Innovation Management Systems for Public Organizations in the UAE

A Master of Science thesis in Engineering Management by Saif Juma AlFaqaei entitled, “Innovation Management Systems for Public Organizations in the UAE”, submitted in April 2023. Thesis advisor is Dr. Mahmoud Awad. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).

Abstract

Public and private organizations are striving to achieve excellence in their performance and services provided. Innovation has been at the forefront to provide new and creative ways to help public organizations achieve this. There are wide discrepancies in the planning and management of innovative programs in the UAE public sector. Little is known about the ways in which UAE organizations encourage and implement innovation management systems (IMS) to increase the quality of public services. The objective of this study is to investigate the status of IMS in UAE public organizations and provide recommendations for improvement. The main research tools used were interviews and surveys targeting innovation subject matter experts and practitioners to identify challenges and opportunities of innovation management in the UAE. Results of study suggests that more than 60% of participants believe that innovation management systems in their public organization did positively impact organization in terms of cost reduction or customer and employee satisfaction. Results also suggest that infrastructure, role of process owner, and employee participation in innovation have significant impact on innovation performance. Such results provide a significant contribution in terms of innovation management enhancement. The study recommends investing in innovation infrastructure, empowering process owners, and encouraging employees to participate to maximize the benefits of innovation.