One of the most influential and empowering ways to nurture innovation is to embrace the unconventional. In recent years, the Dubai administration has taken several steps that broke from convention, in order to stimulate growth or create new possibilities. Whether it is the new visa regulations – from the retiree visa to the Gold Card permanent residency – the restructuring of fees and lending regulations in real estate or the refund of fees to companies operating within Jafza, the government has taken several unprecedented steps that demonstrate an out of the box approach. The creation of the very unconventional Ministry of Possibilities within the UAE administration, an initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is one such fresh and unorthodox initiative.
I genuinely believe that the UAE government has emerged as one of the most reform and transformation driven leaderships in the world. In fact, if you asked me to nominate another administration that has taken as unique and novel an approach, or initiated as many groundbreaking and pioneering new measures, anywhere in the world, I’m not sure I could. Consider the great hullaballoo in the United States, over the various versions of the ‘Green New Deal’ initiative – which have divided that nation into camps haggling over little details. Now realize that the UAE and Dubai governments have quietly and competently introduced a host of new measures that are far more effective, achievable and above all comprehensive, in the service of a better and more progressive future. I’m asking the reader to make this comparison, not in order to mock the measures being debated in the US, but rather to try and get a grasp of just how far-reaching the reforms in Dubai, and the UAE at large, have been.
From an entrepreneur’s perspective, I realize that the greatest gift that a person who invests their efforts and creativity into a new project is given, is the ability to look at the world with fresh eyes. To be able to identify new opportunities and room for innovation, which have previously been ignored or not noticed, is one of the most powerful and transformative capacities to have at your disposal. Having seen several the operations of several organizations and teams from close quarters, I can tell you that often even the most open-minded and sincere groups can miss spotting alternative options. It is in the nature of organizations and their structure that everyone involved gets caught up in doing their role to the best of their ability. The big picture vision is often largely centered around an initial planning stage, and then the whole enterprise becomes about diligently executing that plan. Governments are no exception to this, as a matter of fact most people would agree that they seem to be far more prone to such limitations than many private businesses.
Why a ‘Ministry of Possibilities’ is groundbreaking
One the face of it, the announcement of the Ministry of Possibilities, three years after UAE got a Ministry for Happiness, would not make much sense to a person rooted in the systems that have been used in the past to govern nations. The established thinking of the past used to be rooted in functional and process oriented ways of organizing government. While various governments had varying degrees of success in being effective, I believe that old model missed some very important features. From the five year plans of India and the now non-existent Soviet Union, in the past, to Franklin Roosevelt’s ‘new deal’ and the more recent ‘green new deal’, traditional specific and specified government programs certainly do have a place in providing good governance. However, having established basic services and government processes, I believe it is also important to include official departments that take the responsibility of nurturing big picture agendas, which are perspective based.
When one sets out to create something new, the first seed of the idea comes to us as a desire to achieve an abstract outcome. Whether it is serving other’s needs, gaining personal wealth or any priority in between, every enterprise begins with the vision of addressing some human need. In this context, choosing to create and administrative department that focuses on an abstract concept makes much more sense. In fact, I would say that including big picture desirable outcomes, like happiness or exploring possibilities, in clearly stated government goals, is an extraordinarily progressive initiative. In the case of the Government of UAE, rather than merely considering these outcomes as guiding principles – which would have been revolutionary enough – the decision to create specific ministries with these goals represents a truly decisive evolution from the past.
What the Ministry will do and why this is extraordinary
One of the most influential and important departments of any large corporation is the R&D wing. This is the part of the organization that allows it to create new and unique solutions that break from the past and set the enterprise apart. It is a central function to being able to address existing needs before, and better than, anyone else. The UAE’s, first of its kind in the world, Ministry of Possibilities, has been tasked with the ‘launching proactive services, spotting talent, updating structure and improving systems’. Essentially, this is an in-house Think-Tank, R&D Department, Analytical and Consultancy rolled into one. The fact that there will no Minister in charge, and all departments will contribute, clarifies the role of this Ministry even more. The ability to bring together suggestions and inputs from all departments within the government and spot patterns, common concerns and opportunities for innovative intervention, is a tremendous empowerment of a government, in my opinion.
It’s my honest and unbiased belief that such departments will become the norm in years to come. Ultimately, welfare is a state of mind. Once the physical and material outcomes have norms and structures operating to achieve them, the focus must shift to big picture coordination and more abstract goals. In the case of the UAE Ministry of Possibilities, it straddles both the practical and the less defined aspect of good governance perfectly. While such innovative measures have been popular matters of discussion in business circles, conventions and books, they have not previously found much acceptance within the context of public administration. As digital technologies and mobile communication bring people and their governments together, I believe the context and instances of such initiatives will only increase.
Conclusion
Societies have organized themselves and their affairs for millennia, from tribes of a few dozen to modern nation states. As an outcome of this long history, the process of government has become confined to the definitions of the past and how things have traditionally been done. While this has its purpose, I have always believed that institutions need an infusion of new ideas from time to time, in order to remain relevant and be most effective. In my opinion, the announcement of the UAE Government’s Ministry of Possibilities is an initiative that we will look back on as a breakthrough in approach. How much difference it can make will, of course, depend on the execution of the idea, but as a principle and an approach, it is unconventional, refreshing and inspirationally innovative.
