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Increasing partnerships between education and industry in the United Arab Emirates: a gap analysis

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Increasing partnerships between education and industry in the United Arab Emirates: a gap analysis

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Content Running head: PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 1
INCREASING PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY IN THE
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: A GAP ANALYSIS

by

Abdulhannan Kareem

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

August 2015

Copyright 2015 Abdulhannan Kareem

PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 2
Dedication
This dissertation is dedicated to the father of the nation, the founder of the United Arab
Emirates, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may God bless his soul), to the mother of
the nation Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak and to the leadership of the United Arab
Emirates
His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab
Emirates.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime
Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai.
His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of
Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 3
Acknowledgements
I thank God who has been so generous to me. He has blessed me with loving people and
opportunities. He has guided me through my destiny to achieve my dreams.
There are many people whom I would like to acknowledge because, without them, this
dream would not have been a reality.
I would like to acknowledge His Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, who
has been a father, a role model and an inspirational leader. Thank you very much, Your
Highness.
I also would like to acknowledge Dr. Tayeb Kamali, who has been the father of my
professional career, thank you for the “Walk of San Francisco,” which turned into a new success
in my life.
I would thank my father and mother for everything they have given me in my life. I am
grateful for both of you, and I feel blessed to be your son.
I would like to acknowledge my wife for her patience and continuous encouragement; I
would not be able to complete this program without her support. I thank her very much for her
presence in my life and for her beautiful present to our family, the angel Shireena.
I would like to acknowledge every member of my family who supported me in this
challenging journey of my career and respected my time limitations, especially my brothers and
sisters and my extended family.
I would like to acknowledge my best friend and my mentor Dr. Sultan Karmostaji who
introduced me to the University of Southern California and to the Global Executive Doctor of
Education Program. Thank you brother for creating the path of success for me.
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 4
I would like to acknowledge my colleague Venkat Dharaniraj for being my knowledge
partner.
I would like to acknowledge Dean Gallagher, whom I met in the USC Global Conference
in Seoul, Korea, the first time I was introduced to the Trojan family.
I would like to acknowledge Dr. Mark Power Robison, Co-Chair of the Global Executive
EdD Program. His guidance was the key for me in joining the Global Executive Doctorate
program at USC.
I would like to acknowledge my dissertation chair, Dr. Helena Seli, Associate Professor
of Clinical Education and Director of Program Development at USC Rossier School of
Education. Her supervision was the key of my succession in this program.
I would like to acknowledge Dr. Rob Filback for his innovative advices in shaping my
work.
I would like to acknowledge all professors of the Global Executive Doctor of Education
Program and the administration team.
I would like to acknowledge my editor Dr. Guadalupe Garcia Montano for her time in
reviewing my work.
I would like to acknowledge my classmates, especially Brenda Sinclair and Iris Chang,
for being great support for in this journey.
Truly, I was blessed with such wonderful people towards whom I feel so much gratitude.
Each of you contributed uniquely in my journey.

PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 5
Table of Contents
Dedication 2

Acknowledgements 3

List of Tables 7

Abstract 8

Chapter One: Introduction 9

Organizational Context and Mission 10

Organizational Performance Problem 13

Related Literature 13

Importance of the Problem 17

Organizational Goal 17

Stakeholders and Stakeholders’ Goals 17

Purpose of the Project and Questions 19

Methodological Framework 19

Chapter Two: Review of the Literature 22

Partnership Between Industry and Academia 22

Industry and Academia Partnerships in the Global Perspective 22

Industry and Academia Partnerships in the United Arab Emirates 23

Role of Higher Colleges of Technology 24

Role of Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training 25

Barriers to the Industry and Academia Partnership 27

Nationalization 28

Emiratisation 28

Technology Transfer 30

Goal of Transfer of Technology 31

Importance of Transfer of Technology 31

Role of Training Providers in Transfer Technology 32

Role of Local Academics in Transfer of Technology 32

Knowledge Needs for Partnerships 33

Motivation Needs for Partnerships 34

Organizational Needs for Partnerships 34

Framework for the Study 35

Figure 1. Gap Analysis Process 36

Assumed Causes of the Performance Gap 36

Scanning Interviews 36

Learning and Motivation Theory 37

Summary 44

Sample and Population 46

Instrumentation 46

Survey 47

Role of Investigator 48

Limitations and Delimitations 48

Chapter Four: Results 50

Participating Stakeholders 51

Results for Knowledge Causes 51

Synthesis of Results for Knowledge Causes 53

PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 6
Results for Motivation Causes 53

Synthesis of Results for Motivation Causes 56

Results for Organization Causes 57

Synthesis of Results for Organization Causes 60

Summary 60

Chapter Five: Solutions, Implementation, and Evaluation 62

Validated Causes Selection and Rationale 62

Solutions for Knowledge Causes 64

Factual Knowledge 64

Procedural Knowledge 65

Conceptual Knowledge 65

Summary 66

Solutions for Motivation Causes 66

Motivation Value 67

Summary 67

Solution for Organization Causes 67

Organizational Goals 67

Organizational Involvement 68

Organization Incentives 68

Organization Emiratisation 69

Summary 69

Implementation Plan 69

Evaluation Plan 70

Level 1: Reactions 70

Level 2: Learning 70

Level 3: Transfer 71

Level 4: Impact 71

Limitations 71

Future Research 71

Conclusion 72

References 74

Appendix: Gap Analysis Case Validation Method Worksheet 87

PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 7
List of Tables
Table 1: Organizational Mission, Global Goal, and Stakeholder Goals 18

Table 2: Possible Causes of Performance Gap: Knowledge and Skills 40

Table 3: Possible Causes of Performance Gap: Motivation 41

Table 4: Possible Causes of Performance Gap: Organization 44

Table 5: Summary of Sources about Assumed Causes for Knowledge, Motivation, and
Organizational Issues 45

Table 6: Survey Questions on Motivation Causes 55

Table 7: Survey Questions on Organizational Causes 57

Table 8: Selection and Rationale of the Validated Causes 63

PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 8
Abstract
This dissertation examines the immediate business need for the Centre of Excellence for
Applied Research and Training (CERT) for the field of education and training in the United Arab
Emirates (UAE). This study used the gap analysis problem-solving framework (Clark & Estes,
2008) to help achieve the goal of formalizing business approaches through securing four binding
memoranda of understanding (MOU) in the field of police and defense. The purpose of this study
was to identify the knowledge and skills, motivational, and organizational issues causing a gap in
CERT’s project managers’ performance within education and training department in terms of
achieving the targeted goal. Surveys and interviews were conducted to collect data. The data was
used to validate knowledge and skills, motivational and organizational assumed causes.
Solutions to close CERT’s performance gap are recommended based on the validated causes.
Lastly, an evaluation of the implementation plan is provided.

PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 9
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
The UAE is located in the Middle East region, and it is part of the gulf countries of
Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. The UAE spends 5.4% of its total gross
domestic product on its armed forces. This includes peacekeeping forces, government agencies,
defense ministries, and paramilitary forces (Trading Economics, 2011). The key challenge is
that most defense-related support is imported into the UAE, and the country relies heavily on
foreign countries for security knowledge. This might become a concern in the future when the
citizens are the ones responsible for taking care of their assets and country. Similarly, the country
will require investing and creating industries that could help and support the process of
knowledge transfer. Building in-house and local capabilities through Emiratisation and local
industries that can be key contributors and tools for knowledge transfer for the country’s
development in the field of police and defense.
Security is a global concern. It affects countries in both military and civilian contexts. It
is the science that deals with matters related to individuals’ safety in reducing the risks in terms
of global warming, biological, chemical, nuclear and information warfare. The aim of security is
to provide an optimal environment wherein humans can live peacefully (Howard, 1996).
Towards that end, nations engage in strategic moves to secure the best living for their citizens.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) successfully registered a high rank in a survey conducted by
the United Nations in 2014. The UAE is positioned to be the number one country among the
Arab continent and is ranked 14th globally for the wellbeing of people living within its borders
and for enhancing their morale. However, to sustain such living and peace, it is important that
the UAE further strengthen its police and defense sectors through investing in Emiratization.
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 10
Particularly because it is geographically located in a conflict area, it is obvious that the citizens
are the ones who will stand for any threats to the country.
In terms of Emiratisation, the UAE faces the challenge of having fewer of its own
citizens within its borders than it has people of other nationalities. To enhance the skills of
citizens, many developing countries’ governments, such as those of Qatar and Saudi Arabia
(Harry, 2007), believe that specialized education and training is essential and that such training is
part of larger-scale national development (Wilkins, 2001). In order to increase the level of
Emiratis to a scale similar to that of the expatriate workforce, the UAE’s government imposed
Emiratisation on the private and public sectors (Trenwith, 2013). Furthermore, to support
Emiratisation, the UAE government created Emiratisation awards for the industries that prioritize
Emiratisation and hire more Emirati nationals.
Organizational Context and Mission
In 1992, the UAE created a policy of establishment of the UAE Offset Program, to create
the economic and commercial value of the defense procurement program to be in line with
UAE’s continuous strive to modernize and acquire state-of-the-art defense systems. This
program resulted in the creation of several multi-million dollar joint ventures in various
economic and industrial sectors such as shipping, district cooling, aircraft leasing, fish farming,
healthcare, agriculture, banking and education. In addition to ensuring a shared drive to create
strategic and sustainable projects within the country, this program ensures that the foreign
contractors invest up to 60% of total contract value within the UAE. This percentage is
distributed into components such as design, manufacture, management, education and training as
part of technology transfer (Harhara, 2014). The concern comes whether the technology transfer
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 11
process was or is sustainable for the future needs and whether it was done properly and secured
so it can be available when required.
Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) is the largest higher education institute in the
UAE and is dedicated to the delivery of applied and vocationally-focused programs that achieve
national and international standards at the diploma, bachelor’s and master’s levels. Delivered
through excellent instruction based on ”learning by doing” and in a technology-rich
environment, supported by applied research, HCT’s programs are designed to meet the
employment needs of the UAE and support Emirati students in becoming innovative and work-
ready (HCT, 2013).
The HCT colleges’ system has a well-respected reputation for innovative learning and
has over nineteen thousand students attend seventeen campuses. It offers over ninety different
English-taught programs in Applied Communications, Business, Engineering, Information
Technology, Health Sciences and Education, taught by more than 970 faculty members. All
programs are designed in consultation with business and industry leaders to ensure the students’
skills are job-relevant and to the highest standards.
Since 1988, HCT placed over 60,000 Emiratis in the work force (HCT, 2013). Over the
years, several of these graduates who originally took jobs upon completing Higher National
Diplomas, equivalent to the Associate Degree in the United States, returned to complete their
undergraduate education. This step provided them with an immediate career progression
opportunity (HCT, 2013). The same cycle was repeated a few years later when these
undergraduates returned to complete their graduate education. On each occasion, these pioneers
demonstrated both the need for a progressive higher education path as well as its direct
relationship with rewarding growth in their careers.
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 12
The Centre of Excellence of Applied Research and training (CERT) is the commercial,
research and training arm of HCT, The mission of CERT is to be the number one choice of the
UAE industry of professional education and training and to make HCT’s intellectual and
educational resources available to the community. Since its establishment in 1996, CERT has
grown to be one of the largest government education and training providers in the Middle East
and has become synonymous with quality in education and training. CERT works with a diverse
range of education and training clients, including the UAE Military, Ministries, the UAE Police,
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Etihad Airways (CERT, 2013). CERT sets its education
and training mandate in light of government needs in these areas.
As the largest education and training provider in the UAE, CERT is dedicated to
specialized education and training in order to provide industry with skilled Emiratis who have
the linguistic ability to function in the international environment and have the technical skills to
operate in the complex technological world. As CERT is the largest education and training
provider in the UAE, it is important that CERT sustain it reputation and maintain its
competitiveness in the education and training market in the UAE.
As CERT’s operations are distributed within the seven emirates of the UAE, it can bring
the police and defense professions the luxury of having education and training in their respective
emirates. The new mandate of the CERT is to focus on new growing industries such as policing
and defense. The challenge here is that CERT’s approached the policing and defense sector, but
has not attained an official memorandum of understanding (MOU). As CERT has the ability to
combine these efforts under the umbrella of a trusted government entity to provide education and
training for the industry of Policing and Defense, then, strategically, deliveries of the programs,
courses and training have to be contractually agreed upon. Long-term partnerships are the aim
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 13
for CERT at the moment, and this means securing four MOUs in the field of Policing and
Defense by November 2016.
Organizational Performance Problem
As the largest education and training provider in the UAE, CERT aims to be the first
choice of the industry for quality education, training and technology transfer. Currently, CERT
provides its services to industries such as finance and banking industry, oil and gas industry,
shipbuilding and airborne manufacturing industry and health care industry. However, CERT
lacks program offerings in the vital and growing industry of police and defense due to ambiguity
involved in investing in human resources and finding expertise in the field of police and defense.
Given the importance of this industry to the nation, CERT’s long-term goal is to substantially
increase its program offerings in this industry. In the short term, however, CERT’s PMs are
expected to secure four new binding MOUs.
Related Literature
The Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Government Excellence Award is the highest award of
Emiratisation in the UAE; as the Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh
Mohamed Bin Rashid hands these awards to the leaders of industries and organizations who
helped in the government’s Emiratisation agenda (McLaurin, 2008).
The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior in the UAE are the highest
award winners in this race. As Emiratis increase in numbers in both sectors, there are more
opportunities for local education and training in terms of how to best maintain the knowledge
transferred from foreign experts. In addition, the UAE government, through its police and
defense industry, hosts the largest International Defense Exhibition, Naval Defense Exhibition
and International Exhibition for Security and National Resilience in the MENA region. Through
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 14
this consortium the UAE’s police and defense industries invest in purchasing the most advanced
and cutting-edge technologies for the national security and defense. Through establishing offset
agreements at government levels.
The UAE’s Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed
Bin Rashid Al Maktoum states, “It is very easy to impose Emiratisation. We can do this anytime,
but what would we gain if we did not provide our youth with the best experience, skill and
expertise commensurate with these jobs?” Leadership aims to motivate federal educational
institutes to be top providers of specialized education and training to prepare highly skilled
Emiratis for the workforce at the highest standards. It is vital that these federal institutes are
capable of helping the country with a skilled national workforce and in sustaining up-to-date the
skill and knowledge requirements.
To sustain economic and technological growth in the UAE, there is an increasing need
for up-to-date, relevant, job-oriented courses. To meet this demand, CERT formed close links
with a number of leading universities and tertiary institutions around the world as well as with
major corporations and entities in the UAE. For example, CERT offers post-graduate programs
such as the University of Strathclyde MBA and the Deakin University Master of Education,
which feature leading teachers and professors from these institutions. These programs are open
to national and expatriate students (CERT, 2013). In addition, CERT plays a vital role in the
process of knowledge transfer for the field of police and defense. As the largest government-
training provider, it has the advantage of earning the police and defense industries’ trust to
educate and train Emirati nationals in the security fields.
CERT also allows corporations to upgrade their existing employees’ skill by offering
enhanced training and education throughout their careers, ensuring the long-term benefits of the
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 15
corporations’ investments. Such courses range from one-day to five-year programs in subjects
including languages, health sciences and environment, work readiness, entrepreneurship,
management, engineering, IT, financial services and industry-customized corporate training
(CERT, 2013).
The evolution of HCT from a Higher National Diploma granting institution to an applied
graduate institution is a reflection of demand from the industry (HCT, 2013). According to Sheik
Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and
Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology, “Education is a short-and long-term
investment in a country’s economic growth” (HCT, 2013). HCT’s strong alumni across different
industry sectors created a reputation for excellence and a consequent growing demand for its
programs. Hence, HCT offers its programs to the business community through CERT (CERT,
2013).
Leading entrepreneurial clusters around the world leverage the synergies of collaboration
between universities and the industry as the main source of professional and effective human
capital that drives an entire industry (CERT, 2013). For example, Silicon Valley clearly
illustrates the importance of investing in viable academic-industry partnerships such as the
Stanford University Technology Ventures Program’s Roundtable on Entrepreneurship Education
MENA (REE MENA) themed around “Entrepreneurship Oasis: Building the Regional
Ecosystem 2012” which aims for a diverse mix of high-technology entrepreneurship faculty in
the fields of business, science and engineering, from leading international institutions around the
MENA region. This program, in collaboration with HCT/CERT, aims to engage participants in
meaningful dialogue and idea sharing while providing a unique, memorable and inspirational
experience (REE MENA, 2012). Such investments attract world-class talent, which, in turn,
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 16
drives the creation of innovative new businesses. At a point, the cycle of growth and mutual
dependency can potentially become self-sustaining.
The industry partnerships allow HCT to instill in their students the philosophy of learning
by doing in that the students spend a full semester in the industry. Dr. Tayeb Kamali, Vice
Chancellor of the HCT, announced that the federal universities have “closed the gap” in terms of
quality compared to the foreign universities (Bardsley, 2009), as students should have
opportunities to practice their skills at the industry.
In terms of facilities, Technology Park is the heart of the CERT, and innovation is its key.
In the Technology Park, academia and industry showcase their partnerships and celebrate their
success in the field of creating initiatives for the Emirati students like education Without Borders
and the Festival of Thinkers. In both initiatives HCT/CERT students present their concept ideas
on products, technology and theories to the industries in the UAE, which might be a successful
life-changing moment for them. The Technology Park includes myriad business and industry
solutions, including training and consultancy services to foster technology transfer; the
promotion of entrepreneurship; and business incubator services for high technology entities,
innovative new projects and business ventures. This concept benefits not only CERT's partner
organizations, but the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East region as a whole. CERT’s
Technology Park allows the organization to apply this understanding to practice (CERT, 2013).
Today, CERT’s Technology Park is home to several multinational organizations such as
IBM, INTEL, Microsoft, Honeywell, Thales, TRL, Canadian Business Council, University of
Strathclyde, NYIT, AMIDEAST, British Business Group, and General Electric. It also has local
collaborations with the UAE Ministry of Interior, the Department of Finance - General
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 17
Directorate of Customs, Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Tawteen Council. The CERT
Technology Park is a member of The International Association of Science Parks (CERT, 2013).
Importance of the Problem
As the largest education and training provider in the UAE, CERT aims to be the first
choice of the industry for quality education and training through making the intellectual and
educational resources of the HCT available to the community and the region at large. This means
that the education and training department at CERT should be able meet the organizational
commitment to the country and its industries. Not being able to meet this mission will reflect
poorly on the management of the organization. In a larger perspective, this will reflect on the
HCT as a whole as a sign that they are not fulfilling their mission towards the country’s agenda.
Organizational Goal
CERT’s goal is to create strong ties with the police and defense industry in the UAE
through four binding MOUs securing provision of professional education and training in the field
of police and defense. The aim is that, by November 2018, CERT will be the first choice of the
police and defense industry in fulfilling their educational and training requirement.
Stakeholders and Stakeholders’ Goals
The stakeholders at the Center of Excellence of Applied Research and Training (CERT)
include its project managers, students and trainees, faculty and trainers, industry partners, parents
and community. Each stakeholder contributes uniquely to the organization’s goal. Project
managers are the key stakeholders for this mission of securing four MOU’s with the industry of
police and defense, as they are the ones who work very closely with the client to assess their
needs in education and training and work in developing them the required programs and courses.
Students and trainees are the learners in this mission. Faculty and trainers are the messengers
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 18
who can deliver the educational program in a well receptive manner. Industrial partners are the
main feeders to the education and training programs with their employees. Parents and the
community are the beneficial of the success of this goal.
Table 1
Organizational Mission, Global Goal, and Stakeholder Goals
Organizational Mission

