what in the world are you doing?

Beyond the exotic quality of traveling to the Middle East, I'm going to do a community-based service project in the emerging economy of the United Arab Emirates.  My team includes 12 IBMers from across the world; we hail from India, China, Japan, Canada, Germany, Columbia and the USA.  We will be located in Al Ayn, which lies on the border with Oman approximately 1 hour's drive from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi.  Our client will be the Municipality of Al Ain (the local government).  Al Ain is the second largest city in the emirate of Abu Dhabi and is located in a large oasis in the middle of the desert.

As I've mentioned, the IBM program that oversees this trip is called the Corporate Service Corps.  Modeled after the US's Peace Corps, it sends international teams of IBMers to emerging economies around the world and is a key part of IBM's own global social responsibility and corporate citizenship efforts.  To date, approximately 1600 IBMers have taken part, many returning with comments that the experience has changed their lives.  For the IBMers who participate, it is an opportunity to gain leadership and global collaboration skills as well as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Our clients get to leverage the expertise of IBMers worldwide to expand their business opportunities.  We go expecting to work hard and make a difference in our small part of this very large world.

The team is divided into two project teams.  My team will be doing a corporate social responsibility strategy and implementation plan.  In plain terms, we will be helping the local government manage the influx of business and help them develop a strategy for maintaining their culture in the face of rapid change.  Just think:  in our lifetimes, the UAE has gone from a tribal, bedouin culture to the world's wealthiest oil empire booming with business and tourism.  UAE formed in 1971.  Today, 80% (yes, 80%!) of people living in the UAE are foreign nationals from the West, India and Pakistan (among others).  I find that simply incredible.  How do you maintain a culture in such an environment?  This is one of the critical questions we will try to help answer.  Some of the answer can come from business... how can we make new businesses responsible to the traditional way of life?  I think this is a provocative question and probably one with a very complex answer.

Our second team project is a data management strategy and information plan.  Again, with rapid change comes significant data and my colleagues on this project will also be wrestling what, I can only imagine, is also a very complex issue.

So, we will have exactly one month to arrive, complete our projects, have a little fun and return home.  Let's hope we find a few minutes to sleep too!  =)  #ibmcsc uae