In recent years, businesses have placed a greater emphasis on sustainability. However, pursuing sustainable business as a primary strategy differs from merely engaging in sustainable practices. The Performance Magazine Issue No. 25, 2023 – Sustainability Edition presents in-depth analyses and practical perspectives on the latest issues and trends in incorporating sustainability into operations and strategies. 

Moreover, this issue provides guidance for organizations looking to successfully adopt sustainable practices as well as the challenges and opportunities involved in the process. 

Gracing the cover of this issue is  Eelco van der Enden, chief executive officer (CEO) of Global Reporting Initiative. He shared updates on sustainability reporting practices worldwide, discussed the importance of the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in sustainability reporting, and emphasized how sustainability creates value for stakeholders and becomes crucial for long-term success.

Readers will also gain valuable insights on how to foster a culture of sustainability in organizations through exclusive interviews with sustainability experts from different companies, such as Kearney, Almarai Group, FIFA World Cup™, and Accenture. 

Furthermore, experts from The KPI Institute will provide answers to pivotal sustainability questions affecting organizations today:

• What are the key drivers of sustainability in organizations, and what role does the performance management system play in creating a sustainable organization? 
• What KPIs are a MUST in reporting sustainability matters? 
• How can an organization create meaningful sustainability reports?

The magazine includes articles highlighting best practices in strategic planning, strategy execution, employee performance, benchmarking, data analysis, and data visualization. Moreover, the latest edition now includes a new section called Career Insights, which features the article, “The power of process thinking for performance management professionals.” Additionally, readers can access a variety of informative resources on strategy and performance management in the Recommended Resources section.

To expand your knowledge on sustainability as part of strategy and performance management, be sure to check out the latest issue of Performance Magazine. You can download the digital version through the TKI Marketplace or order a printed copy from Amazon.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the world leader in public services performance based on The KPI Institute’s Government Services Index 2022. The index is built on six dimensions that were chosen considering key value drivers for high-performing public services and includes 32 indicators. UAE has recorded an overall index score of 0.92 and above 0.80 for all indicators within the index, ranking first in two dimensions: Adaptability and Talent.

The report also shows that UAE ranks first in the Adaptability dimension, which is characteristic of future-oriented nations capable of reacting to unforeseen developments by equipping themselves with innovative technology and benefiting from international and domestic societal support. 

Embedded in the country’s history, with a background of welcoming trade and business that goes back to early Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) moments, the UAE has one of the most open economies in the world. UAE scored above 0.90 in all indicators of the Adaptability dimensions, from Value System (1.0000) to Legal framework’s adaptability and Digital business models (0.9132).  

With a top score as far as the value system indicator, correlated with a high score of national culture, the UAE demonstrates how the value system of their society, together with a strong sense of national identity, supports long-term welfare and competitiveness.

The UAE has understood the importance of adaptability as a factor of development, and it has taken great measures to enhance it over the years. The country’s initiatives ensure that government entities and the business environment cooperate and align their efforts to boost competitiveness while stimulating innovation and digitization as well as achieving social cohesion through prosperity and well-being for the members of the society. Based on that, the country has efficiently managed to weather the pandemic. The government’s responsiveness to the changes imposed by the COVID-19 crisis has been immediate and promoted further actions to mitigate its effects on the economy. 

Foreign direct investments were already encouraged, but the government’s efforts focused on increasing the liberalization of business activity in the middle of a pandemic. The Federal Law on commercial businesses was amended to remove the constraints that required all businesses to be chaired by UAE citizens and have 51% of shares held by an Emirati national. Now, more than 40 free zones allow 100% foreign business ownership. To stimulate the diversification of the economy, 122 economic activities across 13 sectors are qualified for the new law. 

A Virtual License system was launched in alignment with UAE’s positive attitude towards globalization and the local governmet’s achievements in the field of digital transformation. This system aims to allow foreign investors to virtually obtain permission to do business in the emirate of Abu Dhabi from anywhere in the world and thus enable cross-border digital trade. This openness to international business is not recent. The United Arab Emirates has a long history of encouraging private-sector growth through international trade sustained by numerous Free Trade Agreements with trade-related infrastructure and services.

