Blue Ocean Academy

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Blue Ocean's First International Conference on Purchasing & International Procurement

Blue Ocean Academy, the region's premier knowledge empowerment enterprise is set to blaze a new trail ... Its first international conference on "Purchasing & International Procurement" focusing on the relevant theme : "Evolution in Procurement: Challenges Ahead."

Date : February 8, 2014

Time : 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Venue : Sheraton Doha Resort & Convention Hotel
Al Corniche St., P.O. Box 6000, Doha, Qatar
sheraton.com/Doha

Gulf News Article : Focus on transforming HR practices to groom local talent

What will be the business trends and manpower skills that will take precedence as the crescendo builds up in Dubai for Expo 2020. Three main lines have emerged so far: brand building through digital marketing, virtual collaboration and cross-cultural competence. There is an increasing consensus about the skills to look out and cultivate for the future : learning ability, thinking and specialization, writes Dr. Sathya Menon, Academic Director, Blue Ocean Academy, Dubai in the column "Expert Advice", Gulf News dated January 21, 2014.

Developing Human Capital in time for 2020

Focus on transforming HR practices to groom local talent

By Sathya Menon

Dubai is set to transform itself into a hub of human capital, exporting knowledge and manpower to other GCC and North African countries. Experts agree that there is an urgent need for developing human resource practices to retain and groom local talent in time for Dubai Expo 2020.

The first step is to understand the dynamics of the employees and also the skills that they will need to gain expertise. It is also important to turn the spotlight on the future of workplace skills. Three main lines have emerged so far: brand building through digital marketing, virtual collaboration and cross-cultural competence.

There is an increasing consensus about the skills to look out for and cultivate for the future : learning ability, thinking and specialization.

Experts predict that in 2020, the private workforce in the UAE will be divided among those who work for large conglomerates, small and medium enterprises and those who are self employed. In the coming years there will be a distinctive increase in the no. of people working for small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs. The penchant for working for major corporations and multi-nationals might be on the decline.

The perspectives of employees are expected to change ushering in changes in the employment scenario. Obedience, diligence and expertise will be valued by employers and the onus will be on employees who can take initiative, are creative and passionate about their work.

Worldwide the best HR practices are those that develop talent, globalisation, growth and innovation. Increasingly, the emphasis is on executing talent and HR strategies for organisational acceleration. Cutting-edge talent development must bring together on-the job learning, project assignments, talent networks and formal education and training with individual experiences. It’s time to re-imagine corporate learning: Move away from traditional notions of training and strive to create behavioural change and to foster talent.

It is also time to re-think the relationship between learning and work: especially where and how learning is delivered. Develop and expect more from leaders at all levels: leadership development is to be aimed at more and younger people. Embrace the concept of continuous development, just like continuous improvement. Integrate work, social and community opportunities.

Handy Hints

Dubai set to export manpower and knowledge by 2020

New HR practices needed to groom local talent

There will be rise in the number of entrepreneurs in Dubai.

Sathya Menon is the Executive Director, Academics, Blue Ocean Academy.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Employees Must be Motivated to Accept Change

Change is Inevitable, the Challenge lies in Managing it

By Dr. Sathya Menon

Change Management is all about the importance of keeping an organization in a state of “perpetual unrest.”

However maintaining employee confidence and optimum performance during organizational change can often be more challenging than the change itself.

When organizations must manage unexpected challenges, improve performance or innovate to meet market demands, employee cooperation is essential. Therefore adaptable and successful organizations need leaders with expert proficiency in understanding the human change process.

It has been observed that effective leadership skills significantly reduce change resistance and can lead to change acceptance.

Change is the introduction of something new that moves us outside of our comfort zone. However, in the successful implementation of any change, it is the process of transitions that gains more importance than the change itself.

As a leader within an organization you are likely to be faced with different reactions from employees. The first will be the innovators: those who want to try new ways of doing things or who have responsibility for continuous improvement. They will be pushing for change, eager to make things more efficient and up to date, and ready to try something different.

Then there will be the early adopters on the team who will be the first to embrace the changes. They welcome change, either because they immediately see the benefits or, perhaps, because they prefer variety to routine.

The early Majority are those who are influenced by initiators and early adopters and who prefer to be ahead of the wave rather than swamped by it. The late majority is more cautious. They hold back until they are sure they know what they are doing and until they believe the change has a fair chance of working. Only then do they come on board.

The late adopters are the last to come on board and they may not come willingly. They are not easily convinced of the value of change, but they can be moved to accept the change.

The diehards resist the change. They do not come on board. They may be terminated or they may be moved to a backwater position in the organization where their resistance interferes with operations less.

Managers and change leaders have noticed something interesting about groups that move into a transition. When 5 per cent of the people in a group adopt a change, the change is embedded. When 20 per cent have adopted the change, the progress is unstoppable. If a leader is successful in getting innovators and early adopters onboard, the success of the change is assured.

Handy Hints

· Employee cooperation is essential to manage change.

· When 5per cent employees adopt a change, it is embedded.

· When 20 per cent employees adopt change, progress is inevitable.

Dr. Sathya Menon is Academic Director, Blue Ocean Academy, Dubai.

Friday, January 31, 2014

Certified Purchase Professionals, January 2014 batch

Certified Purchase Professionals : Trained by Blue Ocean and certified by the American Purchasing Society (APS). Welcome to an elite club of certified professionals worldwide. CPP is a credential that will hold good for you as you achieve one professional milestone after another.