Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | DEWA Organises Enterprise Agility Week for its staff

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has inaugurated DEWA’s Enterprise Agility Week, which it organises as part of its ongoing efforts to consolidate organisational agility among employees. Al Tayer delivered the keynote speech for the Week in the presence of Executive Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, Enterprise Agility Champions and many DEWA employees from various divisions.

The five-day Enterprise Agility Week held at several DEWA’s buildings, features lectures, workshops, and panel discussions, with the participation of experts from major local and international organisations. These include the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government, the Dubai Future Foundation, Emirates NBD, Amazon, and global consulting companies.

The Enterprise Agility Week is part of a comprehensive programme that includes many workshops, in-person and virtual lectures, initiatives, and projects to promote a culture of organisational agility, quick adaptation and response to changes, as well as alignment of various processes and services with DEWA’s agility framework. The Week concludes with an exhibition of organisational agility projects implemented by DEWA’s sectors.

“DEWA organises the Enterprise Agility Week 2023 as part of our continuous efforts to achieve the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who wants the government to be faster in decision-making, and flexible enough to adapt to any changes. In light of developments in the business environment, it has become imperative for enterprises to be agile to keep pace with the rapid changes the world is witnessing and turn challenges into promising opportunities. That’s why, the public and private sectors need to pursue higher levels of agility and resilience and manage risks proactively and constantly. This ensures their growth and prosperity,” said Al Tayer in his keynote speech.

Al Tayer explained that organisational agility and change management is the first pillar adopted by the Dubai Future Readiness Index, among five main pillars. The main focus areas of this pillar include: sensing external and internal changes and rapid response in addressing challenges and seizing opportunities; managing all kinds of risks ensuring the continuity of the entity’s business at all times; adopting agile systems, business models and digital platforms that can be easily and quickly updated and modified; effective communication with all stakeholders, especially during emergencies and crises; and effective management of the development projects and ensuring the achievements of its targets.

“At DEWA, we adopt the best corporate agility practices within a comprehensive system of integrated corporate work that covers all activities and operations. This increases efficiency and productivity as well as encourages creativity and innovation. Our organisational agility department supports DEWA’s divisions in developing agility practices and contributes to spreading agility culture and practices among employees, supporting our strategy to be a fully agile utility. We have invested heavily in renewable and clean energy sources such as solar and hydroelectric power, adopted smart grid technology to improve efficiency and reduce costs, and established an Innovation Centre and a Research and Development (R&D) Centre to develop new ideas and technologies that help us stay ahead of the competition. By fostering a culture of innovation, DEWA has been able to improve its products and services continually and remain at the forefront. DEWA has also shown agility by focusing on customer service. We have implemented several pioneering initiatives, such as adopting ChatGPT to improve customer experience and provide our services according to the highest standards of availability, reliability, efficiency, and quality. This is part of our ongoing efforts to make use of the disruptive technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to accelerate digital transformation and provide advanced, value-added digital services that enrich customer experience and enhance customer happiness,” said Al Tayer.

Al Tayer noted that DEWA was a pioneer in developing several world-leading standards in cooperation with the British Standards Institution (BSI). These include the Business Agility Concept and Framework (PAS 1000:2019), the first-of-its-kind global guide for business agility. DEWA has also developed the PAS 60518 Enterprise Risk & Resilience Management standard for the utility sector, the first of its kind in the world. It is a reference for utilities and a key enabler for advancing risk management and resilience, ensuring business continuity and handling emergencies as competently and efficiently as possible. As part of its efforts to implement corporate agility mechanisms and enhance the capabilities of employees across all divisions, DEWA organises many training programmes for them. More than 80 employees in leading positions have received the global Certified Agile Leadership (CAL) certificates, and over 150 Agility Champions received certificates in corporate agility from Scrum Alliance and Scaled Agile global organisations. DEWA’s resilience and agility played a crucial role in its success and excellence by identifying opportunities, analysing the internal and external environment, learning the needs of stakeholders and turning them into strategic initiatives. DEWA’s practices have become a benchmark for many local, regional and global organisations.

Concluding his speech, Al Tayer thanked the speakers, commending their efforts and continuous cooperation with DEWA. He urged all employees to continue their excellence and commitment to the highest standards of corporate agility to contribute to achieving DEWA’s vision to be a globally leading sustainable innovative corporation committed to achieving Net-Zero by 2050, as well as support the vision of the wise leadership for Dubai to be the smartest and happiest city in the world.