Furthermore, the flexibility shown by the country’s authorities in addressing the current market challenges is a result of the frameworks that facilitate the adoption of new technology starting from 2001, with the launch of the UAE e-government portal. Since then, the government has implemented important advances in the digital transformation field. Federal Network (FedNet) is an initiative that connects government entities through a safe, ongoing, and private infrastructure. The UAE Pass provides citizens a digital identity that helps them access government services. The UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence focuses on transforming the country into an early adopter of emerging artificial intelligenece (AI) technologies in education, economy, government development, and community happiness. Emirates Blockchain Strategy aims to capitalize on blockchain technology to transform 50% of government transactions into the blockchain platform.

The latest initiative is the Digital Economy Strategy. It aims to double the contribution of the digital economy to the UAE’s non-oil gross domestic product (GDP) from 11.7% to over 20% within the next 10 years.

The UAE maintains its performance in the Talent dimension of the GSI, ranking first in the global hierarchy. Traits such as flexibility in policymaking, successful use of international assistance, a knowledge-based economy, and attractiveness for the skilled workforce, define a country excelling in this dimension based on the Index.

Seen as a pillar of stability in the region with high credibility in the international community, the UAE has an outstanding performance, registering scores above 0.90 for all indicators of the dimension, including Effective use of support (1.000), Policy learning (0.9932) and Brain retention (0.9108). The Effective use of international support indicator top score outlines the country’s affinities towards bilateral relations, while the Skilled labor pool and Competent senior managers indicators’ high scores are evidence of a competitive knowledge economy that prioritizes labor market productivity and economic growth.

The UAE has diplomatic relations with most countries of the world. It is a member of international organizations like the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Over the years, the government has capitalized on international Talent while working to refine and enhance its laws and institutions. As a result, it has become a role model of leadership and cohesion nowadays. Furthermore, the country’s response to the pandemic has demonstrated the sustainability of its development model. 

The stability and adaptability in face of crises have made the UAE a pole of attraction for migrant workers, who account for over 90% of the country’s workforce. Thus, several policies and initiatives aiming to support the labor market amid the ongoing pandemic have been launched.

One of them is the amendment of the Executive Regulation of the Federal Law “concerning Nationality and Passports.” The changes will allow investors, specialized talents, professionals, and their families to acquire Emirati nationality under certain conditions that will facilitate labor market efficiency and flexibility by enlarging the pool of talent.

The National Employment Strategy 2031 also supports the government’s efforts to build a “knowledge-based economy.” It promotes entrepreneurship and lifelong learning, cultivating the skills of the future, and enhancing knowledge and cultural diversity as means to attract skilled labor, especially women, in sectors such as technology, energy, transportation, and advanced science.

By being future-oriented and taking proactive actions, the UAE has successfully developed a governance model that can adapt and innovate in unforeseen conditions. Open to international relations, the UAE has become a thriving hub for global trade and a focal point for foreign investments. In turn, it has created job opportunities that attract within the local labor market’s various cultures and worldwide expertise. These considerations, correlated with the accomplishments in the indicators of the GSI 2022, make the UAE a leader in government services with best practices to learn from.

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This article was first published in the 24th printed edition of PERFORMANCE Magazine. You can get a free digital copy from the TKI Marketplace here or purchase a print copy from Amazon for a nominal fee here.

Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt of an article authored by Islam Salahuddin, a Business Research Analyst at The KPI Institute. Originally featured in the 24th printed edition of PERFORMANCE Magazine, the article delves into the concept of Web 3.0 and its relevance to the online presence of government services.

The third generation of the World Wide Web (WWW or Web 3.0) is the next frontier for e-government services to excel. Since it is still an under-formulation concept, it has no rigid definition so far. However, some of its main features have been more and more clear, especially since it has been steering debates on its applications and implications.

