senior levels of organizations.

Invest extra time for leadership practices added on to people’s regular work.

Our research has found that many of the acts and activities that take up leaders’ time actually work against them being effective and can even be resented by those below them, not appreciated by those above them, and are an energy sapper for the leaders themselves.

By expressly eliminating and reducing these acts and activities, leaders’ time is freed to focus on new acts and activities that make a real impact on leading and producing

Distribute leadership across all three management levels because outstanding organizational performance often comes down to the motivation and actions of middle and frontline leaders who are in closer contact with the market.

Pursue high impact leadership acts and activities at low cost by focusing as much on what leaders need to eliminate and reduce in what they do as on what they need to raise and create.

business results driven by people.

Without freeing up leaders’ time in this way, it is often no more than wishful thinking that leaders will have the time to up their game.

To put blue ocean leadership in action, we adapt the analytic tools and frameworks of blue ocean strategy to the leadership context.

The result is the Leadership Canvas, the Leadership Profile and the Blue Ocean Leadership Grid all of which

are grounded in acts and activities, easy to understand and communicate and that engage more people in an organization. The tools and methodology point is very important. Without that it is very hard for research to do more than inform but practically address the challenges of leadership development for high performance. The coming articles explore how to apply these tools and frameworks to put blue ocean leadership into practice.

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Sharing Excellence

H.E Salama Al Amimi

Executive Director of Organizational Development and Excellence

Interview Date: 28/09/2014

H

.E. SALAMA AL AMIMI is Executive Director of Organizational Development and Excellence for Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), working on projects that will have a dramatic impact on the youth of Abu Dhabi for generations to come.

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H.E Ms Al Amimi is currently focused on what she says has been the most significant project of her career so far: to recruit more Emiratis to teach in schools. This morning, she has good reason to hail this a success: “The lady who works in Emiratisation, which comes under my office, was so excited to come and tell me the good news just now, that we’ve hired 677 teachers in this campaign!

“Emiratis have tended to disregard the teaching occupation, because they believe it’s a lot of pressure dealing with students for a small amount of money. So we built beautiful schools, came up with a new pay-scale for teachers, new working structures, and it’s now making teaching more appealing to them.”

The 38 year-old Emirati started her career in Al Ain, working in recruitment for Tawam Hospital. She recalls the American General Manager of the hospital at that time: “I had a wonderful boss who saw

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the potential in me—he felt I was someone who could learn quickly.

He never stopped advising me to put pressure on myself, because he believed that would make me a better professional. Now, I myself am a manager. I try to do that with my own staff because you never fully realise your capabilities until you’re under heavy pressure.”

Four years later, having been promoted to head of recruitment for Al Ain Medical City, H.E Ms Al Amimi received a phone call from the General Secretariat of the Executive Council (GSEC), asking her to work for them as an HR Manager.

“When I received that phone call, I knew it would be a big step forward in my career, but to be honest with you, as a Bedouin lady it was difficult to think about shifting from Al Ain to Abu Dhabi with my young daughter, even though it’s only a two hour drive away, because I had to leave the family. But I decided to do it.”

Three years later, H.E Ms Al Amimi was promoted to Executive Director of Support Services, where she was the only female executive in a team of four men, which presented its own challenges. “They were supportive, but—it’s strange, as a female, you have to be cautious of every single word that you state.

Men can be very sensitive when something is spoken by a female to a male. So I had to be careful with my statements. But sometimes I used to think ‘Do you hear yourselves when you talk to each other?

Why don’t you get as sensitive towards each other?”

H.E Ms Al Amimi worked at GSEC from 2006 and 2009, during a time of great changes in the central government, and seized the opportunity to learn what she could. “It was a very exciting time to be involved in this line of work. Although I was support services director, I was always working on the business development side more than support services. I was someone sitting at the table, listening and trying to contribute.” One of H.E Al Amimi’s roles was to develop the structure and function of ADEC, so moving on to work for them seemed a natural next step, where she started as an Organization Capability Adviser. Then the Office of Organisational Development and Excellence was created, with Ms Al Amimi at the helm. “They created the office with that name because everybody believed in that mandate. We are reforming the entire system—it’s an office of transformation,” she explains.

One reason for a perceived need for reforming the system was the

Sharing Excellence

THEY CREATED THE OFFICE WITH THAT NAME BECAUSE EVERYBODY BELIEVED IN THAT MANDATE. WE ARE REFORMING THE ENTIRE SYSTEM—IT’S AN OFFICE OF TRANSFORMATION

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Issue 3 - march 2015

Sharing Excellence

growing gap in expectations between the school education system and the higher education system in Abu Dhabi. Ninety-three percent of Emiratis, after they left school, were not equipped to begin their degree courses, and instead had to embark on a bridging ‘foundations programme’ to raise them to an acceptable standard.

There are plans that these university foundation programmes will soon be scrapped, as schools step up to plug the learning gap.

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“School students were not meeting the required levels, and there was enough evidence of a pressing need for the system to be changed,” explains H.E Al Amimi. “There’s also a big misalignment between what the market requires graduates to study, and what the students themselves are specializing in—a lot of young Emiratis are unemployed because they’re studying the wrong disciplines. They never had proper career counseling to help them choose the right career. Mostly, they’re focused on ICT and Business Administration, while actually you also need people who are engineers, science technicians, and even experts in literature. So it’s about diversifying our workforce.”

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H.E Ms Al Amimi has been involved in ADEC’s ambitious changes in the curriculums of public schools, such as changing to a bilingual English-Arabic model, and moving from rote-learning to interactive-learning.

“The bilingual model was introduced gradually, starting with the youngest students, who are now in grade eight. So we have four years to go to finalise the entire system.

“We’re half way through our journey, and I strongly believe we’re on the right path, but it’s difficult to judge right now. We need people who started in grade one to pass through the new system and graduate from high school, and then we’ll be able to tell if it’s worked. There are signs of success.”

