Recent studies by the World Economic Forum and Moutamarat/Insead have highlighted regional business leaders’ concerns about the supply of qualified personnel in the Middle East and particularly in Dubai. Industry trade magazines covering fields from marketing to manufacturing have also written articles about the difficulties companies face in hiring good staff.
 
While I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments reflected in these findings, I would suggest that we in Dubai should start looking at things differently, especially in terms of how we calculate the caliber of our human capital. This is particularly true in industries such as communications, where creativity and innovation are at the heart of what we offer clients.
 
In fact, I would argue that if cultivated correctly, the staffing situation in Dubai communications companies can deliver substantial, sustainable value, both to agencies and to their clients.
 
Often we talk about the technical, analytical and practical experience, or lack thereof, that potential employees offer, as well as the long time it takes to find skilled people. However, we need to focus on one very important and often neglected aspect of potential employees: diversity, or what we might call “hyper-diversity” in Dubai.
 
Dubai is one of the world’s most multicultural cities, in which most companies have employees from many countries. This is especially true in the communications industry. At MS&L’s Dubai office, for example, we have employees from more than a dozen countries.
 
For many companies, when nationality plays a part in the decision to hire, it’s often in money-saving terms. Companies often perceive they get better value using one nationality over another, or select particular nationalities for certain stereotyped positions. This misses the point of optimizing staff diversity, which should be a simple, natural process – especially in the communications industry.
 
The reality is that all but the smallest communications consultancies based in Dubai will have a more multinational staff than those in almost any other city, including business hubs like London, Shanghai, New York, Paris and Hong Kong. This diversity is a tremendous asset that, when tapped correctly, can outweigh any negatives related to employee qualifications.
 
When you listen to innovation experts, they talk about enabling a variety of voices in an organization to foster a culture of innovation. Imagine what they think when they look at almost any Dubai communications consultancy, where people from half a dozen countries regularly sit around a table to develop a client’s communications plan.
 
When we focus on the lack of specific skills, we miss the larger picture. Employees from six different countries come from six different educational systems, six different cultures, family structures, languages and even religions.
 
When we harness this, we create a resource that is creatively and functionally richer than the sum of its parts and in many ways a richer resource than can be found in other more established markets. This collective creativity more than makes up for the poor spelling, poor grammar or less-than-perfect English of some new employees, and delivers tangible business results to communications consultancies’ clients.
 
The conversation has had the wrong focus. Rather than lament talent gaps, let’s acknowledge – and tap into – the tremendous resource advantage we have.
 
Managed correctly, the diversity in our offices enables us to deliver world-class communications consultancy and added value to our clients’ businesses.
 
— Ajit Ramaswami is general manager of Manning, Selvage & Lee PR firm in Dubai.