Bureaucracy often gets a bad reputation because of the slow processes, endless paperwork and frustrating inefficiencies that are an inevitable part of it. But what if the problem is not bureaucracy itself, but how it is structured and managed?
In November 2023, the UAE government launched its Zero Government Bureaucracy programme, a bold initiative to cut red tape and streamline government services. The results have begun to fructify, with recent assessments highlighting the best and worst-performing departments.
With 2,000 unnecessary procedures identified for elimination and service delivery times set to be slashed in half, the initiative is an ambitious step towards making government more efficient and citizen-friendly.
But elsewhere in the world, including in Argentina and to some extent in the US, more drastic measures have been taken, such as eliminating large parts of the bureaucracy. Which begs the question as to whether such measures risk undermining the very systems that ensure accountability and stability. The challenge is not whether bureaucracy should exist, but how to make it work better.
The UAE, with its visionary leadership, has achieved tremendous progress in its public service delivery, business climate and institutional development, and has opened itself to experimentation. It is, therefore, well-positioned to be a global leader in optimising bureaucratic efficiency.
While the UAE’s digital transformation and AI-enabled initiatives are critical to optimising its bureaucracies’ outcomes, we must not lose sight of certain fundamentals that are essential for their efficient functioning. Addressing inefficiencies requires tackling root causes rather than simply treating the symptoms.
As an academic and researcher of organisations and management, I believe the key to making bureaucracies work lies in refining their design and ensuring competent staffing, rather than dismantling the model entirely.
All large organisations, whether government or private, are bureaucracies by default, in terms of their operating structures, reporting channels and sometimes inflexible functioning styles. Over the years, bureaucracies have become synonymous with inefficiencies, delays and meaningless rules, rather than institutions delivering seamless services.
Unfortunately, it is not practically possible for large entities to completely dispense with the bureaucratic model and its features as they exist today. This is because there is no alternate form to this model, to manage large, complex organisations.
Getting rid of the bureaucratic model is neither feasible nor beneficial. This leaves senior executives with two choices
What is possible, however, is to use the model better and make bureaucracies more efficient and accountable. Bureaucracies are by themselves not inefficient. It’s the people who make them so – first, by incorrectly designing them, and next, by staffing them with incompetent employees.
Bureaucratic functioning would significantly improve and costly restructuring exercises avoided, by selecting senior executives through competitive processes, demanding accountability for their actions, remunerating them adequately, ensuring stability of tenure, and creating systemic organisational checks and balances.
Bureaucracies often fail due to disregard for the original model’s key principles established by its founder Max Weber, who pioneered modern bureaucratic theory, and outlined key principles for bureaucratic effectiveness.
Briefly, these include the selection of competent staff through rational processes, assigning them tasks based purely on expertise, having well-defined hierarchical management systems with clear communication channels, career advancement being contingent upon qualifications and achievements, and the equitable treatment of all organisational members.
An effective bureaucracy operates in a professional, impartial manner, free from favouritism and inefficiency. The degree of bureaucratic efficiency achieved is usually proportionate to the extent these basic principles are observed or flouted within organisations.
Merit should override favouritism. Incompetent senior bureaucrats ensure their security of tenure by hiring incompetent subordinates. Over time, this generates organisational inefficiencies that are then attributed to the bureaucratic model, than to the incompetence of those operating the model.
Bureaucracies also fail when basic design principles such as spans of control, authority and responsibility, and unity of command are disregarded. These are vital, though old school.
Internationally renowned scholars Paul Adler and Morris Fiorina had extensively researched bureaucracies globally. While the former claims that properly designed and staffed bureaucracies can be highly innovative and efficient, the latter identified six categories of “bureaucratic failures”, attributable more to political factors than trained bureaucrats. I endorse these claims, having worked in responsible positions within large, efficient bureaucracies.
While Singapore’s public services showcase what efficient bureaucratic models can deliver, the same can be said of Tanfeeth, the local shared services organisation, as well as Amazon’s operations based in the UAE.
As humans, we often forget the past. Recall that this century’s global economic meltdown mainly owed to large corporations’ anti-bureaucratic measures, such as the minimal use of regulations, checks and balances, filtering layers, secrecy and highly centralised authority. While such measures speed up decision-making, they also expose organisations and stakeholders to significant risks.
The 19th-century English politician John Dalberg-Acton once famously said: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Well-designed bureaucracies help prevent such situations.
Bureaucracies are not perfect, and initiatives aimed at eliminating their inefficiencies should be welcomed. However, getting rid of the bureaucratic model is neither feasible nor beneficial. This leaves senior executives with two choices.
Either continue to live with inefficient bureaucracies and complain about them, or refine and manage them proactively, to enhance their efficiency while maintaining necessary safeguards. The solution is not elimination, it is optimisation.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Date started: June 2016
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Based: Dubai
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
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Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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Australia 312-1
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Pakistan 240
Shafiq 76, Starc 4-52
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Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
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Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
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