The Emirates Centre for Government Knowledge (ECGK), the management consulting arm of the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG), has launched its ‘Ask an Expert’ initiative with the aim of creating a valuable source of applied public management knowledge on the internet.
 
Available on the professional social networking site LinkedIn, the platform has been set up to provide expert advisory opinion and facilitate the discussion of questions posed by the public about a variety of public management issues,
 
Having addressed ‘Human Resources Management’ in its first session, Ask an Expert will discuss ‘Governance and Organizational Development” today (Thursday, May 7).
 
Live every Thursday for two hours from 12-2pm, the initiative provides an opportunity for experts and the public to find solutions to current and future public management and governance challenges and to raise various questions through the ECGK’s profile on LinkedIn. The questions will be answered by a team of more than 70 resident and non-resident consultants from various disciplines from the ECGK.
 
His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Sabaa Al-Marri, Executive President of MBRSG, affirmed that the school devotes its capabilities to engage students, specialists and members of the public who are interested in interacting and debating various issues related to management, administration and policy. He said that a main aspect of the school’s mandate was to spread knowledge through platforms that can effectively  facilitate communication between MBRSG and the public.
 
"The Ask an Expert initiative reflects the continuous efforts of MBRSG to establish a learning approach based on spreading knowledge to the widest range using modern technology, especially in light of the current situation that requires us to reach out to scientific and academic societies and leaders in the government and private sectors. The platform enables us to strengthen our role in improving government performance in various fields in order to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and to continue to work efficiently and effectively,’ said His Excellency.
 
"We are making every effort to provide real scientific value that leaves a sustainable impact for our students and government leaders in the UAE and the region. The forthcoming period will witness the launch of more initiatives through which we will be able to find solutions to all our current and future challenges,” added His Excellency.
 
 The Ask an Expert initiative targets leaders and decision-makers in the federal and local governments in the UAE, the GCC, and the region as a whole. It also aims to be highly relevant to  those who seek to understand and learn about the UAE’s best practices, those who are interested in the public management, students conducting research as part of their graduate degrees  (masters and graduate students).
 
"Ask an Expert is an innovative initiative that uses modern communication technology to create a change in the methodology of distance learning and consulting. It employs LinkedIn’s flexible tools in disseminating knowledge and exchanging knowledge, expertise, insights and solutions on various management-related topics,” said Sarah Talib, Director of the ECGK.
 
"The initiative represents a sustainable reference for various public management specializations. Ask an Expert enables its live discussions and content to be available to everyone and can be referred to at any time. This allows students, specialists and those interested in developing their respective fields of public management,to make the most of them, as a reliable and sustainable reference,” Talib added.
 
Talib pointed out that the Human Resources Management discussion that kicked off the initiative last week, touched on the role of human resources departments to take advantage of the current coronavirus pandemic and to turn it into an opportunity to develop and transform mindsets and the organizational cultures of their respective institutions. The session explored the extent of the current crisis’s impact on human resources policies and the necessary policies and legislations that will need to be enacted post-COVID-19. It also discussed the feasibility of having different psychological qualifications for human resources departments and examined the necessity of achieving institutional development and shifting from the notions of human resources management to talent management, as well as the role of Artificial Intelligence and various technologies in providing human resources services post-pandemic.
 
Sarah Talib highlighted that the inaugural discussion attracted more than 2,000 followers on ECGK’s profile and received more than 100 questions, which were answered by the consultants at the center. She said the topics that will be covered by the Ask an Expert initiative in the coming weeks will include ‘Strategy and Organizational Performance,’ ‘Innovation Management’ and ‘Knowledge Management.’