DEWA achieves outstanding results in a study on strategic planning and execution by Palladium Group

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) achieved outstanding results in a Strategic Planning & Execution Practice Positioning Study conducted by Palladium Group, the international authority for Balanced Scorecard framework. The study evaluated the positive effects of implementing the Execution Premium Assessment (XPA) strategy and compared DEWA practices with around 200 global organisations who are the best in class ‘Hall of Fame organisations’ in strategic planning and execution. DEWA scored 4.3 while the Hall of Fame Average Score is 3.8.

“Our strategy is inspired by the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who transformed government work to compete with the private sector in many areas. We believe that the right planning is key for proper management to achieve desirable results and pave the way for the future. This is according to long-term strategies that are approved after several brainstorming sessions among our teams, who research and identify the requirements and responsibilities of each team member. This ensures keeping pace with rapid change and maintaining excellence. We are committed to raising awareness and strategic thinking among society to include all stakeholders, to provide the highest levels of performance and enhance competitiveness. Besides, each phase of this plan is evaluated to identify the gaps, if any, and outline proactive solutions for the upcoming phases to achieve quality results that serve our customers and develop our organisation. This achieves the UAE Centennial 2071, to make the UAE the best country in the world and our vision to become a globally leading sustainable innovative corporation,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

“DEWA has always adopted ambitious strategies ensuring the water and energy sectors reach advanced positions globally. In 2000, DEWA began applying the Balanced Scorecard framework and continued to develop its strategic planning mechanism to become the first government organisation in the Middle East and North Africa to win the Hall of Fame – the highest international award in strategic planning,” added Al Tayer.

“At DEWA, we ensure systematic strategic planning to anticipate and shape the future. DEWA also enhances its social partnership and provides consultation in training and education, in collaboration with world-class organisations. We strive to enhance the capabilities of our employees in preparing future strategies, developing, and implementing them in accordance with our vision. This is in addition to identifying the required skills to implement the strategies; using the latest strategic planning tools, including 3G Balanced Scorecards; outlining performance indicators and smart objectives to measure efficiency and reliability, among others. This aims to achieve effective execution and continuous improvement of plans. In this way, we continue to improve work mechanisms as per the highest international standards,” said Khawla Al Mehairi, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Government Communications at DEWA.

“I am really impressed to read the recent work that DEWA has done in updating its strategy map and strategy execution framework. It was an early adopter that we learned from, so we could extend the model to other organisations in the region. DEWA recognised that excellence and strategy execution is a journey and an ongoing process of learning and improvement. It has a remarkable journey of continuous improvement in strategy execution. It is good to see the commitment to the triple bottom line of sustainable and strong financial performance at the top of this strategy map,” said Robert Kaplan, Professor at Harvard Business School and one of the creators of the Balanced Scorecard.