tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post3863160603342903023..comments2024-03-28T20:44:39.551+04:00Comments on [MM] Muscat Mutterings: Expats in managerial positions to be replacedSythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09864800112417099664noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-4750429698833377182015-05-10T11:57:15.964+04:002015-05-10T11:57:15.964+04:00It isn't that they aren't successful----to...It isn't that they aren't successful----tourism business, all of ours have been---but they aren't easy to make them better. People (Omanis I know) while they are ok taking money from tourists, they don't actually WANT tourism, and that overall, I can't blame the government for. I just find mismanagement between ministries (lack of communication, transparency and clear processes) causes delays and ruins the ease of tourism as a viable business for local investment... <br /><br />And for solar power;) it is very very hard and close to illegal to do. I've asked about doing it on smaller projects... I don't think the government wants it yet.... I meanin UK we have it and think of how much sun we have in London? Anyways... depressing subject...Omani Princess (not Omani...yet)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11738377563210269837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-76160820624845540942015-05-07T12:33:23.141+04:002015-05-07T12:33:23.141+04:00I like Oman and the Omanis, but I cant help feelin...I like Oman and the Omanis, but I cant help feeling that the country will be an absolute disaster when the oil (and expats) run out.<br /><br />I remember working with an Omani science graduate who couldn't use excel....<br /><br />You would think Oman would be investing in solar for the day the gas does run out. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-5701574291745803732015-05-05T23:24:52.719+04:002015-05-05T23:24:52.719+04:00Omani Princess- the fact that your husband's f...Omani Princess- the fact that your husband's family's tourism businesses are not successful lies at the feet of the Ministry of Tourism and Omran in a large part because they have fostered this dream of Oman being a tourist destination but are totally ineffective in being able to do anything except wilfully waste money and give tenders to the cheapest bidder, regardless of their competence to fulfil the tender.<br />Of course the family doesn't know what tourists want, all they know is that they have been told that opening a tourist business is the right thing to do because tourism is the country's next cash cow.<br />A large part of the Ministry's remit should be grassroots development and training of these entrepreneurs and monitoring their progress at a regular interval. Imagine how many SMEs they could have supported and set on a path to success if they hadn't pissed away all that money on sending a sailing boat with a Frenchman on it from France to wherever in the Caribbean.<br />Oman isn't doing anything unique here- there are plenty of countries who have developed effective tourism dependence from very little but there are few that are making such a hash of it due to the very people responsible for developing and driving it in the first place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-41285170228986601272015-05-05T23:15:55.585+04:002015-05-05T23:15:55.585+04:00Many Omanis whose fathers can afford to send them ...Many Omanis whose fathers can afford to send them to study in the US leave after a few years in Oman because they are more intelligent, more qualified and more driven than almost every Omani that is supposed to be managing them. The main exception is those who are employed by their father's company or group of companies.<br />So many of them either return to the US to work with their peers form their classes or go across the border to the UAE where there is a real culture of advancement and a meritocracy.<br />Many of these highly competent Omanis are embarrassed by the now stereotypical Omani time waster and wasta layabout because they feel lumped in with them, as if they are in a higher position not because they have earned it, but because they are getting a free ride because they are Omani.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-35017221156450258862015-05-05T18:26:01.443+04:002015-05-05T18:26:01.443+04:00I totally agree that the education system needs an...I totally agree that the education system needs an overhaul. I think a change is coming, though. I teach Omani students in the US, and I've had the opportunity to have some very bright students in my classes. They give me hope for Oman's future. They're hard-working and motivated to be the best and do the best. I hope that after they finish their degree here, they'll have major impacts back home.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-10562106183887164582015-05-05T18:16:01.955+04:002015-05-05T18:16:01.955+04:00I would personally like to see Oman Omanize all un...I would personally like to see Oman Omanize all unskilled labour and make a minimum wage for unskilled labour that is decent. That is the TRUE deal of Omanisation. If they can't do that, and then round themselves out with the trades (and I should say ourselves because my kids are Omani) then Omanisation will never exist and our economy will never be sustainable. Not ever.