Getting creative: boosting business growth in MENA through innovation

In a recent qpeople article on boosting business growth, we explored the challenges facing businesses in the MENA region as they embrace the need to upskill the local workforce in response to widespread nationalisation/Emiratisation initiatives.

We also highlighted the learning and development (L&D) priorities that would firmly underpin organisations’ long-term success – including aligning training to sector-specific requirements, offering experiential learning opportunities and promoting soft skills acquisition. But it’s not just about closing the skills gap in the here and now; it’s about recruiting and leveraging top talent with a view to building the resiliency that will empower organisations to continue to thrive – whatever the future holds.

Driving innovation and creativity

Perhaps unsurprisingly, innovation is a proven component of business growth. According to a 2023 report from McKinsey, so-called ‘innovative growers’ – those that ‘consistently excel in both growth and innovation’ – are also the ones that significantly outperform their peers. However, although more leaders are beginning to recognise its value, many more are still struggling to create a workplace that authentically and effectively champions innovation and creativity.

It’s not enough to continue doing more of the same thing. Innovation can’t be fostered without challenging the status quo; space must be made if businesses are truly committed to developing fresh solutions to existing problems. Focusing on creativity can help unlock business growth. In practice, this may involve experimenting with different approaches – switching up established routines and building more flexibility into outdated operations and processes, for instance – as well as enabling knowledge-sharing opportunities and more generally fostering an environment that supports unconventional thinking.

In the UAE, the government is setting the example by establishing dedicated research institutions and innovation hubs – including Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, Dubai Science Park and Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park – to help nurture a culture of creativity and innovation among Emirati nationals. But we believe that all organisations, whatever their size and aspirations, can evolve a valuable ‘talent-incubation’ mindset, by establishing a culture that prioritises L&D.

Constructing a career-development framework

This kind of creative thinking won’t only benefit the bottom line. Establishing a more dynamic workplace culture is also likely to boost a business’s growth and ability to attract and retain top talent.

But it has to be a strategy that’s supported throughout the employee journey. Constructing a flexible career framework will enable employees to realise their potential over time, providing opportunities to pursue both vertical and horizontal career pathways in their existing workplace, making them less likely to look elsewhere. By implementing L&D from the start of the employee journey, companies can hold on to the best talent for longer and build more resilient organisations.

Valuing professional development

Professional development is a key component of success from both an individual and corporate perspective. When effectively designed and executed, professional development programmes will deliver the training employees need to perform and to improve, unlocking new opportunities for career advancement.

The best programmes will deliver personalised and adaptive learning paths based on individual career goals and aspirations – a strategy that ensures L&D provision is tailored to each participant – and bite-sized learning can be an invaluable tool here. But it’s also an effective long-term approach that aligns upskilling initiatives to company goals – presenting a pathway to effective succession planning, for example.

Leveraging diagnostic tools

While L&D provision is key to underpinning growth, it only works if it’s the right fit. Well-imagined programmes will begin with assessments designed to shed light on how best to balance the challenges of recruiting, retaining and developing employees over time.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, which is why it’s important to take a methodical approach – conducting tests in a fair and consistent way, ensuring data is properly analysed and that recommendations are aligned to individual needs, as well as to the organisation’s broader business strategy. This is even more important when it comes to leadership-level L&D, as there’s a greater opportunity for improvements (or, conversely, for mistakes) to cascade through the organisation.

In fact, when properly planned and executed, a robust assessment-feedback cycle can help drive cultural transformation, promoting growth even when the economic climate is not so favourable.

Taking the lead

Looking at the wider context, it’s clear that targeted L&D is no longer just a nice-to-have optional extra. Organisations that recognise the scale and pace of change necessary to support rapid economic growth across the MENA region will gain the competitive advantage in the months and years to come, especially given the breakneck speed of digital transformation.

Those that prioritise innovation, and that integrate continuous professional development as a core part of the HR function will not only edge ahead of their competitors but will be the ones that end up leading the field by some margin.