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'Ideas Arabia' proves to be a major success

DUBAI — Ideas Arabia, a forum of companies formed under the umbrella of Dubai Quality Group (DQG) to optimise and focus the effectiveness of the suggestion scheme programme last year, proves to be successful, with some 24 companies already participating in the course.

According to Abdul Qader Obaid, chairman DQG, by the end of this year, the forum will have 50 members, while by the next year the number is expected to double. All the participating companies are members of the 320-strong DQG.

The purpose of Ideas Arabia sub-group is to initiate and assist members in establishing suggestion schemes within the members’ respective organisations. The main objective of the group is to create awareness of the scheme, its implementation, evaluation process, award structure, audit system, and benchmarking statistics, which would effectively improve the business profits and quality of services.

Obaid said that since the inception of the subgroup, several suggestion schemes have been successfully implemented. In one case, for instance, a suggestion by an employee of a company saved it Dh50 million and the person who offered the solution was awarded Dh500,000.

However, there are instances when the suggestion is successfully implemented, but employees are not awarded, he said. In this case, the company, which does not recognise its employees, deprives itself from future suggestions, he explained.

He said: “Most of the companies do not use their biggest assets - their people. Suggestion scheme is one avenue to do things instead of inviting expensive consultancies to find solutions. Solutions are within your own people.”

Ideas Arabia subgroup’s members met yesterday to discuss the suggestions implementation, with more than 25 professionals from the private and public companies sharing their experiences in the suggestion schemes.

Ideas Arabia sub-group members meet once every month to discuss the suggestions schemes and to put the plan of the next month. In most of the ideas Arabia sub-group meetings presentations on the suggestions schemes are conducted by one of the sub-groups members.