H.E Ms Al Amimi says her department has learnt lessons from observing successful educational models operating in other countries such as Finland, Singapore, and China. But ADEC doesn’t believe in trying to imitate foreign systems.

“We look at their best practices to enlighten us to make better decisions, but we also have to customize what we learn to our own needs.

We have to remember our own unique culture.

For example, because of our hot summer desert environment, it would be very difficult to extend the school term into the summer, as in certain other countries. Some people think we have a lot of school breaks, but those breaks are needed. Looking at our families and how close we are to each other, you can’t keep a student at school until 4.00pm. The family is an important factor in their growth.”

And in H.E Ms Al Amimi’s own family, it’s her 13 year-old daughter who she says inspires her in her life the most. “Being a mother helps me to try to understand other people’s points of view, because I have to listen to her and try to understand her perspective, rather than just thinking about what I want.

“What really motivates me is my contribution to the future generation of my country. Even if it’s a small contribution, it gives me such satisfaction. I have challenges every day, but I try to pause and see the bigger picture, and that’s what keeps me going.”

Sharing Excellence

DR SHAIKHA MOHAMMED SAEED AL MULLA

Director of the Child Development Centre Ministry of Education

By Kelly Ann Crane

S

PEAK TO any parent and they will quickly confirm the age-old cliché; having a child changes your life forever! For Shaikha Mohammed Saeed Al Mulla however, the turbulent transition to ‘motherhood’ was all-encompassing.

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An accountant by profession, the UAE National immersed herself in the fairly predictable world of facts, figures and fractions on completion of her studies and higher education. It wasn’t until the birth of her first child, that a new and undiscovered passion for education, in particular, early childhood development, was ignited.

Hand-picked by Dubai’s Ministry of Education for the position of Director at the Dubai Child Development Centre, a position which Dr Shaikha has held for the past 18 years, this ambitious 51-year old UAE national has greatly contributed towards the future of education in the UAE. “In all honesty, something that started out as more of a fascination has shaped my career,” she tells me from a sofa in her homely-looking office. “When

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the children came along, I was gripped by the stages of their development. I know our own children impress us as parents – just because they are ours – but this was different. I found myself asking why they did certain things, and looked for ways to turn negative into positive.

I wanted to understand what made them act and react in situations. It was intrigue and nothing more but it shifted my focus completely.”

Within years, Dr Al Mulla, mother-of-four, and grandmother to six, achieved a Bachelor degree in Early Childhood Education and Learning from Al Ain University before heading to Cairo to study for a Masters in Children with ADHD. A PhD with specialist emphasis on children with dyslexia completed an impressive portfolio of formal qualifications – for now. “Learning is second nature to me and I suppose that’s what makes so much sense in the role I’m now in,” says Al Mulla, who is also a Ministry of Education school inspector. “When we were small my father would take us to Lebanon for months in the summer but not for a holiday like other children. My siblings and I

would go to boarding school in the holiday months and continue our education. I didn’t realise the benefit at the time, but now I know it’s because he wanted us to have every opportunity available.”

In 2005 the UK government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) sponsored Dr Al Mulla to study for a degree at the University College London on how involved women are in the corridors of power. A management member of the Women’s Society Council, and member of the General Women’s Union in the UAE, Dr Al Mulla was the first person from the UAE to be selected for a Chevening Fellowship, named after the official residence of Britain’s Foreign Secretary.

“I found my passion in learning and education,” but I have my children to thank for it.” Shaikha Al Mulla has two sons studying Urban Design at Oxford University, UK; a daughter with her own company and her youngest son works in the financial sector in Geneva, Switzerland. “In the beginning I couldn’t find a proper school for them and it was very frustrating. Dubai was not the place

it is today, and 30 years ago it was tough to find a good school, in my opinion,” she explains. “I found myself interfering all the time in their school and studies, and never really felt comfortable with the teaching. I remember sending the nanny to check up – I was not a popular mother. But I knew things could be better and I was determined to help make that happen.”

Having a conversation with Al Mulla is akin to chatting with your own, probably slightly-less concerned, mother. Kind, sincere eyes draw you in, and a genuine interest in your own choices, are soon at the top of her agenda, whether you are friend, family or stranger. She attributes her incessant drive to give everyone the best to her own children, and the success they have achieved. “It starts when they are small and this is what people miss sometimes. The local education system has improved leaps and bounds, but still has a long way to go. My biggest wish would be for the officials to realise the importance of early childhood development and learning. Education starts before they can walk.”

Using her own son Saeed, currently living in Geneva, as an example, Dr Al Mulla’s passion is undeniable as she recalls: “He could speak four languages before he could do much else. When you witness what a little child can master at such a young age it doesn’t take a genius to realise the influence a solid foundation can have at the age of two, three, or four.” Unfortunately, Dr Al Mulla believes too much emphasis is placed on children at the higher education level, rather than at kindergarten age. “You’ve lost some of them by then,” she says.

The Kindergarten Development Centre was established in 1992 by the Ministry of Education in partnership with the Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development (AGFUND), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The Centre immediately adopted and developed a curriculum based on self-learning principles in a bid to improve and promote kindergarten education in the UAE. It is also a training establishment for UAE national curriculum teach-

ers and trains more than 180 staff each year. Dr Al Mulla’s strong commitment for education rapidly propelled her to the position of director following just a few successful years as a primary educator in Dubai. “There were no teachers to help children with special learning capabilities. It has taken time but I wanted a place where teachers could train to better themselves, and better understand the children they were teaching; it’s knowing the signs, and what to look for.”

Following the Child Rights convention of 1996, the Ministry of Education introduced a standard curriculum for teaching and education across the board for the UAE. Dr Al Mulla relished the challenge to implement the syllabus and was further granted clearance to add three modules in the creative and art design fields. “After the Gulf War I sensed a change in our children,” and explains why; “I was in a government kindergarten in Satwa and there was a kind of tension I couldn’t explain. “They seemed angry, upset, and more hyperactive. It made me realise that children are

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Sharing Excellence

affected by these world events no matter where they are in the world and they must be educated to deal with them.” Part of Dr Al Mulla’s action plan was to allow children to express a more creative side. “We needed to move away from the idea that the only way to learn is with books; reading and writing is not always the answer.”