To understand the general concept behind Web 3.0 and what it serves for the online presence of government services, going through the WWW evolution history is necessary.

The web at its basis is a system of sharing documents between computers and servers, connected in a network that we cumulatively call the internet. This is according to W3 Consortium, the organization that is led by Tim-Berners Lee, the inventor of the web, with little paraphrasing for the sake of simplification.

This system has evolved since it was first introduced in the early 1990s. Evolution does not happen with a switch, meaning there is no one company for instance that will introduce the technology to the world. Rather, each generation of the web emerges first as a group of concepts that develop through technologies and get widely adopted over time, eventually changing the way the web functions. 

Web 3.0 for example, being not the “mainstream” web yet, is just a term to differentiate the envisioned web reality that the new concepts and technologies will lead to in the future, from concepts and technologies shaping the web functionality in the present and the past. The very first version of the web (Web 1.0) offered only static pages linked together in a “web” through hyperlinks. It is a version of one-way communication from publishers to readers. 

Governments have recognized the potential of using the internet to publish information that their citizens need, mostly in order to aid their access to the brick-and-mortar services such as administrative and legal services. Consequentially called Government 1.0, e-government services in this phase have included only pushing information on regulations and procedures, and announcing statements and public holiday schedules for instance.

With technologies evolving, two-way communication on the web has become possible. This is the main feature of Web 2.0 that offers the possibility of user-generated content and interactivity. Therefore, it has opened the gate for the rise of social media and personalized web experiences. Web 2.0 is the version of the internet that everyone knows today.

E-government services have evolved to Government 2.0, with the ability to use the internet not just to aid offline public services, but to offer parallel online transactional ones. With the United Kingdom launching gov.uk and Norway launching norge.no, governments have been able to get their citizens to apply for certificates and licenses, register properties, submit taxes, and pay fines and bills, all through the internet. Web 2.0 also has given governments the chance to engage with citizens in online discussions, including how to enhance digital services.

To know more about Web 3.0 has to offer and how the government can prepare for it, read the full article in the latest edition of PERFORMANCE Magazine. The 24th PERFORMANCE Magazine – Printed Edition offers detailed analyses and valuable insights on the performance of the public sector amidst the post-pandemic environment. Grab your copy in the TKI Marketplace now!

Government performance looks different today due to the changes that took place in the world in the past two years. The 24th edition of Performance Magazine offers deep dives and practical insights into new developments, strategies, trends, and transformations in the public sector.

The issue highlights findings from The KPI Institute’s Government Service Index Report 2022, a pragmatic review of public service performance in the post-pandemic era that covers seven world regions, 66 countries, five dimensions, and 32 indicators.  The data were analyzed according to five dimensions: adaptability, talent, digitalization, governance, and impact.

In the cover story, “The future of public service: key trends in strategy and performance management,” Dr. Hisham Ahmad Kayali, a strategic and performance management specialist in the UAE, wrote about what the future of public services should look like. The other articles readers can find are:

• “How the COVID-19 pandemic shaped political governance”
• “Strategic approaches on the use of digital tools and data to improve the delivery of public value”
• “Web 3.0: the next frontier for e-government services”
• “The United Arab Emirates: the world’s leader in government services”
• “Making an impact: how the Netherlands promotes the general welfare”

The latest Performance Magazine also addresses today’s most pressing questions related to government performance: How can a motivational culture impact the performance of public servants? What is important in measuring the performance of public services? How can public entities better communicate strategies to citizens?

By drawing on The KPI Institute’s 19 years of experience in performance management, Performance Magazine provides its readers with prime resources, industry updates, interviews, case studies, expert recommendations, and global perspectives on strategy and performance management. The magazine covers strategy planning, strategy execution, employee performance, benchmarking, data analysis, and data visualization.

Readers can access industry updates and exclusive insights into becoming state-of-the-art professionals and high-performance organizations from subject matter experts, seasoned consultants, practitioners, business leaders, academicians, and research analysts.

To learn more about government performance, download the latest Performance Magazine for free via TKI Marketplace or order the print version from Amazon.