One of the world’s foremost experts in leadership will stress the importance of great leadership to organisations in the Middle East during his keynote at the upcoming HR Summit & Expo in Dubai, UAE.

Jim Kouzes, co-author of bestselling book The Leadership Challenge (Wiley), will take to the stage to present his keynote address, ‘Great Leadership Creates Great Workplaces’ on the final day of the 12th annual HR Summit and Expo 2015. Running from 16-18 November, the Summit will take place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The theme of this year’s conference is Business Unusual: Disrupting HR and Leading Innovation and Kouzes will urge the thousands of Middle East leaders and HR professionals who have registered to develop a robust pipeline of leaders who are ready to engage employees, push forward growth strategies and drive innovation.

“The most significant contribution HR can make to improving and developing organisations in this region is to increase the frequency with which leaders demonstrates exemplary leadership practices,” said Kouzes.

Kouzes and his associate Barry Posner, co-authors of The Leadership Challenge, gathered extensive research which identified that when leaders performed at their personal best.  They engaged in what came to be called The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership, a series of behaviours Kouzes will discuss during his keynote.  

“Organizations today face many challenges that demand great leadership,” said Kouzes ahead of his presentation.  “To ensure an organisation remains competitive and innovative, HR plays a vital role in investing in the leaders of tomorrow.”

Scott Friedman, an engagement and innovation expert and another of the guru speakers at the Summit, also believes that HR has a major role to play in innovation.

“It starts with the belief that HR is in a critical, strategic position and should help drive change and innovation in the company.  If you challenge HR to come up with new innovations and honour their results, it will rise up to the challenge,” he said.

Kouzes added: “HR must provide training opportunities to develop a culture of leadership. We know from our research that, for organisations, great leadership contributes more to positive outcomes than any other single factor.”

The HR Summit & Expo is the Middle East’s largest gathering of HR professionals, featuring more than 60 concurrent sessions and a choice between ten certified master classes led by an unrivalled faculty of facilitators.

Running alongside the summit and exhibition is the Middle East HR Excellence Awards which will showcase the best HR talent in the Middle East and honour professionals in the public and private sectors.  Winners will be celebrated across 10 separate categories at a gala dinner on November 17 at The Address Hotel Downtown Dubai. – TradeArabia News Service