The mission of CERT is to be the number one choice of the UAE industry of professional
education and training and to make the intellectual and educational resources of the Higher
Colleges of Technology available to the community.
Organizational Global Goal

By November 2018, CERT will be the #1 provider of education and training in the
Policing and Defense Industry in the United Arab Emirates.
CERT’s Project
Managers
Students and Trainees Industry Partners
By November 2016,
CERT will secure four
binding
memorandums of
understanding in the
field of Police and
Defense.
By May 2017, 100% of
CERT students will pass all
assigned courses for the
degree.
By November 2017, police and
defense industry partners will
send 100% of their employees to
CERT for education and training
purposes.

Stakeholder for the Study and Stakeholder Performance Gap
All stakeholders’ efforts are needed to achieve the organizational goal of increased
market share of professional education and training at CERT in two years. It is particularly
important for the CERT project managers to study and overcome internal barriers to have a clear
roadmap to the goal. Therefore, the stakeholder of focus for this study is the CERT project
manager (PM), and the aim of CERT leadership is to secure four MOUs in the field of the police
and defense. As a practice at CERT, most business development happens via personal and
professional connections at the leadership level. To further sustain companies’ strategic growth
in the field of police and defense, the leadership stressed having set guidelines for the PMs to
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 19
perform proactively in establishing connections and new business leads, especially in the field of
police and defense. Currently, no MOUs exist; therefore, the performance gap is that currently
CERT education and training department is that it is not able to add 40% to its operations in the
field of police and defense.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to examine the root causes of CERT’s failing to meet its
goal of becoming the largest provider of education and training to the industry of policing and
defense. The analysis focused on causes for this problem due to gaps in knowledge and skill,
motivation, and organizational issues. Analysis began by creating a list of possible or assumed
causes and analytically examining them to focus on actual, or validated, causes. While a
complete gap analysis would focus on all stakeholders, for practical purposes, the stakeholder to
be focused on in this analysis consists of the CERT’s PMs.
As such, the questions that guide this study are the following:
• What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational causes that are barriers to
CERT’s project managers in establishing four binding MOUs in the field of police and
defense by November 2016?
• What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational solutions to those barriers?
Methodological Framework
In order to identify the potential causes of and address possible solutions for how
efficiently CERT can meet its target, Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis, a systematic,
analytical method that helps to clarify organizational goals and identify the gap between the
actual performance level and the preferred performance level within an organization, were
implemented. Assumed causes for the performance gap were generated based on personal
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 20
knowledge and related literature. These causes were evaluated by using surveys and interviews.
Research-based recommendations are also presented.
Definitions
UAE: The United Arab Emirates
HCT: Higher Colleges of Technology of the UAE.
CERT: Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training.
Project Managers: At CERT, they the six people assigned to bring business to the CERT.
Management: They are the CERT department heads that the project managers report to.
Police: I refer to the UAE Ministry of Interior.
Defense: I refer to the UAE Ministry of Defense.
Organization of the Study
Five chapters are used to organize this study. This chapter provides the key concepts and
terminology commonly found in a discussion about partnerships between industry and academia
and the performance gaps that are barriers to CERT PMs in securing four MOUs. The
organization’s mission, goals and stakeholders as well as the initial concepts of gap analysis
were introduced. Chapter Two provides a review of current literature on the scope of the study.
The topics of the literature review are partnerships between industry and academia in global and
local perspectives, the role of the Higher Colleges of Technology and CERT; barriers to industry
partnerships; security statues in the UAE; knowledge transfer, goal of knowledge transfer,
importance of knowledge transfer, role of training providers in knowledge transfer, role of local
academia in knowledge transfer, motivation and organizational needs for the partnerships, and, at
the final stage, Emiratisation. Chapter Three details the assumed causes of the performance gaps
for this study, the gap analysis methodology in terms of sample of population, instrumentation,
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 21
data collection, data analysis and role of investigator. In Chapter Four, the data and results are
assessed, analyzed, synthesized and summarized in the contexts of knowledge, motivation and
organization. Chapter Five provides rationale for the findings, literature based solutions in order
to close the performance gaps as well as recommendations in context of knowledge, motivation
and organization. It concludes the dissertation with limitations, future research and the final
remarks.
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 22
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
This chapter discusses partnerships between industry and academia in global and local
perspectives as well as the role of HCT and CERT. In addition, it discusses barriers to the
industry and academy partnership, nationalization and Emiratization. Furthermore, it focuses on
knowledge transfer and the needs for partnerships in the context of knowledge, motivation and
organization.
Partnership Between Industry and Academia
Some of the partnerships between industry and academia are short-term and others are set
for long periods of time. Some of partnerships are very focused and narrowly targeted while
others have a broader approach when it comes to levels of government level and to benefiting a
wider population (Brandstertter, 2006). Research on the subject demonstrates that partnerships
are valuable instruments to overcome the weaknesses within policy and governance frameworks,
but the challenges that may occur during these partnerships are that they are difficult to set and
maintain, they require political will and resources, and results might take more time and are not
likely to come or be seen immediately (Brandstertter, 2006).
Industry and Academia Partnerships in the Global Perspective
A partnership between industry and academia is a tool from which both parties can
benefit. Academia has the role of preparing human capital for work within the industry, whereas
industry needs the human capital to run businesses (Othman, 2011). Industries with links to
academia have proven that these partnerships often result in better market share and higher
quality of products and services (Malairaja & Zawdie, 2008).
In addition, collaboration between academia and industries such as the Army help to
address many challenges in the field of research. For example, in the United States, the Army
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 23
collaborated with academia on a project of Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology. The
Army worked closely with researchers from several universities, such as the Universities of
Maryland, Washington, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico; the University of California
at Berkeley; Cal Tech; the Jet Propulsion Laboratory; the Georgia Institute of Technology; and
North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and Harvard University, to create a micro robot the size of fruit-fly that can examine
threat zones for soldiers (US Federal News Service, 2012).
University and academia partnerships started in 1950 in China (Malairaja & Zawdie,
2008). According to Vigdor et al. (2000), research was conducted to collect validated evidence
on the mechanisms of worldwide partnerships between universities and industries. Five different
universities from Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Region were chosen for this
research due to their innovative approaches in creating partnerships. The study reported that the
success of these partnerships was based on the strategic management approaches to
strengthening long-term development objectives.
Industry and Academia Partnerships in the United Arab Emirates
In the UAE, the government of Abu Dhabi set its economic vision for 2030 to become a
leader in the semiconductor industry in the Arab Region. A great example of a partnership
between industry and academia is A Technology Investment Company (ATIC), which seeks to
provide the industry with the needed 27000 engineers and technicians in the field of
semiconductors. Walid Ali, senior PM at the Abu Dhabi Ecosystem Development Unit at ATIC
stated:
These partnerships led us to becoming the third ranked in the world in contract
manufacturing of semiconductor chips. In our aim to work parallel to that initiative, and
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 24
to keep up with a global facility to be introduced by 2016, we need to introduce a
competitive education system for electrical engineering students in the UAE in order to
enable them to take part in creating a world class research ecosystem (UAE targets chip
industry leadership, 2010).
The Abu Dhabi Education Council, which represents the education sector in Abu Dhabi, plans to
inject science and technology applications in the K-12 curriculum as part of their efforts to
develop the UAE’s human capital with a specialization in technology (UAE Targets Chip
Industry Leadership, 2010). This move gives a clear indication that education and industry
partnerships are becoming more tangible than before.
Role of Higher Colleges of Technology
HCT is the largest higher educational institute in the UAE and is dedicated to the delivery
of applied and vocationally focused programs that achieve national and international standards at
the diploma, bachelor’ s and master’s levels. Delivered through excellent instruction based on
learning by doing and in a technology-rich environment and supported by applied research,
HCT’s programs are designed to meet the employment needs of the UAE and support Emirati
students in becoming innovative and work-ready (Higher Colleges of Technology, 2013).
The HCT colleges’ system has a well-respected reputation for innovative learning and
