Digital Transformation Middle East: The power of partnering

Partnering took center stage during the keynotes at Digital Transformation Middle East in Dubai Monday, with speakers from insurance provider Noor Takaful, telco incumbent Omantel and tech provider TUATARA sharing lessons learned. While in theory many organizations have traded traditional supply chain relationships for co-creation, they are still learning how to work together within a finely tuned ecosystem.

Will you help me lose weight?

Insurance companies, like telcos, are “overweight,” according to Frederik Bisbjerg, Chief Digital Acceleration Officer, Noor Takaful. By this he means that insurers are full of silos, red tape, age-old processes, legacy IT systems​, and an aging talent base and culture.

“We have to lose weight; we have to do something,” he says. “The problem with human beings is that when you start doing these activities required to lose weight, it’s not nice. We have to go exercise. You always have 500 good excuses for not having time. And there’s no reason for this.”

His solution? Find the right vendor partner (in the insurance world, they’re called X-techs). Bisbjerg said companies need to partner to redefine themselves as agile, motivated organizations, with no arduous processes, no red tape​, new and flexible IT systems​, a skilled talent base and a powerful mission that drives a strong and coherent culture​.

This isn’t to exclude incumbent insurance companies. Like incumbent CSPs, they have their strengths: They have a strong brand, with well-defined products and a large existing customer base. But to complement this, X-techs are responsive and fast-moving, and operate with the latest in digital innovations.

Are we right together?

To find the right partner, Bisbjerg suggests the following:

• Define what you need the most to start “losing weight” – typically this is a customer journey (sales, service) or marketing, product development, etc.​


• Scan the market and find an X-tech that offers a quantum leap if integrated with the incumbent organization​.


• Make sure to the greatest extent possible that management is aligned about a future vision and “get along”.

In line with this, Krzysztof Goworek, Chief Innovation Officer, TUATARA said in a joint keynote presentation with Omantel: “Prepare and plan the contract for project changes from Day 1.”

Relationships require effort

The challenges don’t end once the right partnership has been struck. Bisbjerg proposed that once paired up, partners must prepare for complications by being open to – and expecting – cultural challenges (silos versus new open ways of working, resistance, uncertainty, etc.).

“Good preparation also comes from full top management commitment – less than that will result in poor attempts,” he added.

He explained that clarifications and metrics are also key here: “Set clear expectations, targets and job descriptions to incumbent staff in the new setup, and for the new colleagues from the X-tech.”

TM Forum’s recent research report 5G future: Targeting the enterprise reinforces this: “To be effective, co-creators need a plan and a specific problem to solve, and they must agree ahead of time how services will be monetized, how all partners will be compensated and who will own intellectual property rights.”

Be fearless, flexible and attain feedback

Omantel’s Hasan Al Bitar, General Manager Digital Services Division suggested that it is important to enable the vendor to participate in product development, and utilize their experimental, agile mindset to safeguard success when trying to innovate as partners.

• Let them loose: “You should allow vendors to actively help improve business products, beyond simply setting out strict requirements in the RFP process,” he said. “And once they win the contract, allow for changes and flexibility.”


• Testing, testing: “In the delivery process involve your users, your subscribers for experiments.”


• Try, fail, try again: “The more failures you have means that the more intensity you have, and ultimately leads to action. So, and that’s trying to really change the DNA of the team.”

“Transformation is one thing that is constantly changing; it’s constantly evolving,” said Aaron Boasman-Patel, VP of AI & Customer Experience at TM Forum, who chaired the sessions. “You're never going to be fully, digitally transformed; something else will happen. So, as we continue to do that evolution, our partnerships and the way we partner has to continue to change.”