In 2015, the UAE announced the fourth generation of its government excellence programme. The system, based on the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, aims to make the UAE one of the best countries in the world by 2021.
It rests on three pillars, namely: vision achievement, enablers, and innovation.
The last of these three pillars is the focus of this article. In it, we’ll take a background look at innovation in the UAE, unpack the pillar a little further, and also how to implement it within your organisation.
Innovation in the UAE
While much of the UAE’s wealth comes from its oil reserves, the country has long had an eye to a future beyond black gold.
It’s therefore sought to build a knowledge-based economy, empowered by government, public, and private sector partnerships.
It’s recognised that innovation is crucial to building such an economy, both within government and among private residents of the country. It’s also focused on seven main areas: renewable and clean energy, transportation, technology, education, healthcare, water and space.
The government excellence programme aims to take this recognition and apply it to all spheres of government.
Innovation’s role in government excellence
Within the government excellence programme, innovation has two primary areas of focus: “Shaping the Future” and “Innovation Management”.
Shaping the Future not only speaks to the UAE’s desire to become one of the world’s most innovative countries, but also being able to understand the impact of emerging trends. It does so in order to achieve the principles of socioeconomic and environmental sustainability over the long-term.
Within the context of government excellence programme meanwhile, Innovation Management talks to the provision of new and innovative services, development of policies and implementation of processes and programmes in creative ways.
How to shape the future and manage innovation in your own organisation
These criterion for innovation are, of course, not just great for government. They also have purpose within your own organisation. Here’s how:
Innovation management
Within any organisation, innovation management combines the management of innovation processes, and change management.
Further, it allows managers and engineers to cooperate with a common understanding of processes and goals. Innovation management allows the organisation to respond to external or internal opportunities, and use its creativity to introduce new ideas, processes or products.
In other words, innovation management is all about creating an environment within an organisation that allows for and encourages innovation.
Shaping the future
When it comes to shaping the future meanwhile, it’s important to note that it’s very much different to future-proofing yourself.
Future-proofing is about ensuring that your organisation survives into the future. Shaping the future, by contrast is about doing everything you can to ensure you organisation has a lasting impact on the future.
Rather than dealing with the future, you’re creating it.
We’re not just talking about the immediate future though. If you’ve only got your eyes on the next two or three years, your thinking is too short-term.
Of course, it’s understandable that you might think like this. Most business plans and ideas only run in three-year cycles.
But if you really want to make a difference, you must keep an eye on the horizon.
Perhaps the best example of an organisation applying this kind of long-term thinking is Amazon. Right from the time it was founded, Jeff Bezos has made it clear that the company is all about the long term.
According to Bezos, it’s an attitude that allows for experimentation and innovation, because it bakes in time for failure.
The result? Bezos is the richest person in the world today.
A coming together
Bring innovation management and future shaping together, and you’ll create an organisation that is open to experimentation, innovative, and which serves people in a complete and fulfilling manner.
