New technologies are only as disruptive as the mindsets behind it. Dubai Council demonstrates that disruptive innovation starts with culture change.

By Xische Editorial, January 26, 2020

What is the seed of societal transformation? How can we harness the disruptive forces of innovation to reform society for the better? The answer demands a bold vision, hard work and a shift in mindset. We were reminded earlier this month when His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced a profound reorganisation of the Dubai Government with the creation of the Dubai Council. 

As we wrote at the time of the announcement, the Dubai Council is a radical rethinking of how the Government can and should function. By consolidating various arms of Government, the Dubai Council will amplify impact. The Council will lead six critical sectors including the economy, government services, development, infrastructure, justice and security, and health and knowledge. As part of a drive for government efficiency over the next five years, Dubai government leaders will need to meet 50 goals, which are currently being developed. The aim of this vision is to build on Dubai’s impressive growth and ensure that the Emirate remains one of the world’s best cities to live in.

Dubai’s leadership is demonstrating how to make radical decisions that will positively impact daily life and improve quality of life. Change is possible, as long as you have the will to put vision into action. The formation of the Dubai Council is not an isolated event but part of a larger strategy to disrupt how Government operates and ensure that Dubai remains one of the leading cities to live and work. It is a new link in a chain of programs spurring government innovation that includes the boundary-breaking Dubai 10X programme, now in its third year. 

The Dubai 10X programme is Sheikh Mohammed’s call on all Dubai Government entities to embrace disruptive innovation as a fundamental mantra of their operations and to seek ways to incorporate its methodologies in all aspects of their work. 

According to the programme, disruptive innovation refers to exploiting available technologies to deliver new or existing services in radically different ways that are design-thinking-based and customer-focused, in contrast to incremental innovation, which focuses on making good services better for existing customers. Instead, disruptive innovation “will create new operating and business models that replace traditional services and provide multiple times the value for end-users and customers”. 

Part of the programme requires Government entities to “develop systems, processes and labs to trial and scale radically disruptive technologies and approaches in order to deliver on their respective missions”. This will help “develop processes and methodologies that will allow each Dubai government entity to work with truly disruptive companies and start-ups that radically offer better services or allow Dubai’s residents to lead a happier life”.

Not only does this require all members of society to think differently but it is a call to shift our mentalities from mere operating to innovating. The power of technology to positively impact society hinges on our ability to create a viable culture of innovative disruption. This can only emanate from the top. Through the creation of the Dubai Council and with programmes like Dubai 10X, the leadership is showing through actions that change is possible.

What would happen if we applied the same point of view on office culture and productivity? Given the powerful tools at our disposal thanks to decades of technological innovation, we are in the midst of a productivity culture shift. The traditional workday, for example, has been turned out its head now that people can access email or messaging platforms such as Slack from their phones at any hour of the day. The ability to be online at all hours of the day means nothing without a shift in mentality. If we understand the potential of technological innovation – in this case messaging platforms – then we can begin transforming our processes to amplify impact and achieve results. This is, at its core, a culture shift and it’s critical if we are going to realise the value of the tools at our disposal.

The Dubai Government is doing just that. By innovating the function of Government, Dubai is able to consolidate to realise its goals of remaining 10 years ahead of the world’s great cities. The Dubai Council is merely the latest manifestation of this principle in action. It is now up to all of us to translate this example into our daily lives. This diffusion of process is what the leadership is facilitating in society and will remain key to realising our shared goals of ensuring Dubai remains one of the best places in the world to live and work. Without the right cultural shift, the power of technology can’t be realised. We are showing the world how it’s done.