has over nineteen thousand students on seventeen campuses. It offers over ninety different
English-taught programs in applied communications, business, engineering, information
technology, health sciences and education. These are taught by more than 970 faculty members.
All programs are designed in consultation with business and industry leaders to ensure the
students’ skills are job-relevant and to the highest standards. Over sixty thousand academic
credentials have been awarded to its graduates (HCT, 2013)
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 25
Since 1988, the HCT placed over 60,000 Emiratis in the work force. Many of these
graduates who earned Higher National Diplomas returned to complete their undergraduate
education and immediately saw opportunities for progress in their careers (HCT, 2013). The
same cycle was repeated a few years later when these undergraduates returned to complete their
graduate education. On each occasion, these pioneers demonstrated both the need for a
progressive higher education path as well as its direct relationship with rewarding growth in their
careers.
Role of Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training
CERT set its education and training mandate in accordance with the government’s needs
in the areas of education and training. CERT is the commercial, research and training arm of the
HCT. Since its creation in 1996, CERT grew to be one of the largest private education providers
in the Middle East and has become synonymous with quality in education and training. CERT
works with a diverse range of education and training clients including the UAE Military,
Ministries, the Abu Dhabi Police, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Etihad (CERT,
2013).
CERT is a proven training provider capable of effectively developing and delivering
tailor-made training courses that equip potential employees with the necessary skills to operate
effectively in the UAE’s global business environment and plays a vital role in technology
transfer. CERT also provides opportunities for corporations to upgrade their existing employees'
skill sets by offering enhanced training and education throughout their careers, ensuring the long-
term benefits of the corporations' investments. Such courses range from one-day to five-year
programs in subjects including languages, health sciences and environment, work readiness,
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 26
entrepreneurship, management, engineering, IT, financial services and industry-customized
corporate training (CERT, 2013).
To sustain economic and technological growth in the UAE, there is an increasing need
for up-to-date, relevant, job-oriented courses. To meet this demand, CERT formed close links
with a number of leading universities and tertiary institutions around the world as well as with
major corporations and entities in the UAE. CERT also offers post-graduate programs: the
University of Strathclyde’s MBA and the Deakin University Master of Education feature leading
teachers and professors from these institutions. These programs are open to national and
expatriate students (CERT, 2013). As of 2014, CERT has 2708 students, enrolled in 20 training
programs, demographically spread from Ras Al Khaimah to Ruwais in the UAE. In addition to
17 campuses, CERT remains flexible in outlook, providing high-quality courses at on-site
locations for the clients’ convenience (CERT, 2013).
Technology Park is the heart of CERT, and innovation is its key. At Technology Park,
academia and industry showcase their partnerships and celebrate their success in creating
initiatives for the Emirati students like the Education without Boarders and Festival of Thinkers.
On both occasions, CERT students presented their ideas on products, technology and theories to
the industries in the UAE. The Technology Park includes myriad business and industry solutions,
including training and consultancy services to foster technology transfer; the promotion of
entrepreneurship; and business incubator services for high technology entities, innovative new
projects and business ventures. This concept benefits not only CERT’s partner organizations, but
also the UAE and the Middle East as a whole. CERT’s Technology Park allows the organization
to apply this understanding to practice (CERT, 2013). Today, CERT’s Technology Park is home
to several multinational organizations such as IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Honeywell, Thales, TRL,
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 27
Canadian Business Council, University of Strathclyde, NYIT, AMIDEAST, British Business
Group, and General Electric. It also has local collaborations with the UAE Ministry of Interior,
the Department of Finance - General Directorate of Customs, Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi
Tawteen Council. CERT Technology Park is a member of The International Association of
Science Parks (CERT, 2013).
Barriers to the Industry and Academia Partnership
The partnership between industry and academia faces challenges while academia focuses
on creating knowledge and to educate entities that aim to capture the value of the knowledge
which can be leveraged for competitive advantage (Hall, 2001). As academia becomes proactive
in partnerships, it also seeks to be subjective in measurements and management of these
partnerships, leading to more official and contractual exchange based on the rules and
regulations (Welsh et al., 2008).
According to Teece (1986), most academic entities that seek partnerships end up with
their researchers, engineers, professionals, doctors, accountants, and lawyers spending large
amounts of time on these partnerships. Engaging these professionals with practical problems
provides a powerful stimulus to the development of new ideas, but challenges come on the
ownership of these new generated ideas. Questions remain as to whether these will be addressed
by the university or the industry and as to who will benefit from them (Teece, 1986).
Furthermore, according to Allen (1984) and Dasgupta and David (1994), in the process of
creating knowledge, industry is more often dominated by attempts to measure the economic
value of what industry knows in order to gain a competitive advantage. In addition, this
knowledge becomes private, and, most of the time, it remains hidden by the industry access is
limited by patents. Another barrier to the partnerships is the ongoing debate between academia
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 28
and industry in terms of capturing formal intellectual property regarding researchers’ hard work
on various topics that find innovative solutions (Shane, 2004). Commercialization of intellectual
property owned by academia created new financial gain and there is conflict in how is gain is
distributed between academia and industry (Henderson et al., 1998; Mowery & Ziedonis, 2002).
Nationalization
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), consisting of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain,
Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, was formed in 1981 with the aim of encouraging cooperation;
strengthen ties between people, and promoting technical and scientific growth. The discovery of
oil and gas reserves in GCC countries during middle of 20
th
century changed fortunes for these
countries. The revenues earned fueled rapid development resulting in infrastructure development,
exponential economic growth and expansion of public goods. Since there was a lack of adequate
native workforce to support and sustain developmental activities, large numbers of foreign
workers were imported. Over that period, GCC countries became highly dependent on expatriate
laborers, as they were cheap and able to work for longer hours and put up with poor and
physically demanding working conditions as compared to nationals. This gradually led to the
transformation of the workforce and population demographics in GCC countries. In 2011, on
average, more that 60% of the workforce in GCC countries was made up of expatriates
(Forstenlechner & Rutledge, 2011).
Emiratisation
Emiratisation is the term used in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to nationalize a
particular workforce. Emiratisation is a governmental initiative that has set of policies and laws
supporting the process of increasing Emirati nationals at the public and private sectors
(Randeree, 2009). This process intends to reduce the overall reliance on the foreign laborers and
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 29
to create new job opportunities for the Emirati nationals in variety of sectors such as Health,
Education, Oil and Gas, Military and police. However, over the last ten years, there has been a
growth in the UAE’s public sector, which has reached saturation and is not able to absorb new
Emirati graduates who seek employment. Nonetheless, the government worked to create policies
that encourage Emirati nationals to seek employment in the private sector (Ingo, 2012). In
addition, the government of the UAE established the General Authority for Pensions and Social
Security to support the Emiratisation in the private sectors (Karmostaji, 2014). Furthermore, to
support this initiative, the government established a program that operates under the supervision
of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, engaging the private sector in providing employment
opportunities to UAE nationals as well as to train and develop their skills for a smooth transition
(Absher, 2012).
Another initiative taken by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is to work closely
with academia to provide qualified nationals in the work force with industrial skills. The ministry
signed an agreement with the HCT to attract Emirati graduates equipped with technical skills
into the private workforce (Kotarski, 2010). The difference in work culture and condition is
regarded as one of the major factor responsible for the low participation of the UAE nationals in
private sector organization. In comparison to public sector, the private sector offers low salary,
fewer holidays, and longer working hours (Randeree, 2009; Hadid, 2006). This comparison
clearly suggests that nationals will be more attracted to the public sector due to extra monetary
and non-monetary benefits. The survey for determining the preferences of UAE nationals
regarding public and private sector organizations shows that the majority (around 90%) wants to
be employed in public sector (Sambidge, 2012; Shaheen, 2009) This data clearly shows the
inclination of nationals towards public sector organization.
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 30
The wage levels for citizens in GCC countries are governed by government rules and
regulation of the private sector. As a result, the private sector has to pay higher wages to
nationals, as compared to expatriates, for the same amount of work. In addition, private sector
organizations cannot end the service of Emirati nationals once hired even during economic
