Introduction
Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company (ADSSC) was founded in 2005. Its core business activities include collection, treatment as well as disposal of waste water from both domestic and commercial clients within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The company reports to the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.
The objectives of the firm include provision of reliable services, development of new infrastructure and utilization of existing ones in an effective and efficient manner. It also aims at promoting health and safety standards as well as protecting the environment in Abu Dhabi.
In order to achieve these objectives, it focuses on offering sustainable sewerage services. It also focuses on achieving the growth plans of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Finally, it focuses on enhancing value addition by providing services that exceed the expectation of all its stakeholders. The company had a total of 505 employees in the third quarter of 2010.
Leadership
Mission, Vision, Values, Ethics and Role Modeling
The leaders of ADSSC are using a collaborative method in regard to the development of the vision, mission and values of the organization. The mission, vision and values were first formulated in 2007 and are usually reviewed on an annual basis. The management also introduced the balanced scorecard in 2009 to improve performance. Besides, the management acts as a role model to the rest of the employees.
Management and Performance Improvement
ADSSC uses an integrative management method in order to facilitate effectiveness and efficiency in regard to service delivery, compliance and stakeholder satisfaction. This has been achieved by implementing various management and compliance standards such as ISO 9001. Automation and reporting project (ARP) was implemented to promote transparency in internal reviews and reports. Performance contracting was also introduced to enhance high performance.
Engagement with External Stakeholders
In 2008, the managing director met with all ADSSC’s partners such as consultants to inform them of the future investment requirements. The meeting was also meant to facilitate understanding of the stakeholders’ concerns. The customer services department also did research on customers’ opinion on the proposed adoption of a tariff regime. The management usually engages the government through reports on its activities.
Culture of Excellence
ADSSC’s excellence framework was established 2007 and has since been implemented accordingly. In order to promote the culture of excellence, ADSSC focuses on capacity building as well as culture change. It also shares knowledge with various stakeholders in order to explain its best practice. The management intends to establish an innovation committee as well as promoting diversity in order to facilitate excellence.
Flexibility and Change Management
The management has been able to identify the most important business drivers which are being used as benchmarks of best practice. The firms’ organizational structure is usually reviewed regularly to accommodate external changes.
Strategy
Understanding External Stakeholders and External Environment
The methods used to conduct external stakeholder analysis include PESTEL, categorizing stakeholders and evaluation of existing relationships. Stakeholders have been classified as developers, government units, suppliers, regulators and consultants. The main factors that will affect ADSSC’s future strategy include less reliance on subsidies, adoption of a tariff regime, regulation and the need to popularize the company.
Understanding Internal Capabilities
The approaches used to evaluate internal capabilities include SWOT analysis on various departments. Surveys and interviews at the management level are also used to evaluate the capabilities of the company. Besides, modern technology such as fiber optics coupled with management benchmarks have been used to understand internal capabilities. The company intends to establish a treasury department to manage its financial resources in future.
Supporting Policies
The company’s strategic planning process is divided into three main stages. The stages include external policy and guideline reviews, development of five years strategic plans and establishing two years plans by the nine departments. These plans include labor, IT and financial requirements. All projects are assessed to ensure that they conform to the regulations and compliance standards.
Communication and Strategy Implementation
The APR system has been adopted to facilitate efficiency in reporting at both internal and external levels. It provides all the information relating to strategy and the reviews associated with it, risk assessment and planning data.
People
Support for Organization’s Strategy
The company is committed to developing its human capital and this has been achieved as follows. Each position has a distinct job description to avoid confusion. Annual performance appraisals are based on ‘performance and job review’ strategy. The job targets are set at the beginning of the year, reviewed after six months and appraised at the end of the year. Employee satisfaction levels are assessed in order to prevent high staff turnover.
Knowledge and Capabilities
The company focuses on training employees in order to ensure they are informed of current trends in the industry. Human resources needs are usually evaluated at the beginning of the year and addressed through appropriate polices. The capabilities of employees are assessed during recruitment through interviews. Trainings are used to help employees improve their performance.
Empowerment
The organizational structure defines the position of every employee and the authority associated with each position. Every employee understands the organizational structure. Besides, they are empowered to exercise the authority associated with their positions. The empowerment plan includes promoting dedication to work, skill development, talent management and creativity.
Communication
The company promotes communication through formal as well as informal communication channels. Such channels are used to inform the employees of the organizational plans or policies and are also used to obtain employees’ feedback on decisions. Currently, the management is focusing on implementing electronic communication systems in order to promote efficiency and effectiveness in communication.
