Cross-Agency Collaboration in the UAE Government: The Role of Trust and Impact of Technology
Year: 2009
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: A new wave of innovation is fostering cultural and technological changes on a global scale, where collaboration is playing a critical role in transforming society, business and government. In April 2008, the Dubai School of Government conducted a survey (through a combination of a structured web-based questionnaire and phone interviews) of 114 UAE citizens working in the public sector to probe perceptions on collaboration, trust and technology in the UAE public sector. The survey explored concepts pertaining to collaboration in the context of the United Arab Emirates government from the perspectives of citizens working in the public sector. It specifically examined the impact of trust on collaboration in the UAE government and explored enablers and barriers for better collaboration. The first part of the survey identified key perceptions of collaboration, aiming to shape a better understanding of the notion among UAE government employees. The second part aimed to identify key enablers and barriers to collaboration in the UAE public sector. More specifically, it explored the role of trust as well as the role of systems and regulations in collaboration in the UAE government. Finally, the last part examined the potential role of ICT as an enabler for better collaboration in government. The survey respondents were randomly chosen and were proportionally distributed in the seven emirates with regards to the size of government workforce and gender balance in each emirate. The largest group of respondents included employees in local government entities (59%) while 36% were federal government employees and 5% working in semi-government entities. Academic attainment of respondents varied, with 69% being college degree holders, 6% with a master’s degree or higher and 24% held a high school diploma or a lower level degree. The respondent were given the option to answer the survey questions in Arabic or English, however, the majority chose to respond in Arabic. Moreover, a focus group meeting was also conducted with a group of seven employees in the UAE Prime Minister’s Office in Dubai which contributed to clarifying and contextualizing the overall picture and adding anecdotal evidence to our findings. The anticipated outcome of this research is two-fold: Firstly, to shape a better understanding of the local culture of collaboration and impact of trust among government employees and to shed some light on the elements required to establish better collaboration in the UAE public sector. Secondly, it aims to facilitate identifying emerging enablers to collaboration in the public sector, specifically the potential impact of ICT. Overall, this research aims to contribute to shifts in common thinking in the traditional public sector institutions in the UAE, to start a thought leadership discussion and to raise issues on building the linkage between the current state of collaboration in government and if ICT can bridge the existing gaps. Governments in the region sharing similar cultural aspects and seeking to maximize the positive impact of collaboration should be able to benefit from the insight gained through this research.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
Authors: Fadi Salem, Yasar Jarrar
Language: English
Subfield: Public Administration
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2233398391