Dubai, UAE - The UAE's policy of "going for the best" could give the country a major competitive edge if extended into the realm of business processes, according to a world-renowned IT management guru.
Roger Burlton says the Emirates, Gulf and wider Middle East have a golden opportunity to learn from the mistakes of Western organizations in managing information technology and, instead, can "go straight to best business management and systems".
Burlton is a global industry leader whose series of business process seminars is the longest-running and best known in the world. The latest takes place at Dubai's Knowledge Village from May 14 -16. It is his first seminar in the UAE and will draw business system professionals from across the Middle East.
He says the venue could not be more appropriate: "Knowledge is power but it must be used to develop quality management techniques. In the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has recognized this with initiatives such as Dubai Internet City and Knowledge Village itself.
"He knows that UAE companies and organizations who aspire to be global players are competing against other companies in the world who are taking their business processes very seriously. If performance is not constantly improved, the more difficult it is to compete.
"There is a lot of good business practice in the UAE and GCC territories - but as young countries they have long been playing 'catch up' with their older global cousins. However, the new class of business process technologies offers the entire Middle East a chance to leapfrog many of the obstacles being encountered elsewhere".
Burlton says that America, Canada and Western Europe experienced a "painful learning curve" in the sphere of information and technology management and subsequently had to undo many costly mistakes before putting things right.
"Many of these earlier systems became an albatross around the neck of the organizations they were meant to help - a monster needing to be served. However younger countries like the UAE did not inherit such a legacy and this is a distinct advantage.
"In this kind of scenario you can go straight to the latest technology and the most advanced management disciplines - rather than engaging in repair, upgrade and piecemeal improvement of existing systems".
Burlton says the critical question for organizations is how to set up their management in such a way as to make information systems more effectively support the business - and his Dubai seminar, 'The Business Process Management Framework' points the way ahead.
He explains: "The whole point of business processes is to enable technology and human beings to better achieve the strategic aims of the organization. It is a question of technology, business structures and people all working together to deliver the results the organization wants delivered".
Business Process Management (BPM) offered organizations a chance to become more cost-effective and to provide better service at the same time. "For a long time now", says Burlton "savings have been made piecemeal in various sections of an organization - and often at the expense of performance.
"The real opportunity now is to work smarter. When considering cost, you must look at the entire value chain. What BPM does is achieve enterprise-wide savings without sacrificing service or delivery.
"It provides a quality management system which is cross-functional, governing all the business processes of an enterprise as opposed to individual departments or disciplines within it. As a result, performance, value and results are delivered across the entire organization".
Business Process Management is of benefit across industry and commerce but considered absolutely vital in transaction-oriented sectors such as Financial Services, Telecommunications, Banking, Insurance and Government.
"These are all thriving sectors in the UAE", says Roger Burlton. "but they will only remain so if they embrace the best business processes the world has to offer. This is a country predisposed to seeking out the best and its businesses and institutions can become dynamic enterprises if they rise to the challenge".
The acclaimed guru's Dubai seminar, The Business Process Management Framework, takes place 14-16 May at Knowledge Village. It is a coup for the organizers, IRM UK and full details can be obtained by visiting their website http://www.irmuk.co.uk.
* This Press Release is issued on behalf of IRM UK: Tel: + 44 (0)20 8866 8366
For more information, contact:
John Finlayson
Finlayson Consultancy
Dubai
Tel: + 971 (4) 397 9725
Mob: + 971 (0) 50 552 0991
© Press Release 2005
