C O N T E N T S
Page 2 Welcome letter from iESE’s Dr Andrew Larner
Page 3-4 The methodology behind Dubai’s public service ethos
Page 5-8 Four members of the 2019 judging panel for the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Programme for Government Services give their views
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Dubai puts in place 50-year plan up to 2071 Dubai’s Government has shown its forwardthinking prowess with its launch of a 50-year plan known as The UAE Centennial 2071 project, the year which will be the nation’s 100th anniversary. It sets a clear map for long-term government work and aims to make the United Arab Emirates the best country in the world. The plan is based on four aspects: education, economy, government development and community cohesion. Launching the plan, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said: “Today we launched the UAE Centennial 2071 project to put in place a vision that extends to five decades to prepare the nation for future generations. “The goal is for future generations to live a happier life in a better environment, with bigger opportunities and stronger communication with the world. UAE Centennial 2071 is based on four aspects: education, economy, government development, and community cohesion. The goal is for the UAE to be the best country in the world by 2071,” he added. Community development is an integral part of the UAE Centennial 2071. Some objectives in this regard include establishing a secure, tolerant, cohesive and ethical society that embraces happiness and a positive lifestyle and a high quality of life. This pillar also focuses on developing programmes to prepare future generations to serve as the UAE’s goodwill ambassadors, as well as promoting women's participation in all sectors.
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International cross-collaboration could save years of learning Dr Andrew Larner, elcome to our first country-focused edition Chief Executive of Transform which looks at Dubai’s public sector. In 2019, I had the privilege of sitting on an @LaverdaJota international panel flown in to judge the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Programme for Government Services. The level of innovation I saw blew me away. From my deliberations with other judges I saw a huge opportunity to learn from each other and collectively skip through years of learning.
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In Dubai, the public service model is driven by customer service. A central organisation called the Dubai Model Centre (DMC) works with local government organisations to help them meet unified standards. This central hub allows knowledge-sharing on a greater scale than we see in the UK and provides a level of consistency. Each year the DMC hold its Hamdan Hub and annual awards where it brings in an international judging panel to evaluate the entries. The initiatives being judged varied in resource and manpower, but even the very small teams held themselves to the same high standard as the largest teams. You can read more about the Dubai Model Centre on pages 3 and 4. The vigorous judging process I took part in took place over two days, including looking through detailed written submissions and going on site visits. Once the judges had created their overall shortlist these were presented to officials before going to a public vote. The overall winner holds the ‘Flag’ of the Hamdan bin Mohammed Programme for Government Services for the year until the programme runs again. Every submission showed a dedication, commitment and imagination which was Premier League. There were no boundaries in their thinking of what was possible around customer service or technology. We have plenty of fantastic leaders in the UK, but in Dubai the level of ambition for innovation was seen across everyone we met, it wasn’t reserved to a cadre of digital or innovation teams, it went right through the management of these organisations. Technology in Dubai is being used for the every day. Drones using Artificial Intelligence (AI) can identify pests and automatically notify the appropriate response team – the Internet of Pests! Residents can also identify a pest or its droppings via an app which sends an automatic notification to the authorities. One evening during my visit we saw a car cut into the queuing traffic. We asked our taxi driver why no-one was irate, and he showed us a police app into which he entered the registration number, informing me that the driver had now been fined. Freight does not have to be inspected because AI is used to verify what is in the containers. Through human-centred design the technology drops into the background. I regretted there had to be one 2019 winner but the one which did triumph - The Department of Economic Development (DED) Instant Licence - was an entry I thought was superb. The DED Instant Licence reduces the time taken to start a business from multiple days to five minutes, including bank account setup, establishing a tax account, and paying fees to up to 14 government entities. The way in which the DED looked at the whole customer journey, not just the element that they dealt with, was phenomenal. What we are starting to see in the UK is local authorities building vibrant communities that support themselves rather than look to public services for every solution. Dubai public service has started from a different point but is seeing the customer journey so holistically that it will start to move that way. By looking at how other countries address their public service challenges there is an opportunity to level up globally. While many of the projects I saw in Dubai would knock the UK ‘out of the park’ in terms of technology and whole public service design, we have plenty to share, and the progress made in our leading authorities is as good as the best anywhere. We hope you enjoy reading the issue. Please send any international views and news for future inclusion to enquiries@iese.org.uk
EDITORIAL CONTACTS TRANSFORM IS PRODUCED BY iESE: www.iese.org.uk | Tel: 08434 878 026 | Email: enquiries@iese.org.uk @iESELtd CREDITS: Editorial by: Vicki Arnstein | Designed by: SMK Design
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Views expressed within are those of the iESE editorial team. iESE publications are aimed at companies and individuals with an interest in reviewing, remodelling and reinventing public services. © Copyright iESE 2020
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