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So what does Dr Al Mulla see for the future of UAE education?

“We live in a special place when it comes to education,” she says, full of praise for the Ministry of Education. “If you live in the UK your child has a UK curriculum; in the US, an American syllabus, and here, our children have access to whatever curriculum the parent chooses, and that is pretty unique. Even if you want your child to follow a Japanese education plan, it is possible here.”

A mother before all else, Dr Al Mulla believes that cultural education – a given in the UAE – is by far one of the most important for youngsters.

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CHILDREN CAN LEARN LANGUAGES FROM AS YOUNG AS SIX MONTHS OLD, AND THIS SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO HELP PEOPLE SEE THAT THESE CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE, AND INVESTMENT SHOULD KNOW NO BOUNDS. “Every child will crawl, stand, walk, say “baba” and “mama” – the stages of development are the same; it doesn’t matter the colour of skin or what language will eventually be the mother-tongue, it’s about a child being a child. Our children are very lucky.” she proudly admits.

With Expo 2020 on the horizon, education is just one of many government sectors due for expansion and improvement over the coming years. “If I could have just one wish it would be this,” says Dr Shaikha.

“We need to educate the educa-

tors and remember to start at the bottom. The tiny children of this country will eventually be leaders.

Children can learn languages from as young as six months old, and this should be enough to help people see that these children are the future, and investment should know no bounds.” Finally, she sits back and breathes in a deep breath before softly saying: “Give them the tools and they will build a nation.”

If Dr Shaikha has her way she would be digging the foundations with them all.

IN FOCUS

ABU DHABI’S

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Education Sector E DUCATION IN ABU DHABI has gone through a period of major growth over the last few decades. What started out as a small-scale state education system has now grown into a world-class education system having large numbers of public and private schools, as well as world class Universities and tertiary institutions.

The Abu Dhabi Government has identified education as its number one priority. It has further recognized the role of education in achieving long-term social and economic transformation in Abu Dhabi. This shows the importance that is placed on education and further illustrates

Issue 3 - march 2015

the important role that the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) has in fulfilling this strategic priority.

Under the visionary leadership of H.H Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founder and late President of the UAE, public education in Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a whole saw rapid transformation through policies, agendas, and frameworks set by the Ministry of Education.

His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the current premier of UAE and Abu Dhabi, continues to stress the need to further develop the education system in Abu Dhabi according to international standards. In order to achieve that

goal, ADEC was established in 2005 to improve the quality of the public education system in Abu Dhabi. The Chairman of ADEC is H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The Vice-Chairman is H.H Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs. The Director General of ADEC, H.E Dr. Mugheer al Khalili, has administered ADEC since 2005.

ADEC has pledged an unwavering resolve to transform Abu Dhabi into a knowledge-based society and has charted progressive, sustainable plans to carry this out by way of the

IN FOCUS average student to receive more attention from his or her teacher.

Education 2020 Plan, launched by the Ministry of Education and Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.

Overview of Abu Dhabi’s Education System When the UAE was established in 1971, there were very few educational institutes in Abu Dhabi. In 1962, Abu Dhabi had less than 20 public schools with an enrollment of about 4,000 students, most of them boys.

There were no higher education institutes in Abu Dhabi. Citizens who wanted to study beyond secondary school had to go abroad to complete their studies. Today, that number has grown to 490 schools—185 private and 305 public. In addition, Abu Dhabi has 18 higher education institutes and universities of which 12 are public and six are private.

ADEC’s role is to develop and manage public educational institutes within Abu Dhabi. It also offers support and assistance to private

schools and universities and implements policies to improve the standard of education in Abu Dhabi in accordance with the highest international standards.

ADEC implements its own curriculum in public schools in Abu Dhabi where students are given examinations based on the federal Ministry of Education’s requirements. In January 2008, ADEC became the supervising body of the Abu Dhabi Educational Zone (ADEZ), taking over the role from the UAE Ministry of Education.

At present, ADEC manages 305 public schools and 12 public HEI (Higher Education Institutes). Public education is free for male and female citizens through university level. Expatriate students can also attend government schools for a nominal fee. Public institutes and schools in Abu Dhabi have one of the lowest student-to-teacher ratios (28:1) in the world, enabling the

Thousands of teachers from around the world have been recruited over the last few years in an effort to further transform the public education system in Abu Dhabi to meet some of the best international benchmarks available. In addition to teaching at the public schools, these recruits are tasked with supporting local educators in developing the best teaching techniques and methodologies in addition to supporting them with the development of longterm professional development plans. At the end of 2014, ADEC announced that approximately 1,500 Emirati school leaders, teachers, and administrators had been recruited across Abu Dhabi’s public schools as part of ADEC’s strategy to Emiratize school based jobs. In addition to their new positions, Emirati school leaders will be offered various professional development opportunities that will help empower them in the field. Some of these opportunities include a scholarship program especially tailored for school leaders, the Nibras Program, the Florida Program to help assess and develop their performance, and the Vanderbilt University Program which will offer developmental and career guidance support.

The stated mission of ADEC is to produce world-class learners who embody a strong sense of culture and heritage and are prepared to meet global challenges. In order to achieve this goal, the role of the Council was expanded further. It now coordinates with the Ministry of Education to plan education strategies within the framework of the UAE’s general education policy, provide technical and material support to public educational institutions as well as staffs, implement innovative educational development policies, and support research-based techniques to increase student performance and learning. ADEC also

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IN FOCUS

conducts studies and makes suggestions to develop education and vocational training, initiates plans and programs to improve the education system in Abu Dhabi, and supports relations between public educational institutions and the private sector.

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In addition to the roles and responsibilities stated above, ADEC issues licenses to and monitors private schools in the Emirate. In February 2014, ADEC released an inspections report for 146 private schools in the Emirate to support parents and teachers in the selection of private schools. Inspection teams from the council have been rating private schools for over four years but made their findings public for the first time last year.

