DED hosts workshops on successful participation in quality and human development awards

The Business Excellence Department at the Department of Economic Development (DED) recently conducted two workshops for companies on participating in the 2012 cycle of the Dubai Quality Award (DQA) and the Dubai Human Development Award (DHDA). 

The workshops were aimed to help organisations bridge existing gaps in their quality and human development initiatives and bid successfully for the awards. 

The first of the workshops was to train new applicants in the 2012 cycle on conducting self assessments and writing a well-organised award submission document, based on the latest European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) 2010 Excellence Model.  It was the second workshop for new applicants being held this year. 

The second workshop was intended to help applicants in the 2011 cycle of DQA and DHDA analyse the feedback report they received after the award cycle, and prepare an action plan for participating in the award again after two years, as all past applicants participating in the award need to submit an action taken report based on their previous feedback report. 

“A distinguishing feature of the Dubai Quality Award and Dubai Human Development Award is their broad knowledge platform. It allows participants to be updated on the best practices in quality and human development and pursue excellence in performance, productivity, and social responsibility,” said Mohammed Bushanain, Executive Director, Corporate Quality & Management Excellence at the Business Excellence Department of DED. 

"Overall, DQA and DHDA provide a significant opportunity for organisations and employees for self-improvement and contributing to economic growth.  The self-assessment component of the awards process is a good opportunity for organisations to evaluate existing strategies and practices against the DQA criteria. Likewise, the feedback report teaches previous applicants of the awards to address gaps and make a successful bid in future,” added Bushanain.

Nearly 30 potential applicants from various sectors including Services, Transportation, Manufacturing, Trade, Hospitality, Telecom, Government, Finance, Travel, Construction and Healthcare attended the DQA workshops. The workshops were led by Norman Hughes, EFQM Trainer and Business Improvement Consultant, Footloose Enterprises Ltd, UK. 

"The Dubai Quality Award and the Dubai Human Development Award have succeeded in stimulating a quality and excellence drive across the region. Globally, quality and human capital are recognised as key metrics of performance excellence and sustainability. It is therefore critical to train organisations on the performance parameters that define quality and sustainability,” Hughes said. 

The date for receiving the final submission for the 2012 cycle of Dubai Quality Award and Dubai Human Development Award is 30 September 2012.