Report from Dubai: Disruptive Change Calls for Dynamic Organizations

October 26, 2016 | by

Panel Participants

H.E. Mattar Al-Tayer

Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, Roads & Transport Authority (RTA)

H.E. Mohamed Alabbar

Chairman, Emaar Properties

Bill McDermott

Chief Executive Officer, SAP SE

Mark Langley

President and Chief Executive Officer, Project Management Institute (PMI)

In addition to facilitating the Youth Circle yesterday at the Dubai International PM Forum, I was honored to be asked to moderate a panel discussing "Future Cities," with points for discussion proposed by the DIPMF Scientific Committee. This is a topic of lively interest in the fast-changing metropolis of Dubai, and the distinguished panel (shown at right) conducted a dialogue that ranged over infrastructure development, social change and the need for business to be responsive to unpredictable changes in markets and technology. We were aware as we convened the panel, that we sat at the heart of a future city that is being built today.

His Excellency Al-Tayer highlighted Dubai's initiatives to increase citizens' happiness and mobility, designed with the future in mind. Al-Tayer stressed the need for leadership in driving changes that stretch the boundaries no matter how strange new ideas might be.

His Excellency Al Abbar stressed the dynamic nature of future business, the need for simplicity, for finding and executing the most economic solutions.  He also stressed the difficulty in forecasting the dynamic changes in the market place,  to the point of even being challenged to predict what will happen in 2017. He supported the idea that disruptive change, whatever else is may bring, does ensure that we maintain a dynamic organizational culture.  Connecting his remarks to the earlier Youth Circle, he highlighted the need for greater involvement of youth; we learned that he is dedicating a part of his business portfolio to a sizeable group of under-25s, up so as to listen to them better and incorporate their ideas more widely in future projects.

Mark Langley described the changes that PMI will be driving to better prepare for the complex demands of executing increasingly complex future cities programs.  He indicated the increased focus on benefits realization, the need for higher agility, and how PMI is investing in understanding the changing dynamics around organizational strategy formulation and implementation.

Bill McDermott highlighted SAP’s focus on innovations, including unique Internet of Things implications, Machine Intelligence, etc.  He noted that he believed in the need for project management and project management skills for leading future cities projects that will affect the way we live, work, and interact.  Bill emphasized the changing ways of dealing with data and how that is going to be a key differentiator in the future.

It's always intellectually refreshing to break from the office for a few days at a conference, and this is never more true than when you can participate in an event where the contrast and collaborations between cultures takes center stage. I'd like to thank the DIPMF for inviting me, and the participants in this panel for contributing their time and insights.

About the Author

In his role as president, Al Zeitoun, PhD, PMP is responsible for leading the strategic direction and performance of the PM Solutions consulting division, PM College training division, and the research division (PM Solutions Research). With a wealth of strategy execution, global project and portfolio management experiences, Dr. Zeitoun joins PM Solutions from his role most recently as the Corporate PMO Executive Director for Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), Abu Dhabi, UAE, where he was responsible for creating the structure and discipline necessary for delivering one of the largest projects in the Middle East. Dr. Zeitoun holds Ph.D., MSc, and BSc degrees in Civil Engineering and Construction Management from the USA and Egypt; in addition, he received a diploma in Project Management from the University of Bremen, Germany. He is a certified PMP and currently serves on the PMI Board of Directors, where he has previously chaired the Board nominating committee and volunteer appointment committee.

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1 Comment on Report from Dubai: Disruptive Change Calls for Dynamic Organizations

IT Solution Company In Dubai says:

Nice information, many thanks to the author. It is incomprehensible to me now, but in general, the usefulness and significance is overwhelming…...........
Software Company In Dubai

Posted on November 15, 2016 at 6:08 am

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