ADEC seeks to put students first and create a modern and innovative school system for all citizens and residents of Abu Dhabi. It endeavors to develop educated and responsible citizens that will shape the future of Abu Dhabi. This commitment has been made evident by the numerous initiatives and transformation projects that ADEC has championed since inception.

Strategic Goals and Priorities of Abu Dhabi’s Educational Reform Issue 3 - march 2015

ADEC targets both fundamental long-term transformation and immediate improvements of the education sector. The reform plans announced by ADEC are aligned with the federal education strategy aimed at enhancing quality and competitiveness of education in the region. Its vision is to build an oasis of knowledge and research in Abu Dhabi, strongly connected to the global society and economy, and yet deeply rooted in the culture and heritage of the Emirate.

In 2008, ADEC created the Abu Dhabi Education Policy Agenda. The educational agenda was created in coordination with over 44 world experts on education. The goal of the agenda was to create a framework of guiding principles, objectives, and a vision for improving the quality of Abu Dhabi’s education system.

Most of ADEC’s initiatives not only identify policy priorities but also make policies that are unique to the region. For instance, the new school model program described above focuses on the student, the teacher, and the learning environment rather than focusing specifically on books.

The policies of ADEC aim to optimize geographic distribution of

schools for improved accessibility by the residents of local communities. Further, its goal is to provide access to high quality education to everyone in Abu Dhabi—education that is on par with the highest international standards. The standard of Emirate’s education plays a defining role in successful implementation of Abu Dhabi’s policies, agendas, and framework.

As mentioned previously, Abu Dhabi currently has more than 200,000 students studying at 185 private and 305 public schools across the city. One of the key goals of ADEC that is in line with Abu Dhabi Education Vision 2020 is to build –sixty to seventy new schools in the next five years.

By 2020, the number of students in private schools is expected to grow to around 280,000. The new schools that will be set up under the guidance of ADEC will effectively meet the growing demand for educational institutes in Abu Dhabi.

Apart from increasing the number of schools in the city, other key priorities of the Council include staying abreast of global trends in education delivery, upgrading existing information system infrastructure and backend support systems, and intro-

IN FOCUS ducing new ideas and technologies to meet the needs of the learner community. In addition, ADEC is also keen on enabling advanced information dissemination, harnessing students’ technological prowess, and improving stakeholder communications through the use of various cutting-edge channels and technology.

In an attempt to push technology-based learning at school level, ADEC announced the distribution of 11,000 digital devices (such as tablets, computers, electronic whiteboards, video conferencing materials, etc.) among public schools in Abu Dhabi during the academic year 2012-2013. Meanwhile, the government, in alliance with its national telecom company, has facilitated wired and wireless high speed internet connectivity linking over 268 public schools in Abu Dhabi at a cost of US$ 90 million.

Investing in the Future: Challenges and Concerns ADEC’s vision is to offer a worldclass education system to support the development of a knowledge-based society that will fully participate and contribute to Abu Dhabi’s current and future economy.

The Council wants to enhance the quality of education imparted to the students by utilizing state of the art, 21st century learning materials. In an effort to encourage participation and transparency in seeking solutions to Abu Dhabi’s education sector challenges, ADEC has recently hosted a forum titled “Shaping the Future” where over 1,200 public school educators discussed various challenges and successes in the education sector. Teachers and staff brainstormed ideas and solutions related to 30 different topics from education reform to strategy development and project plans that affect public education today and in the future.

cation system is physical plant infrastructure. Some of the older public school infrastructure needs to be upgraded to provide high quality education using cutting edge technologies.

However, an aggressive timeline and the complexity associated with deploying new infrastructure may pose a challenge to ADEC in upgrading facilities of public institutions so that they are on par with international standards. Major challenges to incorporate new technologies in public education institutes may include the deployment of education solutions for developing world-class learners, ensuring the connection and collaboration of 305 public schools to the data center, the Internet, and each other, and successful Implementation of solutions by all parties in a timely manner.

In order to solve these challenges, ADEC has partnered with leading IT firms to deploy innovative technologies in public institutions in Abu Dhabi. For example, it has deployed the new borderless network architecture that supports voice, data, and multimedia services that can be scaled to support future growth.

ADEC has also planned migration of outdated public school curriculum to a new school model with a new

curriculum and assessment scheme.

ADEC has proposed short and longterm strategies to upgrade the curriculum in stages within the next two years that will start with kindergarten and go up to P-12 in Abu Dhabi.

The government believes that a poor grasp of English is one of the main employment barriers for UAE nationals. In order to solve this problem ADEC intends to introduce an English syllabus in most of its universities. It also intends to recruit more western teachers in public institutions to help improve the English language skills of the students.

Furthermore, ADEC has secured funding of about AED 4.9 billion that will be pumped into research and development by 2018 under a new strategic plan for higher education.

Education in Abu Dhabi has grown significantly over the past ten years due to the initiatives of the Ministry of Education and ADEC. With the intention of establishing sixty to seventy new schools by 2020, as well as an agenda of improving the quality of education in Abu Dhabi on par with world-class international standards, ADEC endeavors to make Abu Dhabi one the leading destinations of quality education in the world.

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One of the known challenges to building a modern, world class edu-

Issue 3 - march 2015

Local Enterprise

Rashid Al Shamsi Board Member at Emirati Entrepreneurs T

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Association and Founder of IXTEL

ECHNOLOGY and telecommunications have long been Rashid’s forte, and establishing an enterprise IT Services Company was a natural progression in his academic and professional journey. Rashid received his Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications Engineering from the Khalifa University of Science in 2000. Soon after, he headed straight into the telecom world, accepting the position of Senior Data Services Engineer at Etisalat, the UAE’s leading telecommunications operator, where he spent the next seven years learning the trade.

During this period, Rashid made profitable use of his extra time and completed his Executive Master’s in Business Administration degree at Zayed University in 2005. He has won many accolades in his academic career and notably, the Sheikh Rashid Award for Academic Excellence in 2006.