downturns or for poor performance owing to regulations relating to job protection for nationals.
This makes hiring nationals a less attractive option for private sector organizations. However,
nationalization policies followed by GCC countries pressured private sector organization to
employ a certain percentage of nationals (Salem, 2010).
Technology Transfer
Technology transfer is a process through which knowledge developed through innovation
is shifted from one place to another, from one purpose to another and from one country to
another. In other words, the technology transfer process is the use of existing knowledge
developed through federal research funding for both public and private needs. Transfer
technology can be recognized as pull and push technology of market (Universal Technical
Resource Services [UTRS], 2014). In common parlance, transfer of technology is a process
through which technology is transferred from one country or nation to another (Harhara, 2013).
Transfer of technology occurs in five steps: introduction of a new process, know-how of
domestic market and managerial skills, training of employees, internationally scattered
production networks, and access of markets with awareness of technology. Thus, transfer of
technology is a process of shifting knowledge, skill, technology, modus operandi, and facilities
among government and other institutions.
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 31
Goal of Transfer of Technology
Technology is transferred for the establishment of commercial relationships and
negotiation of monetary contracts with other parties using that technology. A number of
conditions are satisfied by the licensor (inventor or holder), licensee (industry partner) of
contract for transfer of technology (Unemed, 2013) and building local capabilities to minimize
the reliance on the forgin experties.
Importance of Transfer of Technology
Technology transfer is indispensable for revolutionary change within any country.
Economic development will take place with the diffusion of transfer of technology. International
transfer of technology is a broader term which can be construed as a shift of technology
transcending borders. For developing countries, transfer of technology is most discussed area
with the intent of economic development (Maskus, 2004). With the help of transfer of
technology, intellectual property is converted into tools to be used by the research community.
Researchers across different industries and universities form a collaboration to create technology
in a particular field (Unemed, 2013). Technology transfer is viewed as filling the gulf between
market and research and as the shifting of ideas from inventor or researcher to companies across
for domestic or commercial development (OpenLearn LabSpace, 2014). International technology
transfer was recognized as an important part of industrial development by successful companies
and countries during the second half of 20th century. Business competitiveness is increased by
appropriate transfer of technology with the right policies and business conditions. Transfer of
technology plays a vital role in sustainable development of the least developed countries
(Bennett, 2002)
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 32
Role of Training Providers in Transfer Technology
Technology transfer is learned through training provided by trainers or educational
providers. They play a major role in training in transfer technology. Scientists also play a major
role in providing training to industry. Transfer of technology is a process of unleashing the social
and commercial potential of any innovation by transferring within and across countries. The role
of training providers are vital to support the process of technology transfer in an efficient manner
because they have the resources and expertise to help in gaining knowledge from an expert and
transforming it to training and educational material so it is shelved and retrieved when needed
(Grosse, 1996).
Role of Local Academics in Transfer of Technology
For effective technology transfer, local educational institutions play a vital role.
Academic institutes provide expert consultancy services for the development of manpower. In
some cases, they undertake research activities, develop new technologies and implement
programs and projects. In such cases, they have good knowledge about the technology, and it is
effectively used once implemented. Therefore, educational institutes provide knowledge and
expert consultancy and make the transfer of technology easy and effective (Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations [FAO], 2013, 2014).
Technology transfer from educational institutes plays an important role in industrial
growth and helps to improve the country’s economy. In developed countries, educational
institutes undertake considerable research activity on technology transfer and help to create an
environment suitable for technology transfer. They play an important role in commercializing
technology transfer, and the government supports and helps these institutes set up research and
development departments. There are three factors which affect the technology transfer:
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 33
supportive economic system by the government, benefits and autonomy to the researchers and
industry. Strong academic research helps in comfortable technology transfer. (Jain, 2012).
The Middle East uses technologies transferred by US firms and organizations and various
engineering products and services are supplied by the United States to the Middle East. The
United States Office Technology Assessment’s (OTA) research establishes policies regarding
technology transfer to Islamic countries in Middle East. Technology transferred includes nuclear
technologies, telecommunication systems technology, commercial airline support services and
medical services (OTA, 1984). In addition, the Commercial Law Development program (CLDP)
has many programs for technology transfer in countries like Algeria, UAE, Iraq, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia and Yemen (CLDP, 2014) and the Euro Institute for Information and Technology
Transfer (EITEP) in North Africa assists in international activities (EITEP, 2014).
In Abu Dhabi, Masdar institute conducted a proactive technology transfer and research
commercialization program. Directors of the Masdar institute developed strategies pertaining to
technology transfer and intellectual property management to make it a world class institute with
sustainable technologies. For the purpose of encouraging technology transfer, the Technology
Transfer Office will maintain networks with global and regional players (Masdar, 2014). In
Saudi Arabia, Kings Abdullah University of science and technology has the Transfer Technology
and Innovation Program (TTI) to impart technology transfer knowledge (TTI, 2014).
Knowledge Needs for Partnerships
According to Brandstertter (2006), to start a successful partnership, it is important to
know the reasons the organization aims for the partnership. In order to boost the level of
sustainable partnerships, it is mandatory to understand the key skills that contribute to the
effectiveness of the partnership. These skills can be scaled up through specialized training
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 34
courses, online and in person, and should be accessible. In addition, adding the understanding of
the partnership to the curricula of business schools and public policy schools could help create a
generation who can contribute to the overall development plan of the country (Higgins, 2013).
Partnership operations require individuals who know and understand organizations and their
requirements, as one of the main tasks of the delicate partnership is to find ways both can operate
with their different tasks, responsibilities and approaches in order to cooperate in dynamic
societies (Brandstertter, 2006).
Motivation Needs for Partnerships
According to the Brandstertter (2006), to start a successful partnership, it is important to
have the motivation and belief that working with partners is more effective than working in
isolation. Partnership value should be clear to both organizations so both parties see the value
added and can contribute equally to the operation under different conditions and the through the
shifting nature of problems, environments, political experiences and cultures. Motivation is the
key influencer into the work environment, as satisfied employees can contribute, achieve and
help in growing the organization (Hackman, 1976).
Organizational Needs for Partnerships
According to Brandstertter (2006), to start a successful partnership, it is important to
establish a structure that can sustain the partnership. This structure helps create a degree of
autonomy that can be referenced in terms of the progress of the work. The successful
partnerships should include agreements that allow both entities to work together and emphasize
the outcomes and benefits clearly. Also, both partners should have an agreement regarding joint
efforts. It is essential to have clear guide and umbrella under which the partners enjoy working
together for a better outcome that benefits a business deal or the broader.
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 35
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this study was to examine the reasons CERT does not reach its goals of
increasing the portfolio of the education and training department by 40% in the industry of
Policing and Defense. In order to reach this goal, CERT seeks to sign four MOUs with these
industries by November 2016. This study examined the performance gap in terms of meeting the
targeted goal through research guided by the following questions:
1. What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational causes that are barriers to
CERT’s project managers in establishing four binding MOUs in the field of police and
defense by November 2016?
2. What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational solutions to those barriers?
Framework for the Study
Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis, a systematic, analytical method that helps to
identify the gap between the actual performance level and the preferred performance level within
an organization, were implemented to conduct this study. Assumed causes for the performance
gap were generated based on prior knowledge, learning theory, and related literature. These
causes were evaluated through a variety of mixed-methods approaches using qualitative and
quantitative data. Research-based solutions are also presented.
The gap analysis process developed by Clark and Estes (2008) focuses on six main
stages: identifying key business goals; identifying individual performance goals; determining
performance gaps; analyzing gaps to determine cause; identifying knowledge, motivation and
organizational solutions; and implementing and evaluating results, tuning systems and revising
goals.
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 36

