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Throughout the one-day conference, speakers talked about how INSEAD could help in the development of the region, as well as learn from it. Research, especially in the form of case studies, will play an important role.

Peter Zemsky

"Here at INSEAD we're in a long-term process of thinking how we can work with people in the region," said INSEAD's new Dean of Faculty, Peter Zemsky, "to create value to strengthen institutions and the economic development here, as well as strengthen ourselves as a school."

"I would imagine two years from now, (INSEAD producing) 50 publications in Arabic in case studies of management and organs, and leadership in government and business, to allow universities in Morocco, Syria and Iraq teach these publications, started in Abu Dhabi but covering the Arab world," said Sherif El Diwany, Head of the World Economic Forum's Middle East and Arab Business Council. It would be 'great' for INSEAD to introduce its MBA programme here, he said, but "the research component would be the most honourable, valuable, rewarding contribution for everybody in that part of the world."

The challenge of education, Zemsky adds, is to help people understand the world, so that they can use their imagination. But it's clear there will be cultural sensitivities which will need to be addressed.

"It's always important for (INSEAD and other international universities) that (they do not just offer) the same degree as elsewhere," says Ali Al Ketbi, Assistant Secretary General, Public Administration. "It should be tailor-made for the region, taking into account cultural aspects. We made a few errors with some international institutions and we learned from that. It must be specifically for Abu Dhabi rather than just a branch of the campus."

Human capital is another challenge facing the Middle East and many other parts of the world. But in the region, there are high unemployment rates, especially among young people, and a high dependency level on foreign talent and labour.

Abu Dhabi, for one, is aiming to develop excellence in human capital but it hasn't been an easy task as it tries to modernise itself and upgrade its workforce by promoting education.

"The government's success lies within its national human capital," says Al Ketbi. "The people as change managers did not have (any) understanding of the change. This resulted in pressure on managers to perform."

"There's a lot of learning to be benchmarked from this place in terms of human development, human capital," said another panellist, Sultan Al-Hajji, Deputy General Manager of oil company Total Abu Al Bukhoosh. "Our government is putting a lot of money into education to be innovative."

"Today, for me, INSEAD is a catalyst for the exchange of ideas, a bridge between two cultures between West and East, a think-tank platform."

In a thought-provoking session on learning in, and from, the Arab world, David Arkless, President of Corporate and Government Affairs at Manpower, said his employment services firm will be trying to find up to one million people in the Arab world this year.

"This region is a catalyst, a most intense catalyst of that skills, talent gap that we see anywhere in the world. It has many of the top institutions, the top brains running the government, but somehow there's just something missing."

One of the key issues, he adds, is the need to get more people into the right kinds of education at higher levels. More young people should be brought into the workforce, along with more women in, what he calls, a 'culturally appropriate way.'

Sultan Al-Hajji & David Arkless

Given the dependency on foreign workers, skills also need to be 'downloaded' into society, he says.

"I've been stunned when going around the Arab World," Arkless says, "at the lack of work that's being done in terms of research, not just for the basic research on the future of power and so on, but on what's the future of work in the Arab world."

Work, or to be more precise, job creation, is uppermost in the minds of many in the Muslim world. The West, which is admired in the region for its technological advances and democratic processes, is viewed by many Muslims as a potential partner, says Dalia Mogahed, who's conducted extensive research into Muslim public opinion for Gallup.

"One of the most exciting questions we asked (was), 'What are your dreams for the future? What are your dreams for your country?' What was so interesting was the immense amount of commonality. The most frequent response, whether in Kabul or Kansas, was a good dignified job, for their country to grow economically and afford people a life of dignity with a good job. And why I think that is so exciting is that it gives business such an opportunity to play a vital role in realising dreams. It's as profound as that."

"The most important role that a school like INSEAD can (play) is to equip the region's leaders and future leaders with the tools they need to create the societies that people are dreaming about."

In short, INSEAD can play the role of enabler and catalyst.

"The other thing which is very important," she says that INSEAD can "offer a space for an exchange of ideas between cultures, between sectors of society. The role of open space is vital."

In closing, Dean Frank Brown said there's a lot the school can do to help business and government come together, not only in the region but also elsewhere in the world.

"We have faith in the commitment that (Crown prince) Sheikh Mohammed (bin Zayed al Nahyan) and others have made to education and we're here for the long-term. And we believe that over the long term there will be tremendous talent developed in this region."

"I would like to declare our first Summit in the Middle East a great success from the standpoint of INSEAD bringing knowledge and INSEAD learning at the same time."

The INSEAD Leadership Summit Middle East 2010 was held in Abu Dhabi on January 17.

First published: February 4, 2010
Last updated: February 8, 2010

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