<br /><br />And dealing with tourism, we (my Omani family and their village) is working on a tourism project and I can tell you, I don't really blame the tourism minsitry for their incompetance, because people (Omanis---not all but sooo sooo so mnay) just don't understand wat tourists want. It isn't the same as what they want as tourists so they don't get it. It is a lot of whining and begging to be heard to get anyone to change their mind. I am like, I am an expat, I am a tourist, I love this place, let me tell you why people come to see it and what would make them come more and stay longer and what they spend money on... and it is sooo sooo so hard. my husband has given up, lol, and they are his family. So I can imagine, trying to do this on a national or regional scale, rather than one sole project... I'd die.Omani Princess (not Omani...yet)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11738377563210269837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-26742465621903607392015-05-05T14:05:37.453+04:002015-05-05T14:05:37.453+04:00The Majlis Al Shura members should start a company...The Majlis Al Shura members should start a company with 100% Omanis and compete with the so called “Expat” companies. There should be competitions in the labour market. It brings out the best. Just because you are a Omani does not guarantee that you can do all the jobs done by Expat. People who make these rules and regulations should do some ground work before implementing them. See the result of omanization of drivers – School buses, Gas delivery, goods delivery to site etc. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-10518719956837057772015-05-04T21:52:54.412+04:002015-05-04T21:52:54.412+04:00"Top Level Job" = big job, big salary, n..."Top Level Job" = big job, big salary, nice desk, and no responsibility for actually delivering anything in their tiny minds. Who wouldn't want that? My cunning plan is big salary, crappy job title and crappy desk and continuing to be the adult presence actually delivering everything they can't do and making damn sure they know it - in the nicest possible way. It is called symbiosis. Being an expat CEO or similar is equivalent to permanently having one foot on the aircraft steps with the added option of some jail time thrown in. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-49783050058966361732015-05-04T21:33:30.793+04:002015-05-04T21:33:30.793+04:00I have a new graduate trainee - started really wel...I have a new graduate trainee - started really well, keen, eager to learn. But then it got a bit hard for him - I asked him to do something on his own, you know like produce something original with lots of guidance. Wall-hit. Serial absenteeism, I have a headache, my back hurts, my sister is ill, me - "you really need to do this"; him - "inshallah". Zero productivity. This is someone with a 3.7 GPA from SQU he has 10 days left on my rotation and I fear the worst... WTF do they teach them at SQU?????????Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-91101869823160137602015-05-04T21:25:24.860+04:002015-05-04T21:25:24.860+04:00It's OK - Majlis Al Shura have a quota: they h...It's OK - Majlis Al Shura have a quota: they have to say so many stupid things each month or their salary gets cut. Lets try and remember a few recent hits.<br /><br />Oh yes that would be free electricity and water for citizens. That is a top idea when the government revenue just went through the floor.<br /><br />Oh and the 84% vote for a blanket ban on alcohol just like Saudi Arabia - so they can attract lots of tourists like Saudi does to replace the oil revenue that just dropped by half but without the holy sites and the haj.<br /><br />With people with such an incisive grasp of the political realities like that standing ready to take the helm I feel sure Oman's future is entirely safe.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-63928359780344573622015-05-04T20:46:42.589+04:002015-05-04T20:46:42.589+04:00The only way oman is going to get there is if the ...The only way oman is going to get there is if the following happens:<br />Education system is a mess, there needs to be an Even playing field, it is rife with cheating and nepotism, right name also gets best exam results and therefore best job. Certificates and degrees then become worthless. everyone knows this, it is the elephant in the room. The bright kids must be really angry about this as they get caught up in the same stigma, unfairly. By the way ministry of education website is appallingly bad in its own presentation and use of english. They are all in Denial about the education problem, and it aint a river in Africa. <br />if omanisation is a structured policy that follows some common sense rules like:<br /><br />Long term succession planning based upon competency based job specs, Competency in management is what this is about, not a name and an office.<br />Involvement of expats from the start to train up and help select their successors as part of a long term succession plan, that way ex pat Managers know there end date and they can plan ahead for family schooling etc and not worry daily about the brown envelope at one months notice to meet MOM Omanisation percentages.<br />Incentivise ex pats to train their successors, with an end bonus if the successor meets the KPIs and milestones set. That way the expat stays the course to the end and doesn't "accidentally" spill coffee all over his computer<br />Split the ex Pat Managers job down into bite size chunks that less experienced Omanis can take on. That way you will increase numbers as well as omanisation.<br />Concentrate on the "skills" of management , rather than picking "managers" who have the biggest PHD, right family name etc. Leadership and good management is a skill not an academic level.