In a move to promote the latest innovative trends covering the quest for excellence, the Sharjah Tatweer Forum (STF), an initiative under the umbrella of the Rubu’ Qarn Foundation, has recently organized a visit to the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation, a Dubai-based organization aimed towards stimulating and enriching the culture of innovation within the government sector and SAP, the leading multinational software corporation. The visit introduced ways to develop and improve human capabilities, particularly in terms of innovation, creativity, knowledge and leadership, under the framework of STF’s commitment to achieve the objectives of the National Innovation Strategy and UAE’s Vision 2021. The STF’s Sharjah Leadership Program (SLP) is aimed towards stimulating innovative knowledge and entrepreneurship among young leaders and to encourage their participation in efforts to further in more development and growth for Sharjah and UAE.
The tour to the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation, aims to enhance the nation’s competitiveness and make it one of the world’s most innovative countries, the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation works towards promoting innovation as the key pillar of the UAE government. The visit to was a unique opportunity for technology companies to gain insight about the government entities’ human resources and their expertise.
Jassem Albloushi, Member of Board of Trustees, Rubu’ Qarn Foundation, said: “The visit to Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation falls in line with the SLP’s efforts to empower young leaders with leadership, decision making, creativity, entrepreneurship, quality and innovative skills—all of which are considered fundamental pillars needed in achieving first place in global competitiveness. This visit is an excellent platform to have a key overview on the tactics of consolidating innovation and excellence in the culture of organizations, governments and community, which is one of Rubu’ Qarn objectives to rehabilitate the national resources needed in building the emirate’s future.”
The tour, which concluded at SAP, the enterprise software giant, was divided into two sessions and focused on innovation management. The agenda of the first session was the Leadership Workshop on ‘Smart Sharjah’ initiative which discussed a framework and a set of tools to help participants lead their organizations and people towards innovation. Topics covered during the session included Overview of Innovative Models – a basic overview of two different innovative models and their implementation in an organization; Innovative Models in Action – a group exercise to implement innovative models in different industries using various resources; and the Art of Innovation – A Design Thinking Approach (Part 1) – overview of design thinking and innovation with human-centric approach.
The afternoon session continued with the second part of the Art of Innovation – A Design Thinking Approach where the group identified the challenges and thought of possible solutions to overcome them which can be filtered and combined into actions. The topics covered during this session were Pitching Innovation with Impact – creating low-fidelity prototypes of core ideas and change management about innovation; Business Modelling – creating a business model of the idea; and Financing Innovation – understanding key performance indicators (KPIs) and return on investment (ROI) metrics for innovation, followed by a Wrap Up.
“The STF is keen on working closely with the government, especially on matters of innovation, creativity and the development of a model corporate culture. The move complements the efforts to achieve a knowledge-based society that is globally competitive and innovative. The visit we have conducted today falls in line with our SLP initiative, which looks towards achieving and promoting a culture of corporate excellence based on innovation and creativity and also in support of the efforts to make Sharjah highly sustainable,” concluded Albloushi.
Rubu’ Qarn Foundation was launched by a managerial Emirati Decree by H.H Shaikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, which aims to build a generation of Emiratis capable of leading the future and adhering to their Arabian and Islamic identity. The foundation is considered to be the first of its kind, both regionally and nationally, to set focus on the development of young leaders over 25 years of their lives. Under its umbrella, the foundation operates key groups like the Sharjah Children Center, Sharjah Youth Centers, Sajaya Young Ladies of Sharjah and the Sharjah Tatweer Forum—all working to enhance efforts and invest in today’s young leaders for the benefit of Sharjah, UAE and the international community.