Dubai Quality Group concluded the 7th Change Management Conference 2018 in collaboration with the As

Change Management Subgroup of Dubai Quality Group (DQG) in collaboration with the Association of Change Management Professionals Middle East & North Africa, (ACMP MENA) concluded the 7th Change Management Conference 2018, Under the theme of “Successful Business Transition through Change Management”. The 2-day conference was held end of March 2018 at Le Meridien Dubai Hotel, aimed to experience a unique culture of change management and interaction with the industry’s most prominent thought leaders and practitioners from around the world.

The 7th Change Management Conference is the only unique platform in the region that focuses exclusively on Change Management, gathering change management practitioners, executives, professionals, and members of management from public sectors and leading organizations with senior representatives from solution providers and consulting firms. They have made it a perfect, prestigious event to examine the challenges and issues facing businesses from “Transition through Change Management” perspectives to learn about the latest solutions and tools available in the market today.

With this year’s theme “Successful Business Transition through Change Management” the conference presented and discussed cases study of how Change Management can have a significant positive impact for managing the disruption and challenges of business transformation to realise intended benefits. The conference has shared the processes, tools & techniques to efficiently manage change in organizations. It has also provided guidance on how to actively engage the workforce for an effective & smooth transition to achieve an organization’s goals.

Advertisement Whosoever showed interest in the conference this year learned the latest tips, techniques and best practices in Change Management. They also shared the knowledge and experience of Change Management with professionals, through meeting within the network of Change Management practitioners. The conference this year delivered many benefits about how to be ready for change, understanding the kind of change required, understanding that different characteristics of change need different approaches. Lastly, it was shown how to implement a process to navigate the required change and brought clarity to why change is necessary, what it will achieve, and how to manage the change in line with the principles upon which change is shaped. It also, displayed change delivery that results in real improvements; as all improvement involves change.

The first day of the conference started with the welcome speech of Engineer Mohammed Al Mutawa, Secretary General Dubai Quality Group who welcomed the participants and stated: "I’m honoured to be part of the 7th Change Management Conference, the only distinguished gathering in the region that covers this discipline and brings together change management practitioners, aiming to experience a unique cultural of change management Under the theme of “Successful Business Transition through Change Management”.”

He thanked the ACMP MENA Members for their efforts and collaboration with Change Management Subgroup of DQG in butting this conference together and interaction with the industry’s most prominent thought leaders and practitioners from around the world which are represented by many Government and private sectors entities that have shown interest in acquiring knowledge and the willingness to exchange successful experiences."

Followed by the opening speech of Dr. Raied Abdul-Karim, Conference Chairman & Chair of Change Management Subgroup of DQG, said “Our conference today pays great attention to enabling employees to adapt to changing the environment, support new projects and initiatives to increase their level of success. This year the conference aimed to assist the organizations how to manage effectively the Transition through Change Management, and how to eliminate the resistance during the transition phase to get great value out of it, along with improving the engagement between different stockholders. The Transition considers very important part for any organization changing from stage to another or going on a major project.”

He added “In the Middle East we are lagging behind terms of understanding and best practices in terms of applying the change and building the capabilities to be managed effectively, accordingly, one of the aims of the Change Management Subgroup of DQG and the Change Management Professionals Middle East & North Africa, is building the capabilities within the organizations operating in the region to apply the change management as per the standard and best practices so we can compete globally”.

Khaled Al-Mobarak – Vice chair of change management subgroup of DQG and President of Mawj Training and Consulting, KSA. Stated “This year we focused on successful transition through change management to support the organizations who going through big changes within the region to be prepared for and implement effective change management that underpins the success of all project and initiatives, which require us to manage change successfully by following the best practices and methodologies based on the research, that shows which organizations have successful change management from the others.” Was further added by

The Conference addressed the latest trends and best practices in change management, communication and knowledge acquisition through brainstorming sessions on "change management issues” and sharing of success stories in effective change management; and how they helped in the success of the initiatives of organizations, and in networking with Change Management experts and professional in the region and those who work in change management fields.

The 2-day conference had international, regional and local speakers from various industries and businesses in both public and private sectors. The first day started with powerful keynote speakers, including; Dr. Raied Abdul-Karim, Conference Chairman, & Chair of Change Management Subgroup of DQG, who spoke about “Managing Silos and Resistance During Transition”. Christine Pouliot - Evocent Coaching Inc, USA, who spoke about “Leading Through Disruptive Change”. Dr. Nada Hussain Al Moosa, Ministry of Health, Oman, who spoke about “Transition: Make It or Break It, Organizational Readiness for Change”. Qabas Shaer - Riforma Consulting, UAE, who spoke about “Organizational Storytelling… From Transformation to “Happily Ever After”. Dr Souraj Salah, Juma Al-Majid Group, UAE, who spoke about “Company-Wide Quality Transformation: Culture Change Management Considerations”. Stacey Kurzendorfer, PKF The Consulting House, UAE, who spoke about “What is The Link Between Change Management and Engagement?”. Maike van Meulen, Creatie Academy, Netherlands, who spoke about “The Creative Change Agent; A 21st Century Skill”. Yasser Tolba, Saudi Aramco, KSA, who spoke about “When Communication Fails”.

The second day concluded with strongest keynote speakers. Mark Dorsett, Prosci, USA, spoke about “Connecting Value Realization and Change Management”. Khaled Almobarak, Mawj Training & Consulting, KSA, spoke about “How Culture and Values Impact Managing Change”. Ahmed Eltinay, Talent Hub Strategic Management Consultancy, UAE, spoke about “Transforming the HR Function - Practical Tips for Handling a Staunch Legacy”. Mehryar Entezari, SAP Middle East & North Africa LLC, UAE, spoke about “Let’s Change Together ... A pragmatic approach to digital transformation”. Susan Khisa Nakaley, Uganda Revenue Authority, Uganda, spoke about “That Was Then, this is Now: The Customs Transformation Journey”. Sidhu Ranjit, Change Quest Ltd, UK, spoke about “Future-Proofing Your Organization for Constant, Fast-Paced Change”.

The 7th Change Management Conference 2018 has been sponsored by ORPIC, one of Oman’s largest and most rapidly growing businesses in the Middle East oil industry, and Mawj Training and Consulting, KSA.