Rewards
ADSSC’s remuneration structure is informed by the guidelines set by the Abu Dhabi government. Employees are rewarded according to their qualifications and the nature of experience needed in relation to a given position in the company. The employees also enjoy health and safety standards benchmarked by international standards.
Partnerships and Resources
Sustainable Benefits
ADSSC works together with its consultants, contractors as well as suppliers. This helps in ensuring timely availability of products to match the existing and the anticipated demand. The company is committed to establishing partnerships that are beneficial to both parties in order to enhance sustainability. Thus its partnership management activities include establishing relationships, ensuring satisfaction and engagement. Long-term relationships and building of trust is highly emphasized by the firm.
Sustainable Success through Financial Management
The finance department is responsible for providing enough funds for purchasing the required resources in order to realize the objectives of the firm. Preparation of annual budgets takes between four to five months. The financial reports are also sent to each department on a monthly basis to update them on the status of their budgets. The financial department also handles the purchases and supplies of the firm. The preparation of the financial statements is informed by international standards.
Sustainable Resource Management
The company focuses on the use of accurate information about its assets when making decisions regarding resource deployment. Modern technologies such as SCADA and GIS are used in managing the firm’s resources. The firm is keen in protecting natural resources. It is particularly keen in environmental protection through economical use of natural resources. Fire fighting gadgets are fitted in all ADSSC plants to prevent the risk of fire.
Technology, Information and Knowledge Management
ADSSC focuses on the use of modern information and communication technology to facilitate its business processes. The technological solutions used in various departments include ORACLE and SCADA. The information generated from the use of these technologies is used to make decisions. The ARP system is the main tool used in decision making processes.
Process, Products and Services
Process Design and Management
The introduction of the ARP project in 2010 enabled the company to integrate various processes such as risk management and performance management in its strategic plan. The company has adopted an innovative method to achieve various certifications such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
Products and Services
The main products offered by ADSSC include treated waste water as well as sludge. These products are mainly sold to the municipalities for agricultural use. The main services offered by the company include collection, treatment and disposal of waste water. These services are offered in accordance to the environmental preservation standards. The quality of the above mentioned products exceeds the expectations of the customers. Expansion plans are currently being implemented in response to the rising demand.
Product Promotion and Marketing
At the moment, brand awareness is low due to the fact that the products are not associated with any tariffs. The company’s website is currently being used to provide information on service and product availability as well as the issues associated with the use of the products. Free call services have been launched to enable the customers report the problems they experience in relation to the use of the products or services. Marketing is done through participation in events such as exhibitions, workshops and engaging customers directly.
Product Management
The existing infrastructure is currently being rehabilitated and expanded in order to accommodate the rising demand. All products and services offered by the firm meets the regulatory requirements. Through participation in benchmarking initiatives, the company has been able to improve the quality of its products and services.
Customer Relationship Management
The main customers served by the firm include industrial, residential and commercial clients. They will benefit from an improvement in the visibility of the firm’s products once the tariff regime is introduced. Surveys will be conducted in future to evaluate customers’ needs. The information generated by such surveys will form the basis of capacity planning in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness within the firm. Besides, educational campaigns will be used to create brand awareness.
Customer Results
Perception
ADSSC is a company that focuses on the needs of its customers in order to achieve its overall growth objectives. Consequently, improving the level of customer satisfaction as well as product awareness forms an integral part of its objectives and strategy formulation. In order to realize the desired level of satisfaction and awareness, several projects meant to improve service quality have been implemented.
The methods used by the company to determine customer satisfaction include surveys and telephone follow-ups. In the year 2010, the overall level of customer satisfaction was rated at 87 percent. Thus the customer services department intends to improve the level of satisfaction in the foreseeable future.
Performance Indicators
The level of customer satisfaction has been successfully maintained above 95 percent in the last four months. One of the key causes of customer dissatisfaction has been identified as repeat problems especially in private sector. A survey on customers’ preferred communication channel revealed that most customers were in favor of SMS. Consequently, SMS was adopted as the best means of communicating with customers.
The operations and maintenance department keeps a record of the problems associated with the services and products offered by ADSSC. The information from such records is used to plan for service provision in order to improve the level of customer satisfaction. Currently, new infrastructure is being constructed to supplement the existing ones with the aim of meeting the level of demand for services and products.