In 2008, Rashid took on a new opportunity as a Professional Services Manager with Du Telecommunication, the second largest telecommunications provider in the UAE. By April 2011, he was heading up the Advanced Services business, where he played a critical role in helping define and lead service provider strategy for aligning company resources to deliver unique business and technology solutions. Once more, Rashid made the best of his spare time during his tenure at Du by developing his own business plan. Ixtel was formally established in October 2010 after a strong busi-

Issue 3 - march 2015

ness plan was funded by Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development and supported by Dubai SME, a branch of the Department of Economic Development. “I am very proud to be a member of Khalifa Fund and I would like to thank all of our great leaders for their vision,

direction, and leadership in helping to create such institutions.” He says.

When asked what motivated him to start his own business, Rashid responds by saying, “An entrepreneur is one who plays a significant role in the economic development of a country. With my 15 years of con-

Local Enterprise

sulting experience in IT and communications, I would like to take this knowledge and help contribute to the vision our great leaders have of developing a strong knowledge-based economy.”

When asked where Rashid got his business idea from, he explains; “I noticed that the services on offer from service providers failed to address the core needs of customers. They also lacked transparency and consistency, and often failed to provide a differentiated service and great customer experience that customers were yearning for. To address this, I’ve pulled together an expert team with deep local and in-

ternational knowledge to help serve our customers with a passionate commitment to delivering superior customer experience. At Ixtel, we provide the next generation of IT services that are tailored to individual customers’ needs.”

ment of IT infrastructure service” and its mission, “To be the IT service provider of choice for the GCC’s (Gulf Cooperation Council) leading organisations.” Rashid claims that, “Our strength lies in our ethos of: Doing more. Guaranteed.”

Today, Ixtel furnishes solutions to enterprises of all sizes, including international businesses and telecom service providers. The company has positioned itself as the only UAEbased IT business of its kind with a global reach. Ixtel is an acronym that stands for Information (I) and (X) Telecommunication (TEL). The company’s vision is “To be the world leader in the provision and manage-

With offices in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Ixtel offers a cloud-based service delivery platform that allows companies to transform service delivery, enhance customer experience, and generate new revenues through support automation.

Rashid has partnered with various leading and upcoming technology firms from around the world in his goal to deliver the best solutions

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Local Enterprise and to position his company as the knowledge leader in the region.

Today, Rashid’s business employs 35 people. As of last year, it has started to report positive cash flow through the delivery of valuable and innovative IT services to about 1,000 private and government customers across the UAE. Ixtel’s service portfolio has expanded to include consulting services (in architecture and design, enterprise computing, and internetworking), system integration services (cloud computing and utility services, infrastructure, virtualization, and network and security), in addition to, infrastructure management services. After establishing his company locally, he is now working on expanding across the Gulf region and beyond.

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When asked about the challenges he faced in establishing his own business, Rashid says. “The biggest challenges that I have faced have been raising capital, assembling a team, finding the right location, finding the right employees, overcoming competition, keeping up with industry changes and trends, and exiting the business. Every business and leadership role encounters obstacles. It is how we learn, overcome, and ultimately transform such obstacles into opportunities of a lifetime that matters!”

We went on to ask Rashid how he obtains a healthy work-life balance with the stresses that come with starting a business, to which he responded; “Starting your own business can be a long, stressful, and arduous process. Despite the rewards and fulfilling benefits, the pressures of being an entrepreneur will definitely put a strain on your life. It always feels like there are a million things to do and the clock is against you. It is easy to neglect your health and your family life as you spend your time dealing with emergencies.”

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In discussing his coping mechanisms, Rashid has some simple yet highly effective principles: “Time is the most valuable commodity in life; it is the one thing you cannot buy more of. So, don’t waste time. Focus on what really matters.” He also adds to this by saying, “I don’t bring my mobile phone to the dinner table.

When I am on vacation, I am on vacation. I don’t carry my tablet to the beach. I pace my life. There are times when I need to throttle up and there are times when I need to throttle down. Self-awareness is crucial.”

We asked Rashid if he feels Abu Dhabi is a good place to start a business today, and if so, what environmental factors contribute to it. “Absolutely!” he exclaims. “The Abu Dhabi government has launched a number of new initiatives to support and strengthen the entrepre-

neurship culture among young UAE nationals in the capital.” Rashid is currently a board member at the Emirati Entrepreneurs Association, a group that aims to attract and encourage more Emirati youths to establish quality businesses that serve the national economy across different industries.

We enquired about what he thought the main factors are that hold Emiratis back from starting up their own businesses. He explained, “I believe that the new generation lacks the required focus and they do not readily take the initiative. Finding the motivation to set up a business might be another factor that holds them back, and finally, I also believe that the new generation of youth has unrealistic expectations of quick returns. They want things their way, and they want it now.”

Idea Watch

Strategy Execution

The Portfolio Management Way A

P ORTFOLIO is defined as a collection of projects, programs, and operations that are grouped together for the sake of better management.

These components that make up a portfolio may or may not be interrelated or interdependent but are managed together regardless, to meet strategic objectives of the organization.

ment can often be mistakenly viewed as interchangeable. The confusion usually stems from the fact that Portfolio Managers are higher up in the organizational hierarchy and is enough for stake-

A portfolio manager answers three of the most important questions asked when considering the up-take of a new task. These questions are regarding:

What is Portfolio Management?

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Portfolio management refers to the centralized management of one or more portfolios. It is the art and science of making important decisions about investment policy, asset allocations for individuals and institutions, balancing risk against performance and matching investments to objectives. It is all about identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in prioritizing, managing, and controlling projects to achieve strategic business goals.

How is Portfolio Management Different from Project Management?

Portfolio and Project Manage-

Issue 3 - march 2015

the right projects and programs, prioritizing and providing the necessary resources to do the work.

It is a process that clearly distinguishes and balances conflicting demands between individual projects, programs and objectives, considering both, risk and reward.

