Sheikh Hamdan approves new model for government excellence

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has approved the new model for government excellence in Dubai.

The new model aligns with federal standards and aims to help government departments in Dubai improve their performance by emphasising innovation and quality, and also reinforce Dubai’s position as a leading global city for living and working by prioritising quality of life and community wellbeing, according to a report published by Dubai Media Office.

Sheikh Hamdan said: “The world is in a state of rapid change. Just recently, governments from across the globe convened in Dubai for the World Government Summit, where they discussed the future with all its opportunities and challenges. In Dubai, we are resolute in our determination to stay ahead of the curve, constantly striving to be the frontrunner in the race to the future. To this end, we have implemented an updated model of government excellence that seeks to enhance our work environment by introducing new evaluation methods and streamlining our service delivery through innovative mechanisms.”

Highlights of the Government Excellence Model

The new government excellence model has three important pillars.

The first, The Vision, looks at strengthening the leadership teams’ role in guiding the government entity towards achieving the best results through an institutional culture of development, innovation, and readiness for the future.

The second, Distinctive Value, centres on integrating all standards by which the government entity adds value to its customers and society. It includes a new criterion called “societal value” and the “partnership” criterion, which focuses on documenting the foundations of partnerships with the private sector.

The third pillar, Development Enablers, includes the innovation criterion to motivate government departments to innovate models, work mechanisms, and unprecedented services that achieve development and transformation, enhancing their positions in competitiveness and global leadership.

The central government entities, including the General Secretariat of The Executive Council, Financial Audit Authority, Department of Finance, Department of Legal Affairs, General Secretariat of the Supreme Legislation Committee, Dubai Digital Authority and the Dubai Government Human Resources Department will contribute to measuring the main indicators within the new government excellence system in Dubai.

.@HamdanMohammed: We have updated the government model to improve our work environment by introducing new evaluation methods and innovative mechanisms to streamline the service delivery. The new model is the result of the team spirit.

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 19, 2023

They will define the requirements of the main criteria of the new model, and measure and provide the results of the central performance indicators of the government departments of the programme so that they are included in the evaluation of the results.

The updates include the criteria and mechanisms for evaluating the government excellence framework and the elite model in Dubai, the criteria for the Dubai Medals for Government Excellence and the variable categories, and the timings of the next evaluation cycle in 2024.

Reinforcing the concepts of institutional agility

Abdulla Al Basti, secretary general of the Executive Council of Dubai and chairman of the Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP), said: “The new government excellence model aligns with the recent developments in government work mechanisms, including the ‘Services 360’ policy and the Dubai Future Readiness Index. The newly adopted advanced performance monitoring indicators are integrated with the qualitative progress in service provision and delivery.”

Al Basti said that the updated government excellence model will play a fundamental role in reinforcing the concepts of institutional agility, effective public-private partnerships, and integrated proactive government services that rely on the latest digital technologies. The framework will also consider the excellence requirements for the post-pandemic phase and future readiness.

Dr Hazza Al Nuaimi, Coordinator General of the DGEP, expressed that Dubai has set a global benchmark in government excellence and serves as a model for the world. He emphasised that the DGEP has been instrumental in achieving excellence and innovation in leadership for over a quarter of a century.

According to Al Nuaimi, the new model’s pillars and standards have been updated and reconfigured in alignment with the federal excellence system. The updates make it easier for government entities to prioritise the development of their business by applying the latest concepts of excellence and benchmarking against global best practices.

In other news, Sheikh Hamdan inaugurated the world’s largest solar-powered data centre, located at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world on February 16. The data centre was constructed by Data Hub Integrated Solutions (Moro Hub), a subsidiary of Digital DEWA, the digital arm of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).

Read: Dubai opens world’s largest solar-powered data centre