<br />Allow the ex pat to come back for short mentoring periods, to help support the newly promoted Manager. <br /><br />Oman Government also needs to understand that a balanced society has white and blue collar workers. that can only happen in Oman if the top building companies and others accept that paying a foreigner 3 OMR a day is unacceptable and that omanis need to do this work but for a fair wage. of course that would mean Building companies only making 12% profit like they do in europe instead of 60%. So aint gonna happen i guess. <br />Unless all departments admit to the problems, internal and external then it will go nowhere and we will continue this cycle of omansation to appease the people while actually doing damage to the economy. in 1998 PDO shell produced nearly 1 million barrels a day, it now produces under 1/2 of that, but with 3 times as many Omanis, and despite better technology for enhanced recovery, i rest my case.Jimbonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-57228870230701347542015-05-04T18:32:04.736+04:002015-05-04T18:32:04.736+04:00Managing an expat work-force is the difference bet...Managing an expat work-force is the difference between ending up with Zimbabwe or ending up with Hong Kong.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-89775053800956679832015-05-04T18:22:19.773+04:002015-05-04T18:22:19.773+04:00Australia tried this in the 70s and failed in the ...Australia tried this in the 70s and failed in the oil industry for sure. The key messages are:<br />1. An Omani only needs to be better than the worst expat to get a job, and there are plenty expats who don't add enough to justify keeping an Omani out of a job<br />2. If you want world class expertise and management however, you do need to work with world class people.as an example, sportsmen of every country go overseas to match it with best so they can improve. Without this exposure from expats and sending time overseas, Omanis will only reach mediocre levels. <br />3. The question is balance between the two - and not enough attention is paid to recruiting expat managers and experts who are good at coaching and mentoring Omanis.<br /><br />When I develop Omanis, I ask them with each new job to not just turn up but be MAD - make a difference to the job and the company. If they do this the sky is the limit, but if not they can't expect to advance. <br /><br />Let's get good coaches among the expats and Omanis who will make a difference.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-77513864999933101352015-05-04T17:12:12.089+04:002015-05-04T17:12:12.089+04:00I'm constantly trying to recruit Omani's a...I'm constantly trying to recruit Omani's and rarely can a candidate even turn up for the interview on time. "For fear of being racist" - the whole policy is racist if you've go that much fear... How would all of the top 7 family companies operate without the middle management blockers that are there now, or Omani replacements without experience and referring the rudimentary every day. The answer is simple, they wouldn't have it and for that very reason it won't happen. If one looked at the largest employment sectors outside of the public sector in the modern world; construction, retail, manufacturing, agriculture etc what interest or opportunities are there for Omani's in these sectors, none due to countries age, location and unwillingness to learn an artisan trade. When I need some plumbing fixed, an Omani doesn't come to fix it! When I explain that in the UK such a person could earn RO60k per year they don't understand. A Kuwaiti Imman delivered a speech that focused research he's found on the GCC and working attitudes. The study found that the average GCC public sector employee works for 27 minutes a day...... I rest my case!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-79495682878771461952015-05-04T15:15:21.932+04:002015-05-04T15:15:21.932+04:00I would comment but I wouldn't bring anything ...I would comment but I wouldn't bring anything educated to the table and I agree with all your points.Omani Princess (not Omani...yet)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11738377563210269837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-7434734282091250972015-05-04T12:46:26.182+04:002015-05-04T12:46:26.182+04:00I say this every time the Omanization topic comes ...I say this every time the Omanization topic comes up. Omanization should have nothing to do with replacing certain jobs or Omanization quotas in companies. These things will solve itself if:<br /><br />a) The entire education system is overhauled and brought to an international standard<br /><br />b) A skilled immigration system is employed.<br /><br />Everything else is just knee-jerk bullcrap that is taking realistic local employment nowhere.<br /><br />The real working Omanis, young entrepreneurs are not always getting the right support they need from the government.Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14476309329214857158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-68829188748132672592015-05-04T12:37:58.525+04:002015-05-04T12:37:58.525+04:00I would say that, in general, if there is an Omani...I would say that, in general, if there is an Omani who can do your 'top level' job, with the same quality of education, experience, for same salary, work the same hours, achieve the same KPIs and bring the same benefits to the job then your employer is not going to go to the bother of paying your airfares, housing, international salary and getting you a visa and dealing with the Omanisation numbers. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2368053937631641478.post-27245334325738169902015-05-04T12:11:33.577+04:002015-05-04T12:11:33.577+04:00Every single person here wants to be an astronaut ...Every single person here wants to be an astronaut but they don't understand it takes hard work and then still changes are slim. While with the attitude mostly displayed the chances are a lot higher becoming a successful burger flipper at the local McDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com