• Interest – does it garner interest from the organizational point of view?

• Practicality- is there any common project possibilities? Is the organization capable of completing the project? Are all the necessary resources and technical skills available?

holders to misunderstand and misuse the terms.

Portfolio management aligns organizational strategies by selecting

• Worth – while a number of projects may be viable and generate interest, actual execution of a project depends on detailed analysis of the proposals worth to the organization.

Project management on the other hand, develops plans and imple-

Idea Watch ments them to achieve a significantly specific scope driven by the objectives of the program and managerial strategy. It is largely concerned with the delivery of specific capabilities or the achievement of deliverables. Project management is strategy-driven but does not always a strategy initiative. Rather it takes inputs, develops and executes a tactical plan.

The Importance of Portfolio Management Portfolio management is the highest level of organizational hierarchy.

It is essential for the organization to centralize and prioritize projects to ensure appropriate support to achieve set strategic targets. A portfolio manager strategizes and defines all priority areas and communicates them. The governing methodology of any organization is communication. A portfolio manager is the source of communication that analyses, determines and communicates the impact of any of the changes made in any project detailing or programs during the course of said projects.

Today, success often lies in the elusive balance between risk and opportunity. In a fast-paced business world where every little thing becomes seemingly more complex as scope, number and budgets of projects increase, organizations are recognizing that the way to ensure that projects and programs deliver their expected values is through effective and formal portfolio management.

It is choosing the right projects at the right time for corporate strategy. Successful project management is the effective consolidation of a group of unrelated projects to allow business executives to get to the pulse of a portfolio’s worth, alignment with company strategy, and return to investment without looking at each individual proposal as an isolated event.

For business owners, it is more than just theory. Smart executives have realized that current operations represent what their organizations are today and where they stand, while portfolios of projects and their effective analysis determines and represents where they will in the future. In a time where companies are still trying to shakeoff the lingering after-effects of one of the world economic crisis, investing in a portfolio manager is a wise business decision for any organization. Prudent portfolio management pays off in a tough market.

The process of developing a portfolio to deliver an organisation’s or department’s strategy will need to take into account operational priorities as well as strategic priorities. In defining the portfolio, existing policy, operational programmes or projects that are not aligned to the strategy may have to be realigned or terminated.

Operational programmes or projects may also be put on hold while higher-priority projects supporting the strategy are delivered. There will only be a finite amount of resource available to deliver both strategic and operational change so there will need to be a balance to ensure resources are deployed to best effect.

Adopting the right Portfolio Management Tool As project managers and business owners realize the need to improve in a competitive, cost-conscious risky environment the need for the right tools that allow them to better manage their ventures arises too. Success now requires doing the right projects, not just doing the projects right.

Tools for effective portfolio management are evolving rapidly, with development companies rushing to offer newer, better options available. Programs and templates, paid applications and software’s to free websites, the list is endless. A port-

folio management tool is important for all the advantages it provides: • Effective monitoring of projects and portfolios by the investor or organization.

• Reduced investment of time and effort by the management • Ensuring key capabilities are in order, the areas of a project that need to be analyzed and evaluated • Keeping projects and portfolios on task to ensure achievement of set strategic goals on both operational and financial level.

Oracle’s Primavera Portfolio Management solution focuses on the value of each live or proposed project and as such can provide a greater understanding of what projects or programs are over or under budget. It has out of the box integrations to Primavera P6 Project Management and Microsoft Project Server including consolidation across multiple servers. It provides a set of integration tools with other systems to exchange data and the import process establishes automatically, the mapping to maintain ongoing synchronisation.

Clarizen is an online portfolio and project management tool, and of those available, is the best one. As a cloud project management application it is hosted online and requires little more of your IT resources than an internet connection. It is a recognized leader of portfolio management tools that harnesses the effectiveness of social media into organizing your team. It is cross-platform functional and supports multiple languages and currencies. It combines work management and team collaboration with real-time business execution by allowing stockholders input as well.

Another top of the line tool is the

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Idea Watch Genius Project. Also an online portfolio management tool, it supports a variety of deployment options, making it flexible enough to fit the needs to almost any organization.

It can generate up to 500 hundred reports, has traditional workflows and also incorporates modern enterprise social media tools. The best thing about this particular tool is that it keep the learning curve short without sacrificing functionality.

While an endless list of portfolio management tools is available, there is no one portfolio management tool that is best for every single organization or company. Available tools differ largely in what they do and how well they do it – the right tool depends on the investor or the organization itself, their business practices, needs and the na-

ture of projects they manage.

Portfolio Management in the Public Sector Today, local and central government worldwide face challenges like never before. Increased services to citizens, financial pressures, alignment with political commitments all require a more efficient and transparent governance procedure. While prioritization and portfolio management in the government and the public sector is a daunting and complex task, it is becoming essential to implement good portfolio management and governance practices to stay on track and deliver the best value for money public services.

Many public sector organizations

have an inadequate grasp of the strategic nature of portfolio management versus the day to day concerns or projects. A strong portfolio management practice can help align governmental strategic visions with portfolio decisions. Every addition, accomplishment, or failure changes and shifts the delicate and elusive balance between risk and opportunity. To maintain control and succeed, organizations need to organize struggling projects and align business strategies with organizational policies, business owners, investors, stakeholders, executives and governmental bodies. This complex task requires effective portfolio management that, in turbulent times, not only delivers required critical edge but also allows them to improve, identify, and derive greater values from project investments.

Strategic Alignment

Return on Investment

Provide a greater focus on the on-going alignment of use ofallocated capital with actual project execution.

Better envision how projects and portfolios correlate with set policies, objectives, and agendas.

Enhanced prioritization and allocation of capital investment funds through careful selection and

50 PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT BENEFITS

Efficiency

Collaboration

Ensure quicker decision cycles through consistent appraisal and approval processes.

Provide an overall change in strategy to make departments cost

Increased collaboration between projects and project managers projects.

