His Highness Sheikh Mohammed’s leadership role in Dubai’s rise to prominence and commitment to excellence
During the eleven years Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum ruled Dubai, the emirate managed to overcome the global crisis and emerge stronger and more successful. It is noteworthy that Sheikh’s leadership and commitment to excellence were drawn from ethics, knowledge, education, respect for his citizens, and other people’s respect for him. For example, in the BBC News video, Sheikh Mohammed told the reporter about regular people visiting him and asking for help. Sheikh treats other people as equals, which is a quality that not many leaders possess. It is also evident that Sheikh Mohammed is no stranger to innovation because he embraces the modern world and speaks a lot about how technologies can improve Dubai’s life. Such a positive attitude towards innovation is what differentiates Sheikh from other leaders; because of his inventive vision, Dubai became the city it is today.
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Excellence Award
The Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP) (initiated in 1997) was created to promote excellence in the Dubai Government. Similarly, the EFQM Excellence Model targeted identifying cause and effect relationships within and between organizations to enhance excellence long term. In the context of these models, it is essential to define the concept of excellence for a better understanding of their similarities. In this scenario, excellence is associated with not only doing one’s best but also striving to be the best (applicable to the majority of contexts). Therefore, the DGEP is an improvisation over the EFQM model because it encourages the government to strive for the greatest for its citizens and unite the efforts to improve the conditions of living and ensure growth. Strategy and leadership are two fundamental principles that lie at the core of the EFQM model; intertwined with governance, CSR, finances, marketplace, and other components, the components make up a framework that leads to high-performance outcomes. Similarly, DGEP is targeted at awarding those aspects of governance that lead to excellence in the private and public sectors.
Specific steps for an organization to apply for the award
To apply the Business Excellence Award in an organization, the management needs to review and implement the best practices of establishing a sustainable business in the ever-evolving environment. First, best-practice seminars can be a good “entry point” for organizations planning to adopt the award program because they will provide businesses with a ground for learning from the highest performing organizations that have set high standards for their operation. Second, training workshops can be effective for supporting and assisting businesses that are planning to adopt the Business Excellence Award.
Workshop sessions are useful for facilitating interactivity and providing inclusive training on the model. Furthermore, such workshops enable its participants to review the frameworks established by the Business Performance Model and determine how they can be incorporated into their organization. Third, roundtable discussions can be held when the organization decided to become the Award participant; at this stage, a business is presented with an opportunity to discuss and address questions related to the process of Award Application. Overall, the integration of the Award Model into the organization’s performance can be a beneficial step towards establishing a culture of excellence and governance where cooperation between key stakeholders subsequently leads to the ultimate goal of reaching excellence.