Change is inevitable. Everything is susceptible to change. There are massive changes that are taking place around the globe. The Middle East is witnessing unprecedented changes in power. Each country is dealing with the political turmoil in its own way. The situation in Oman was settled in an exemplary way. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos was prompt, decisive and wise in handling the situation.
His farsighted vision and political acumen illustrated that modern Oman with its amazing achievements in the last four decades was meant to last and prosper to greater heights. Among the changes that His Majesty decisively introduced was a wide spectrum of amendment in the council of Ministers. Several New ministers were assigned to take charges of vital portfolios that are crucial to the Omani economy.
The new ministers are not tested mortals in their new positions at the helm of the public agency. Many people are still apprehensive about their performance. Such perception has lead to so many speculations and gossips.
The pressing questions are;
· If you were in their shoes how you would approach your new assignment?
· What should be your first priorities within the first year in the new seat?
· How would you assure the public that you are the leader they have been looking for?
As a reader you can imagine yourself as one of these new ministers. Think about the above mentioned questions and share your views with us.
Besides let us know what are the tools that are available for you to apply in their new assignment? What are the factors that could make or break their bright career in the political arena? How would you go about your personal development plan so that you can acquire the needed competencies for new assignment?
Respected readers, your contribution will certainly enrich our dialogue and provide a momentum for brainstorming these questions. From a theoretical perspective we can borrow certain tools from strategic management, organizational behavior, leadership as well as management particularly dealing with people irrespective of the wide spectrum of differences. In addition one can also bank on his own experience.
Until then, I will be awaiting your objective and constructive views on the above case study.
Besides creating new jobs and increase in salaries for the new workforce, which is the need of the hour, the labour laws have to be made more strict for local employees who abscond and display a lethargic attitute at work. They have this misconception that no matter how bad they perform professionally, they cannot be fired because they are locals. This attitute has to undergo a drastic turnaround inorder for the nation and its people to progress.
ReplyDeleteChanges are good, no doubt. An as rightly pointed out by your blog, His Majesty has outshone his peers in announcing changes with far reaching and practical implications. For instance, the cabinet reshuffle was far from being cosmetic. And granting of powers to the council was inline with the demands of the citizen. It is a move to bring about greater accountability to the way the country is run.
ReplyDeleteThe new appointments are sure to find themselves on very 'hot seats' and must be prepared to carry out their responsibilities in a transparent and accountable manner. Ofcourse, some of them are relatively new to the scene of governance. It is up to them to take decisive steps to prove their worth to the watchful eyes of the citizens.
I agree with Ashraf with his point, i would also like to say that the foundations of a solid workforce need to be laid out (educational and technical training institutes). My modest assessment of the current climate is that:-
ReplyDeletea.) Unrealistic expectations by employees
b.) a gap between the needs of the labour force and employment atmosphere and the right people to execute those jobs.
Our training and educational institutions are second class at best.
Point-wise reply:
ReplyDelete· If you were in their shoes how you would approach your new assignment?
His Majesty has trusted me with challenging responsibilities, which means he believes in my capabilities. I must work hard with my heart and soul to live up to that expectation. I must win over my assigned task. I’m here to serve our leader, our people and our beloved country.
· What should be your first priorities within the first year in the new seat?
To find out the detail of what worked and what didn’t in the past ministry ASAP. What are the complaints from people as well as from the team? After detecting the root causes of problems and dissatisfaction, farsighted and careful planning needs to be in place and should be carried out effectively to solve the problems. For example, there are complains about the education system that it isn’t compatible with the international arena. Creativity and critical thinking aren’t encouraged. What about learning from the international schools available in Oman like BSM, TAISM, and ABA? In short, Western Education System. We can improve only when we benchmark our performance with the widely accepted experts in the same field. What about Sultan School as a model for all Omani Government schools? This school has blended Omani and Western education and has been producing excellent Omani students who’re competing successfully in their international higher education and later life.
This approach is applicable to all ministries. Benchmarking performance with the same ministry in other developed countries, who're far older nations than Oman, learning from them and applying their strategies, tactics, systems, rules, etc. in own surroundings as long as thing doesn’t go against the local culture. Bureaucracy must be discouraged and task culture should be practiced to improve the work flow.
· How would you assure the public that you are the leader they have been looking for?
By winning their confidence. First Impression is often long lasting. People should see my sincere efforts in building an efficient ministry and I should be able to show some immediate impact through actions rather than only words. I should walk the talk and the job will be half done.
Ministers should learn very well the current atmosphere both in the country and in the department. How they can serve the community is importnat. for this, meeting with people, surveys, effective dialogues are advisible. Like of India, 5 year plans to achieve the targets will be a great idea, I think Oman has experienced benefits of 5 year planning in health sector. review, evaluate and modify the plans after every five year..
ReplyDeleteThe fact that new ministers were appointed is a clear sign of His Majesty's true intention to take the country to even greater heights. Therefore these ministers should acknowledge the responsibilities entrusted on them and develop their own sense of accountability.
ReplyDeleteWe are in an era of an open environment where people have more freedom to express their thoughts and air out their greivances and are more in touch with the reality around the globe. This is a very volatile environment to operate in and certainly requires the minister as a leader within his or her entrusted portfolio to exhibit their leadership skills and approach their assignment methodically. If I were in the shoes of a minister i would adhere to my task as follows:
1. Study both, the internal and external environment which I operate in. in order to have the right appreciation and understanding.
2. I will study the prevailing organization structure, organization culture and assess loop holes that should be rectified.
3. Set a strategy that could awaken the giant within each of my team members and put their skills and competencies into the right direction.
Definitely I should hone my skills on a constant basis to improve productivity and be able to adapt to the accelerated changes that are taking place around me. First and foremost the interest of Oman would in my heart all the time.
We should establish a Think Tank..
ReplyDelete