People Results
Perception
The company has been able to conduct several surveys to obtain information on the level of satisfaction and awareness associated with employees. In a 2010 survey in which 200 staff members participated, the satisfaction and awareness level was found to be 67 percent. The survey indicated that the greatest level of dissatisfaction was attributed to the remuneration package.
The greatest level of satisfaction was attributed to health and safety standards as well as teamwork at the workplace. In response to the dissatisfaction levels associated with remuneration, the company has since reviewed the pay structure and the policies used to manage human resources. Assessment of employee satisfaction is done on a regular basis and appropriate actions are taken to improve the work environment.
Performance Indicators
The employees reduced between the year 2007 and the year 2008. The reduction was attributed to the fact that the company outsourced its operation and maintenance services.
However, the number of employees rose between 2008 and 2010 and has since been increasing inline with the firm’s employment policies. Diversity programs have been implemented and this has led to employment of individuals from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds. The company is committed to hiring citizens of United Arab Emirates. The level of staff training has been improving steadily.
Promotions and increments declined between 2007 and 2008. However, the growth in staff promotions and increments doubled between 2008 and 2009. The company is also committed to improving technical allowances. Consequently, the level of technical and professional allowance has been increasing steadily since 2006. The various types of leaves enjoyed by the employees have also been on the rise in terms of the number of days associated with such leaves.
Society Results
Perception
ADSSC is a state owned enterprise with the sole responsibility of collecting, treating and disposing waste water. At the moment, there are no tariffs imposed on the services and products offered by the company. However, a tariff regime is expected to be adopted in future.
This will involve improving the company’s visibility, creating awareness among customers about products and the trade affluent regulations as well as offering high quality services. Several surveys have been conducted to evaluate the public’s perception of the company. Results of the last survey indicated that 90 percent of the residents are satisfied with the company’s services.
The company also appears in local and international media through interviews involving top management officials. The treated waste water is sometimes discharged into the sea when logistics problems prevent its use in municipalities. This helps in sustaining the natural balance. The company also participates in various corporate social responsibility initiatives such donating medical supplies.
Performance Indicators
ADSSC uses effective communication strategies to enhance its public relation and perception. The communication strategies used include regular meetings with employees in order to address their concerns. Other communication channels include emails, newsletters, internet and posters. Sports activities are highly encouraged by the company. This involves organizing and facilitating various sports activities such as football matches. Special events are usually organized by ADSSC to celebrate the UAE national day.
Key Results
Key Strategy Outcomes
The five years strategic plan of ADSSC was developed inline with the needs and of the clients. The strategic plan outlines the company’s strategic priorities, KPIs and performance indicators. All the nine departments within ADSSC have developed their own missions, visions and KPIs which are inline with the organization’s overall strategic plan.
The ARP and QPR systems are used by the management to track the performance of various departments and the company as a whole. This helps in improving efficiency and effectiveness in monitoring performance. The company’s strategic plan is also aligned to the government’s vision 2030 strategic plan. In order to ensure effectiveness, the planning framework is usually reviewed and updated on annual basis.
The projects department prepares monthly reports that indicate the status of projects and the information from such reports are usually shared through the internet. Besides, employees are usually encouraged to take part in various committee activities. The firm usually plays a key role in benchmarking projects in order to evaluate its capabilities and facilitate improvements.
Performance Indicators
Financial performance of the firm is examined through various applications such as OPEX and CAPEX in order to ensure best practice. The projects department is responsible for preparing detailed reports specifying the progress and costs associated with various projects. These reports inform the decisions made by the management in regard to service provision.
The management also monitors the KPI in order to adjust its output accordingly in response to changes in demand. The international and RSB standards are used as benchmarks for assessing the quality of products and services. In order to achieve high level of efficiency and effectiveness, IT use is encouraged at all levels of management within the firm.
Conclusion
ADSSC is a state owned company whose core business activities include collection and treatment of waste water. The company serves the municipalities within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The company focuses on providing high quality services and products to its customers. Currently, surveys conducted by the management shows that 95 percent of the customers are satisfied with its services and products. This has been achieved through implementation of sound management policies and use of appropriate technology in production and management.
The level of employee satisfaction is above 60 percent. Plans are currently being implemented to address the concerns of the employees in order to improve their satisfaction. The main challenge facing the firm is the overload of the existing infrastructure due to the ever increasing demand. In response to this challenge, expansion plans are currently being implemented to increase the production capacity of the firm.