Migrating from Emiratisation to skill-based Emiratisation (page 2 of 2)

Second, companies need to set the right incentives to encourage knowledge transfer. The core of a skill-based Emiratisation strategy is to assure that expatriates transfer crucial parts of their knowledge to UAE Nationals. Naturally, there is little incentive to do that - expatriates might fear putting their own jobs at risk when sharing proprietary knowledge with young UAE Nationals that are designated to eventually take over their jobs.

Therefore, clear-cut incentives must be set to align the overall Emiratisation strategy with individuals' incentives. Commitment to develop Nationals has to become part of a high-calibre expatriate's job description. This is an essential part of the process since it focuses on the implementation.

Third, the newly gained knowledge needs to be applied in practice. This includes putting into place a transparent approach so that expatriates as well as Nationals have a very clear understanding of their respective career path, which includes constant knowledge sharing.

Fourth, the progress and success of knowledge transfer needs to be monitored on a constant basis. This can be done by integrating knowledge transfer targets into the Key Performance Indicators or other types of Scorecards.

"The success of Emiratisation strategies depends on a structured and holistic approach. Single initiatives are not sufficient." Marc Hormann points out and he adds, "Since the overall process takes a while companies should not expect to reap the benefits immediately. However, skill-based Emiratisation will prove to be a huge competitive advantage in the search for talent."

Now is the time for companies to reconsider their human resources strategies and to take up skill-based Emiratisation. In order to be ready for the future, firms need to overcome inertia and act immediately since there is no short-term solution. "In fact," Joern C. Kuntze comments, "last-minute approaches will inevitably lead to failure; only profound structural changes of the Human Resources strategy will deliver the desired results."