International experts conduct exclusive 'Suggestion Scheme' workshops for Dubai Quality Group

The workshops, which will precede the 3rd Ideas Arabia International Conference 2008, are being held as part of the Group's commitment to activities that promote an innovative and knowledge driven local and national economy.

International experts Bernie Sander, President of IT Innovation Transfer Inc., and Thomas Dupre, IBM Learning Program Manager for Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing, will lead the sessions. Sander will conduct the first workshop under the theme "New Techniques for Problem Finding and Problem Solving in Teams," where he will teach participants team techniques to manage employee ideas; while Dupre will handle the second session themed "Where Do I Go from Here?" where he will expound on how to design or revitalize Suggestion Scheme programs.

"The time is ripe for Suggestion Schemes to be adopted across Dubai and UAE businesses; our seasoned workshop moderators will provide the necessary motivation by enlightening the audience on the latest idea management and suggestion scheme trends and techniques. These complement our own efforts to raise the level of performance among Dubai's businesses and will hopefully foster greater innovation throughout the country's private sector," said Marwan Al Sawaleh, Chairman, Dubai Quality Group.

The workshops are organized by the Ideas.Arabia Subgroup, a forum of companies which aims to educate and assist its members in developing Suggestion Schemes within their organizations. The Subgroup specifically aims to increase awareness for Suggestion Scheme programs; their implementation; evaluation; award structure; audit system; and benchmarking. Ideas.Arabia Subgroup supports the DQG's broader goal of enhancing business performance levels in Dubai, which in turn complements the Dubai Government's Strategic Plan 2015.

"Ideas.Arabia recognizes the importance of both innovation and employee empowerment in enhancing Dubai and the UAE's public and private sectors. Several prominent companies such as Dubai Aluminium Co., Commercial Bank of Dubai, and Dubai Electricity & Water Authority have answered our call and are implementing programs that encourage employees to voice their ideas and suggestions for improving the efficiency and productivity of their companies. We will continue to advocate Suggestion Schemes as key strategies for boosting performance of both public and private sector companies," said Abdulqader Obaid Ali, Chairman, Ideas.Arabia Subgroup.

The Ideas.Arabia workshops will be held a day before the group's 3rd Ideas Arabia International Conference, which will run from April 21 to 22, 2008, in Dubai, UAE. The Conference will gather international experts and regional businesses to explore current trends and practices concerning "Suggestion Schemes", a human resource strategy that encourages ideas from non-management employees to improve business processes and quality.

Ideas.Arabia is a Subgroup of the Dubai Quality Group, an organization established in 1994 to enhance Dubai and the UAE's business environment.