Call to cater to the needs of customers

Organisations were yesterday told to be flexible, innovative and responsive to customers needs to survive in today's fast-changing economies.

Speaking at a seminar held by the Electronic Total Quality Management (e-TQM) College, Major General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai Police Chief said, "We are living in an era where everything is developing at a fast pace. And for a leader to be successful, he has to keep up with the changes."

He said Dubai Police believes in creating an environment where the staff have the freedom to be creative and innovative.

The one-day seminar was titled the "Shape of Things to Come - How to Lead in a Knowledge-Based Economy".

Speakers at the seminar focused on what leaders of the future should do in order to survive in a knowledge-based economy. Other speakers noted that leaders no longer just excel at managing physical assets or geniuses at managing financial resources.

They pointed out that the focus is gradually shifting towards deploying core competencies in the organisation to create optimum and sustained value. They said that in an era where customer demands are increasing relentlessly, there is a need for continuous innovation.

The speakers also warned that there is a dearth of key skills in many areas, which is a real issue for many organisations. They said that readjustment is also needed more than ever before and that there is a need to have multi-skills and broad competencies.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr James Harrington who is currently serving as chief executive officer for Harrington Institute. He talked about what the focus of organisations should be in order to produce a suitable and effective leadership in a knowledge-based economy.

Professor Mohammed Zairi, Dean of e-TQM College, discussed the key attributes and critical factors of success in a knowledge based economy.