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Build Your Social Profile

Public Sector Usage

of Twitter in

Abu Dhabi

A

52

S THE BUSINESS SECTOR has adopted the use of social media, the use of Twitter has escalated exponentially. Organizations are now realizing the importance of staying connected via social media networks in order to maintain a firm foothold in the market. Private, public, and semi-government organizations are using Twitter more frequently today for various purposes. From the benign to earth-shattering, sharing views and opinions to making significant public announcements; Twitter’s uses are many, as are its benefits.

According to research conducted in 2013 by Q4 Web Systems, a company that specializes in analyzing best practices in social media, of over 800 companies included in the survey, 96% have Twitter presence.

This represents an increase of 9% over the previous year. The research reported Technology and Natural Resources sectors as being the most avid users of Twitter. A region-wide analysis showed that North American companies are the most avid users of Twitter, closely followed by their European counterparts.

Twitter and the Public Sector These trends show just how important it has become for public and private organizations to have a

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presence on Twitter and make their presence known. Around the world, organizations are making extensive use of Twitter for various public relations and marketing purposes. Some of the most practical and beneficial uses of this technology today are: • Emergency and Crisis Management: Twitter is a very beneficial platform for keeping the public informed and updated in real time during an emergency or crisis situations. Public sector entities can use Twitter to share vital information requiring immediate citizen action or mobilization during such circumstances.

• Reaching Out to Customers: Twitter is the most common social media tool to connect with customers, and is a very successful and fast growing marketing and public relations tool.

Organizations use this means to inform customers of their latest products, policies, changes, and public announcements far more effectively than traditional media.

More importantly is the fact that Twitter easily facilitates the collection and feedback of information which client-driven organizations thrive on as the technology enables greater customer contact, which in turn fuels the desire and need for

a more imaginative use of the technology.

• Discussions and Commentary: Twitter has increasingly become a platform for providing analysis on current business and market trends, as well as public policies and agendas, and more frequently for sharing commentary and opinions on important business issues and policy decisions.

This in turn has provided organizations with a better understanding of customer opinions and in anticipating trends and gauging people’s reactions to various business developments.

• Marketing and Brand Awareness: Twitter has become a very popular promotional tool being utilised by companies to create awareness about their brands and products, and muster brand loyalty. It is an inexpensive method of promoting products, marketing brands, and addressing customer complaints.

• Opinion Polls and Surveys: Twitter is probably the fastest and easiest way for organizations to run quick surveys and opinion polls to all followers (respondents) by posting a question with a set of response options, and having followers or participants reply with their answers or opinions. Such techniques allow

Build Your Social Profile organizations to gauge public opinion and/or customer sentiments towards a particular policy, product, service, or issue.

Measuring Your Twitter ROI For government entities that choose to monitor the effectiveness of social media and digital strategies and campaigns, there are a multitude of paid and free tools that can be used to this end.

Most tools allow users to search by hashtags, social media account names, or general keywords. Generally, these tools can list all the recent mentions of the search item, as well as sentiments (positive, negative, neutral), the top related keywords used in social media updates, and the most frequent users for search items. Some tools also include dashboards that display how many Twitter accounts have been reached by the organization, how much exposure is generated by calculating the number of retweets, the most retweeted content, and similar statistics.

As with any other public sector investment, it is important for entities to measure the return on investment (ROI) of social media and digital strategies and campaigns. PR and Marketing Managers can use a variety of tools and outsourced services to manage digital content, analyze and measure results, and improve results of their efforts.

As an introduction to the possibilities of the technology, Twitter has created a page that allows media professionals to learn all the tricks of the trade. By visiting https://media.twitter.com you can learn and explore Twitter best practices and success stories with an option to filter by industry, including government, for ideas and tips for successful Twitter campaigns.

Abu Dhabi’s Public Sector and Twitter

Twitter in Abu Dhabi & the UAE (as of January 15, 2015)

Twitter Penetration Abu Dhabi TOTAL TWITTER USERS

96,333

TOTAL POPULATION

2,453,096 TWITTER PENETRATION

3.93%

UAE TOTAL TWITTER USERS

481,664

TOTAL POPULATION

9,200,000

TWITTER PENETRATION

5.24%

Best time to tweet 1PM - 3PM (Day)

10PM - 1AM Night

Powered by

Although Twitter does not form as integral a part of social com-

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Some of the most followed Abu Dhabi Government Twitter Accounts

Followers

Abu Dhabi Police Etihad

287,305 183,092 36,751

Masdar Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation

29,182 25,581

SEHA TwoFour54

22,840

Abu Dhabi Tawteen Council

21,523

Abu Dhabi Education Council department of municipal affairs Abu Dhabi E-Government Portal Abu Dhabi Judicial Department

Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority Emirates Foundation Abu Dhabi Municipality

20,373 18,996

17,500 15,562 15,034 11,489

11,307

munication in Abu Dhabi as it does elsewhere in the world, there are several public and private organizations that have been making the best of it. The twitter penetration rate in Abu Dhabi is still under 5% of the total population, with an estimated 96,000 users from Abu Dhabi and approximately 480,000 users across the UAE. Nonetheless, Abu Dhabi government entities have begun to make their debut on Twitter over the last few years with some public sector accounts now boasting over 100,000 followers. These users typically use Twitter to stay in touch with local residents and citizens by posting information, news articles, public service announcements and changes, as well as marketing events and public campaigns.

Some government entities have also been able to use their Twitter accounts to post questions and conduct quick polls to gain feedback and public opinion on important social and economic matters with measurable success.

The infographic below includes some of the most followed Abu Dhabi government twitter accounts:

Good Global Twitter Practices & Ideas The growing, yet still limited use of Twitter in the Arab world, versus its widespread usage elsewhere, emphasizes the fact that there are still many lessons to be learned Abu Dhabi’s the public sector. Some best practices that might give local companies something to ponder are discussed below: • Idea Street: The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) UK created its own internal crowdsourcing platform, Idea Street, which is helping to revolutionize the way the Department and the Government interacts with its staff and the public. The account was created to encourage staff not only to crowdsource new ideas, but

also to work together to drive those ideas forward to implementation.

