DUBAI // Major American companies renowned for their leadership training are being used as models for the training of the UAE’s future leaders.
A group of 29 Emiratis visited manufacturing giant General Electric, Google and Twitter in the United States on a fact-finding mission looking at how they can improve their society.
The graduates were chief happiness officers and part of the UAE Government Leaders Programme.
First stop was GE, where they were introduced to the company’s academy and training centre in Crotonville, upstate New York, and were told how the company believes that 80 per cent of learning is done on the job and 20 per cent via training.
“We believe 80 per cent of learning happens on the job – through challenging assignments, stretch opportunities and performance development, providing you with new experiences and insights,” a GE spokesman said. “Twenty per cent of learning takes place via our learning platforms – from our leadership development institute at Crotonville, to the functional skills curricula in our functional areas, to business-specific curricula. Crotonville is our global leadership institute, and serves at the forefront of thinking in leadership, strategy, culture and innovation.”
The Emiratis learnt that GE’s training is constantly evolving to help its leaders meet tomorrow’s challenges.
“Today we face two critical challenges,” the spokesman said. “The world around us is changing faster than ever and our scale and complexity works against us. Only companies that become responsive to their customers, competition, technology, regulatory environment and all other forces of disruption will thrive. [We have a] relentless quest for progress and adaptation and we deliver learning experiences on campus, online, or anywhere in the world.”
In addition to global leadership and development programmes, GE also has regional programmes customised based on local needs, and involves staff in cultural initiatives to help them grow.
Dr Yasser Al Nuaimi, a senior adviser to the hospital sector at the Ministry of Health, was impressed by General Electric’s set-up.
“[The academy] is where they care for their managers, leaders and people and they focus very much on all of the circumstances that any leader may face, so it is an excellent atmosphere and there is always a chance for everyone to re-evaluate what he or she is doing as a leader,” he said.
The group were also introduced to GE’s approach to establish a positive work environment.
“Training future leaders and equipping them with the necessary skills for success in the 21st century – most notably a future outlook, innovation and initiative – is a cornerstone of the vision of the UAE’s leadership,” said Dr Dalya Al Muthanna, president and chief executive of GE Gulf.
The students then flew to San Francisco, where they toured Nasa’s Ames Research Centre, Google and Twitter as well as the mayor’s office.
The aim was to familiarise them with future forecasting tools and ways in which technology can be optimised to develop services.
“What’s happening around us in the world is changing rapidly and we in the UAE have to adapt, cope and match it,” said Dr Al Nuaimi, 55, from Ras Al Khaimah.
Aziz Al Ameri, chief of happiness and positivity at the Ministry of Interior, said: “Looking at a giant organisation like GE with its long history and how it started to think about its survival while becoming a leading organisation with its innovative and creative thinking tools was very interesting.
“There are a lot of lessons that people like us from the government [can learn], looking at the leadership here and the way it thinks. We have to take a similar way of thinking and make good use of it.”
The 44-year-old from Abu Dhabi said the trip was very useful to the group. “We’re planning to become the happiest nation around the world and applying this [what they learnt] into how we provide our services to people will help us in achieving that faster,” Mr Al Ameri said.
The Government Innovation programme aims to help the government strengthen the national workforce by working with top centres for scientific research as well as prominent business leaders and major global companies.
“The programme firmly believes in lifelong learning and continuous progress,” said Hessa Buhumaid, assistant director general for government services at the Prime Minister’s Office - Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future. “It allows participants to use future trends to their benefit and acquire the skills necessary for government officials in the 21st century.”
cmalek@thenational.ae