• UN tweets its National Assembly: Public Sector organizations have been using Twitter to keep followers updated live from events, council meetings, and forums. The UN recently received much praise for using Twitter to keep people in the loop on what was taking place during the UN General Assembly. The @UN Twitter account provided an enormous amount of information throughout the course of the general debate session.

• Live Q&A Twitter sessions: Government agencies and politicians including Barack Obama @White House and UK Council Members have been increasingly staging live question and answer sessions to raise awareness of the council’s role, and encourage participation. Residents and partner agencies are asked to tweet questions that are answered by government officials and cabinet members during a specified time period.

Discussions and debates take place on a variety of topics, including policies, reforms, and local challenges and issues.

• Weather and Emergency Management: Met Office UK has been using Twitter as the fastest method for updating the public on weather news. Met Office is the world leader in weather news, and is able to maintain this reputation by using Twitter mainly for sharing news and keeping followers updated on weather changes. Through Twitter, it is able to send out alerts on serious weather conditions and dangers that may exist for immediate action and avoidance. As of 8th February 2015, its Twitter page had 267,000 followers from around the world.

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off topic

A Few of Abu Dhabi’s Favorite Residential Communities

A residential community in any given area can be a nightmare for someone while it can be a heaven on earth for another. Many factors can make a community great or average. In this article we have handpicked some of the finest residential properties in Abu Dhabi by most standards. The factors we considered were distance from city center, availability of leisure and recreational facilities, and the distance from shopping centers or malls and schools. This list of residential communities in Abu Dhabi is to help you make a selection based on your requirements and preferences.

Golf Gardens

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These luxurious homes styled as town houses or villas are located in the Abu Dhabi Golf Club gated community. The three and four bedroom town houses and four to six bedroom villas are perfect for a family home. With opulent gardens, clean streets, and a general sense of peace and quiet, the Golf Gardens is definitely among Abu Dhabi’s favourite and most sought after residential communities.

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It is the perfect community to live in luxury with easy access to sports and recreational activities, shops, and entertainment venues which are all available within the gated community. The Gold Gardens are located near Al Raha beach with easy access to main roads that connect to Abu Dhabi city center and a 45 minute drive away from Dubai.

Al Raha Beach Area (Al Bandar, Al Zeina, Al Manara) The Al Raha Beach development with various residential options is perfect for families of all sizes that prefer a gated community. Al Bandar is a location preferred for family outings on the beach. With a stretch of golden beach accessible from the residences, the range

off topic

Al Khalidiya One of the first localities anyone in Abu Dhabi will mention when asked for a suggestion of residential community. The purpose built khalidiya area is a very popular community in Abu Dhabi, with lovely high rise buildings spoiling residents with luxury apartments, amenities, and beautiful views of the Corniche and/or central Abu Dhabi. It is popular among expats and Emiratis alike who find home in this area that has all the basic amenities, parks and several activities in close vicinity.

Although traffic and parking can be an issue at peak hours, many supermarkets are easy to access for residents. SPAR, Spinneys, and Abela supermarkets together with Khalidiya mall and Jones the Grocer are located in close quarters in the area. Khalidiya is also home to many of Abu Dhabi’s favorite local restaurants and coffee shops, making this neighborhood always bustling with activity.

Al Reem Island Area

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of options includes luxury residential apartments, townhouses and villas. They offer incredible views of the Al Raha Beach and the surrounding island.

It is close to the Abu Dhabi Golf Club and around a 10 minute drive from the Abu Dhabi international airport. Built on a master plan, the Al Raha beach area is future proof and transforming into the gateway of Abu Dhabi.

Sun and Sky Towers are exceptional for families that like high rise apartments. Sky tower at 74 floors is the taller of the two and has 37 floors of commercial space while Sun tower has 65 floors and it is dedicated to residential apartments.

The connected podium of the two buildings offers a range of facilities such as a mall, three pools, children playing area, tennis and squash courts, etc. The road connectivity is great and the area is served by the Waitrose supermarket and retail, cafĂŠ and restaurants.

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off topic

Saadiyat Island The Saadiyat beach residences and the St. Regis Saadiyat Island resort offer all the modern amenities expected from a luxurious beachside community. Facilities range from intimate studio apartments to lavish 4 bedroom villas.

Saadiyat district is close to everything important in Abu Dhabi. It is

connected by two main highways to the mainland and residences in the two communities offer true luxury. With several leisure and shopping facilities in close vicinity it is a preferred location for those who like everything close to home. The villas are designed in Arabian, contemporary and Mediterranean style to suit locals as well as expats.

Al Reef Villas Set just outside Abu Dhabi island and close to the International Airport, Al Reef is a cluster of four villages themed after four different styles namely Mediterranean, Arabian, Desert and Contemporary.

Each village shares a swimming pool, gymnasium and a community play area. There is also the Al Reef Downtown consisting of 46 apartment buildings offering studio, one, two, and three-bedroom options.

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The Al Reef Villas is fast becoming the option of choice for families who don’t

mind a 20-30 minute commute to the city center in exchange for a tranquil and family friendly residential community at an affordable price. As amenities such as

restaurants, supermarkets, and other facilities become available, we are sure to see more and more families continue to flock here.

Khalifa City ‘A’ and ‘B’ Khalifa City ‘A’ and ‘B’ are residential communities that offer value for money with a peaceful and quite residential area setting.

Primarily standalone villas, they are about 30 km away from the Abu Dhabi city center but make up for the distance with space and independence.

Compared to other localities, it also offers a community feeling in the true sense due to the way it is set up. It is also a favorite among families that love pets as there are no restrictions. The traditional interior layouts, spacious plots with gardens and private entrances seem to attract expats as well as Emiratis.

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Whether you choose to stroll amongst the cafĂŠs of the Corniche, or savour the hustle and bustle of the Central Market, a serene oasis awaits your return.

You will be captivated by Arabic splendour and tones and textures as warm as the welcome you will receive.