Figure 1. Gap Analysis Process
Assumed Causes of the Performance Gap
Individuals in an organization have the tendency to respond to problems based on
assumed and invalidated causes drawn from their past experiences due to overconfidence and
time or social pressure (Clark & Estes, 2008). As a result of their presumptions, people often are
not aware of causes of performance gaps. As such, a thorough investigation into the causes of
performance gaps should include three components: scanning (informal) interviews with
stakeholders; learning, motivation, and organization/culture theory; and review of the literature
on the specific topic under question.
Scanning Interviews
Informal communication via interviews and observations is a valuable tool for generating
and identifying causes for organizational performance problems. Interviews were conducted with
the six PMs at the education and training department. These interviews helped in gaining
knowledge regarding the potential assumed causes that helped develop the proper validation
tools.
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 37
Knowledge and skills. From personal knowledge, the PMs at CERT’s education and
training department currently lack knowledge about the opportunities that could be available
with the Policing and Defense Industry in education and training. Also, they lack the skills
regarding how to approach personnel in those areas and which department in police or defense to
work with.
Motivation. From informal conversation with CERT’s education and training PMs, it is
evident that they are not proactive; their main goal is to finish their existing projects and then
wait for the leadership to hand them any other project. They do not want to approach any entity
for any opportunities, as they are tired of what they have now.
Organization. Based on personal knowledge, CERT’s goal of increasing the portfolio of
education and training has not been defined and articulated by the leadership at CERT. The
leadership has not stressed the goal of increasing the portfolio by any percentage. There is no
proper planning in terms of building positive attribution among the faculty and PMs to allow
them to own the projects, and there is a high retention rate in this department, CERT hires its
human recourse based on projects which are either secured with MOUs or with agreements, this
practice has created an unsecure environment where most of the PMs fear losing their jobs after
the project been complete.
Learning and Motivation Theory
Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) identified four types of knowledge including factual,
conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive and six categories of cognitive processes comprised
of remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating. Clark and Estes
(2008) stated that the three motivational “indexes” or types of motivational processes are active
choice, persistence, and mental effort (Clark & Estes, 2008). Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001)
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 38
addressed the concept of culture and context through two key ideas: cultural models and cultural
settings. These theories were used as the framework to discuss the knowledge, motivational and
organizational problems that may exist.
Knowledge and skills. According to Anderson and Krathwohl’s (2001) taxonomy,
knowledge is divided into four types: factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive.
Reflecting on the members of the PMs, they do not have the fundamental factual and conceptual
knowledge about the growing demand for education and training in policing and defense. Also,
they do not have procedural knowledge and awareness regarding the ways to execute a
memorandum of understanding. According to Anderson and Krathwohl (2001), metacognitive
knowledge is the knowledge about cognition in general as well as awareness of and knowledge
about one’s own cognition. CERT’s PMs do not know how to plan their approaches towards
executing a memorandum of understanding with policing and defense departments.
Factual knowledge. According to Anderson and Krathwohl (2001), factual knowledge is
the basic elements that the learner must know in order to be familiar with the topic or to solve
problems within the discipline. Assessing CERT’s PMs’ prior knowledge about the opportunities
that could be available for them in the Policing and Defense Industry helps to develop a solution
for CERT’s PMs to link their prior knowledge with additional knowledge gained by preforming
the required task. Mayer (2011) proposes several methods that could be used to assess prior
learning. In this case study, assessment via survey and interviews was used to determine whether
CERT’s PMs can increase their factual knowledge about the Policing and Defense Industry’s
needs in education and training.
Conceptual knowledge. According to Anderson and Krathwohl (2001), conceptual
knowledge is described as the interrelationship among basic elements within a larger structure.
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 39
As with factual knowledge, conceptual knowledge may be validated by interviewing
stakeholders to assess their ability to analyze concepts in a larger context and to think “within” as
well as “outside” of the structures (p. 52). For example, CERT’s PMs should be assessed for
their level of understanding about the police and defense industry needs in general.
Procedural knowledge. According to Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) the procedural
knowledge refers to the learner’s ability to use subject-specific skills, techniques and methods to
perform a task and is the result of using conceptual knowledge. One way to assess the level of
procedural knowledge in a particular topic, such as knowing if CERT’s PMs would be able to
perform in the task of applying to provide required courses to police and defense departments.
Metacognitive knowledge. Metacognitive knowledge is the awareness and knowledge of
an individual’s own cognition, including the ability to apply strategic knowledge that is acquired
through experience and with age (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). Metacognitive knowledge is
important in terms of how it is used by the PMs to enable their own learning and can be assessed
through informal conversations or interviews.
Possible causes of knowledge gaps for CERT’s PMs are identified accordingly and listed
in Table 2.

PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 40
Table 2
Possible Causes of Performance Gap: Knowledge and Skills
Type of Cause
Knowledge Type Example
Factual
CERT project managers lack the knowledge
on the opportunities that could be available
for them in the Policing and Defense
Industry.
Conceptual
CERT project managers do not have
conceptual knowledge about the Policing and
Defense Industry’s needs in general
Procedural
CERT’s project managers do not have the
necessary skills and basic procedural
knowledge to perform in order to provide
required courses to police and defense
departments.
Metacognitive
CERT project managers do not know how to
plan their approach towards the Police and
Defense Industry.

Motivation. According to Clark and Estes (2008), motivation is divided into three
indices: active choice, persistence and mental effort. CERT’s PMs are not meeting police and
defense representatives mainly because they fail to actively choose to be engaged with the
Policing and Defense Industry. This might be due to their lack of interest and lack of self-
efficacy in exploring Policing and Defense Industry. They do not want to invest more mental
efforts in pursuing towards executing memorandum of understandings as they thinking to finish
their current projects.
According to Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett and Norman (2010), clear goals help
provide the context in which values and expectancies drive meaning and influence motivation,
and motivation becomes more meaningful when we know what motivates an individual. The
context that is used here is the framework of motivated performance, active choice, persistence
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 41
and mental effort (Clark & Estes, 2008). Assumed causes were categorized according to their
index and assessed and validated through a survey and interviews. A written review of the
motivational causes and attributions is summarized in Table 3.
Table 3
Possible Causes of Performance Gap: Motivation
Type of Motivational Problem and Possible Causes
Motivational Problem
(describe what the
motivational issue is)
Type of
Indicator
(Active choice,
persistence,
and/or effort)
Possible Cause(s)*
Goal Oriented
CERT’s Project managers
members have their own
goals.
Active Choice Project managers’ main goal is to
finish the project in hand.
Exploring New Experiences
CERT’s Project managers is
not motivated to start the
conversation with police and
defense representatives.
Active Choice Project managers are not keen to
explore new opportunities in the field
of police and defense industry.

Work Environment
CERT’s project managers
would like to teach and
training courses and programs
on their own premises.
Active Choice Project managers are not willing to
teach and train on the premises of
police and defense.
Task Value
CERT’s project managers see
approaching police and
military will not add value to
the education and training
department.
Active Choice Project managers have a lack of
interest in approaching police and
defense industry.

Self-Efficacy
CERT’s project managers do
not have the confidence to
execute into a MOU.
Persistence Project managers have lack of self-
efficacy in pursuing the conversation
of partnerships.

PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 42
Table 3, continued
Expectancy outcome
CERTs Project managers are
overconfident with their
existing educational programs
and training with other
industries.
Mental Effort Project managers do not want to
invest in any further mental efforts.
Attributions
The members of the
education and training
department are not in the
center of attention of CERT’s
management.
Active Choice The Project managers are not
incentivized in increasing the number
of education and training projects.

Assumed motivational causes for this study are centered on the themes of self-efficacy,
task value, expectancy outcome, goal oriented and attributions.
Organization. According to Clark and Estes (2008), the achievement of a performance
goal in any organization can be affected by the inefficient processes and incomplete resources.
Many organizational causes of performance gaps can be explained in terms of organizational
culture, change and alignment. CERT is unique in its operation in the UAE in that it is the only
commercial entity fully within a government education institute: the Higher Colleges of
Technology. The employees at CERT do not understand the core objective of CERT and how it
is aligned with the mission of the government of preparing Emiratis for the economic growth of
the country. Also, CERT’s goal of increasing the portfolio of education and training has not been
defined and articulated by the leadership. The leadership did not stress increasing the portfolio of
the education and training department by any percentage. There is no proper planning in terms of
adding positive attribution to the faculty and PMs of the education and training department for
owning the projects, and there is also a high rate of retention in this department.
Goal alignment. According to Rueda (2011), tailoring the organization structure to meet
different goals would enhance performance. CERT’s management does not align the company’s
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 43
structure and processes to help in supporting the overall goal. A possible cause for this is that
increasing the portfolio of the education and training department has not been aligned with the
department.
Involvement. According to Rueda (2011), making the curriculum and activities relevant
does strengthen performance. Assumed causes are that the PMs are not involved in the planning
and progress of the company’s growth and that the internal communication is very poor.
Management sets the goals and the managers have to follow through. Managers, more often, take
more time to understand the exact goal and how to work towards it.
Trust. According to Rueda (2011), reducing organizational barriers to collaboration
would improve performance. As assumed caused is that CERT’s management likes to be
involved in the details of the projects and work progress. This has created an environment of
distrust among the managers.
Incentives. An assumed cause is that CERT policies do not support incentives in the
projects. This has created a barrier for CERT to hire well-qualified managers for the projects.
According to Rueda (2011), providing adequate resources to accomplish a goal is essential in
order to enhance performance.
Emiratisation. According to Rueda (2011), changing cultural models and settings and
making structural changes to support the organizational goal can strengthen performance. An
assumed cause is that CERT has only two Emirati’s working for the company. CERT is
significantly behind in following the overall vision of the UAE, and there is not any plan set to
support this initiative.
Possible causes of organizational gaps for engineering students are identified accordingly
and listed in Table 4.
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 44
Table 4
Possible Causes of Performance Gap: Organization
Organizational Problem
(describe what the
performance issue is)
Possible Organizational Cause(s)*
Goal Alignment
Management has not aligned
the structure and the processes
with the goal
Department’s goals are not aligned with company’s
goals (T)
There is no structure (T)
The value is not clear (T)

Involvement
Managers are not involved
with planning of company’s
growth (T)
The managers are not? asked for their input for
company’s growing plan.
Incentives
Low demand on for applying
to work at CERT.
There is a lack of incentives.
Trust
Lack of trust in among the
leadership and management.
Management getting into details of every projects (T)

Emiratisation
Plan of Emiratisation is not in
place yet.
The company is behind in meeting the government’s
Emiratisation initiative.

Summary
A summary of the sources of assumed causes categorized as Knowledge, Motivation, and
Organization is found in Table 5.
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Table 5
Summary of Sources about Assumed Causes for Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational
Issues
Sources

Causes
Knowledge Motivation Organizational
Scanning
interviews,
personal
knowledge
1) Overall goal has not
been defined yet.
2) Project managers lack
the knowledge about the
opportunities that could
be available for them in
the industry.
3) Project managers lack
the skills on how to
approach the industry.
1) Project managers are
overwhelmed and their
main goal is finish of they
have.
2) Project managers are
not proactive in seeking
the market for business.
3) Project managers do not
want to approach to any
entities for business.

1) The main goal is not
articulated to the
employees.
2) No proper planning for
any attributions for the
employees.
3) High rate of retention.
Learning and
motivation
theory
(generic)
1) CERT project
managers lack the
knowledge about the
opportunities that could
be available for them in
the field of police and
defense industry (F).
2) CERT project
managers do not have
conceptual knowledge for
their level of
understanding about the
police and defense
industry needs in general
(C)
3) CERT’s project
managers do not have the
necessary skills and basic
procedural knowledge to
perform in the to provide
required courses to police
and defense (P)
4) CERT project
managers do not know
how to plan their
approach towards the
police and defense (M)
1) Project managers’ main
goal is to finish the project
in hand.
2) Project managers are
not keen to explore new
opportunities in the field
of police and defense
industry.
3) Project managers are
not willing to teach and
training in the premises of
police and defense.
4) Project managers lack
interest in approaching
police and defense
industry.
5) The Project managers
are not incentivized in
increasing the number of
education and training
projects.
6) Project managers lack
self-efficacy in pursuing
into the conversation of
partnerships (P)
7) Project managers do not
want to invest in any
further mental efforts
(MF)

1)Departments goals are
not aligned with
company’s goals (T)
2)There is no structure (T)
3) The value is not clear
(T)
4) The managers are not
asked for their input for
company’s growing plan.
5) Lack of incentives.
6) Management
unnecessarily gets into
details of every project
(T).
7) The company is behind
to meet the government
Emiratisation initiative.

PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 46
Table 5, continued
Background and review of
the literature
(subject specific)

1) Low standards of
education and skills of
potential employees,
inadequate English, and a
lack of trust by employers
in the work-readiness of
UAE nationals.
2) Most UAE nationals are
attracted to the public
sector.
The assumed causes in Table 5 are validated in the sections below. These sections
describe sample and population size, instrumentation, the process of data collection, and data
analysis. Methods of data collection included interviews, observations, and document analysis.
Analysis of the data provided suggested solutions that, when implemented, should achieve the
organization’s goal of increasing the portfolio of the education and training department at CERT.
Sample and Population
The stakeholders of focus for this study consist of all six project managers of the
education and training department at CERT, in other words, 100% participation. These project
managers are from a variety of Middle Eastern and European countries, and they are responsible
for the business development of the education and training department at CERT.
Instrumentation
The gap analysis process investigates whether failing to increase the portfolio of
education and training department by securing four binding MOUs with the industry of police
and defense, caused by a lack of knowledge and skills, motivation, or culture and organization
within the PMs at CERT. Instrumentation in the form of interviews and surveys review was
used to measure whether there is a gap in knowledge/skill, motivation or culture/organization. If
the results indicate that the gap is caused by one of these variables, the solutions offered were be
guided by the causes uncovered.
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 47
Survey
A survey was used to collect data. To aid in drafting the questions, a pilot survey was
shared with 6 PMs (4 male and 2 female) in order to determine whether it needs to be modified.
Information was collected via closed survey questions. Following the University of Southern
California’s Institutional Review Board approval, the survey was administered via email to
CERT’s education and training department’s project managers. Employees’ contact information
was requested from the Human Resources department. Surveys were sent to all employees in
October. The survey was online for two weeks in order to give all employees a chance to
complete it.
The survey included thirteen Likert-scale questions to assess motivation and
organizational resources. Appendix A presents the survey items.
Interviews
Eighteen open-ended questions were asked during interviews. Each interview lasted for
approximately an hour. The interviews were conducted after working hours and away from
project managers’ offices to ensure confidentiality. Appendix A presents the interview questions.
Data Analysis
Frequencies from the survey and common themes from the interviews were generated
and analyzed. Types of knowledge were categorized as factual, procedural, conceptual, and/or
metacognitive knowledge. When examining whether there was a lack of motivation, variables
associated with motivation were identified as interest, self-efficacy, attributions, goal orientation,
active choice, persistence, and/or mental effort. When examining organization and culture,
policy procedures, resources, values and culture were analyzed.
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Role of Investigator
My role in this study is that of CERT’s Chief Operating Officer. The fundamental
purpose of this study was to conduct a performance-problem-solving investigation to improve
CERT’s current organizational performance level. My role as COO and as an investigator did not
cause a conflict of interest, jeopardize or affect any result from this study as leadership and the
PMs were aware of my study and its implementation for enhancement of organizational
performance. The feedback and results obtained addressed the common issues of the
performance gap at CERT. This study highlights issues and problems and might go further to
allow CERT to tackle barriers within the organization in terms of policies. All appropriate
measures were taken to preserve the anonymity of all the participants in this study. All the
participants had the option to agree or disagree to participate in any part of this research study.
However, it was important that all the PMs to participate in this survey and interview in order to
get a comprehensive approach to the study.
Limitations and Delimitations
The focus of this study is the education and training department of the Centre for
Excellence for Applied Research and Technology (CERT), the commercial arm of the Higher
Colleges of Technology (HCT) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The primary delimitation of
the study is that it is context specific and addresses the education and training department’s
situation and cannot be generalized to other departments within CERT or other organizations.
However, other institutions may benefit from the application of this study’s use of Clark and
Estes (2008) gap analysis process to bring about performance improvement.
The study is further delimited to examining one key stakeholder group’s experience,
education and training department’s project managers, which may or may not be representative
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 49
of that of other stakeholder groups, such as project managers out of education and training
department or the project managers at HCT. While other stakeholders groups’ experiences and
contributions are important to the organization, an in-depth investigation of those lies outside the
scope of the current study.
Limitations result from the design of this study. First, the study is limited by the social
desirability bias resulting in participants providing answers they believe to be socially desirable
and not a true presentation of their experience. This is the case both in interview and survey
contexts. Secondly, the study is limited by the fact that it assumes that all participants understood
and interpreted the interview questions and survey items in the manner intended. However,
triangulation of data sources does help to strengthen the validity of the findings.

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CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
This chapter presents the results and findings from analysis of data collected through
surveys and interviews. The data were analyzed and triangulated to understand the knowledge,
motivation, and organizational challenges Project Managers (PMs) at CERT encounter in
approaching the police and defense industry. The results were compared against the assumed
causes of the knowledge, motivation and organizational gaps described in Chapter Three to
determine whether they were valid and, thus, require solutions.
The purpose of the study was to gain insight regarding knowledge, motivational and
organizational factors associated with challenges faced by the PMs in terms of securing four
MOUs by 2016. Thus, the central Project Question, asked “What are the knowledge, motivation,
and organizational causes that are barriers to CERT’s project managers in establishing four
MOUs in the field of police and defense by November 2016?”
Results were examined in the context of existing research about knowledge, motivation
and organizational gaps and motivation to provide solutions for validated causes. Therefore, this
chapter is organized according to the KMO framework and consists of the following sections: a
description of the research methodology and stakeholders involved, a section presenting results
from data pertaining to knowledge causes, a section on results regarding motivation causes, and a
section discussing results concerning organizational causes.
Each section presents validated and invalidated causes along with causes newly identified
during data analysis. The chapter concludes with a summary of validated causes used to inform
solutions and recommendations discussed in Chapter Five.
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Participating Stakeholders
In order to investigate the root causes of PMs’ not meeting the overall company goal of
increasing education and industry partnerships in police and defense fields in the United Arab
Emirates, this study took place within the education and training department at the CERT main
office utilizing a focus group of six people. The respondents’ main purpose was to identify
potential business opportunities and to grow CERT’s police and defense education and training.
All six PMs participated in the survey; therefore, the response rate was 100%.
In addition, all six PMs were interviewed to assess whether the performance gap’s root
causes were due to lack of knowledge, motivation and/or organizational structure. These PMs
spent at least three years, on average, working at CERTs education and training department and
also worked in close relation with the police and defense industries. The assumed causes if one
or more respondents were not able to answer questions regarding the knowledge, motivation and
organizational issues affecting their work.
Results for Knowledge Causes
Taxonomy for learning (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001) was used to assess the four types
of knowledge: factual, conceptual, procedural and metacognitive. Eight questions were asked.
These questions were focused on validating the assumed causes of the four types of knowledge.
The PMs’ factual knowledge was measured by the assumed cause of their lacking knowledge
regarding opportunities in the police and defense industry. This assumed cause was measured by
four questions.
All six PMs answered the first question by listing courses required by the police and
defense industry: Crime Prevention, Comprehensive Police Station, Disaster Management, Cadet
Training, Technology and cyber Security, and Language. However, only two of the PMs
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provided answers regarding opportunities within the police and defense industry, which serves to
validate the assumed cause. The second question asked about education and training needs. All
six PM’s answered by listing the types of courses the police and defense industry currently need:
running entire police and defense academies, soft skills training, English language short courses,
resilience and political studies, excellence in policing, and community policing. The third
question asked about courses CERT could offer to the police and defense industry. All six PM’s
answered this question by listing the following types of courses: community policing,
engineering, leadership courses, specialized training and the HCT courses.
The final question on factual knowledge asked about the general needs of the police and
defense industry. All six PM’s listed general correspondence skills, Arabic and English typing,
specialized military education, and information technology.
The above answers indicate the PM’s at the CERT education and training department
were fully aware of the police and defense needs and requirements in terms of education and
training. However, the majority were not aware of the opportunities available within the same
areas. Therefore, the factual knowledge gap was validated.
The second assumed cause was that PMs do not have conceptual knowledge of their level
of understanding about police and defense industry needs in general. The PM’s conceptual
knowledge was measured by two questions, and the first question asked about key courses CERT
could provide to the police and defense industry. All six managers responded by listing a few
courses such: business etiquette, language training, continuing education, project management
and team building. The second question asked about some key opportunities for CERT, and all
PM’s responded by identifying specialized technical courses, forging language training courses,
strategic planning courses, Math and Science courses, and psychometric tests. The third question
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 53
on the conceptual knowledge asked PMs to describe the protocol used for establishing
communication with police and defense.
Only two PMs had conceptual knowledge. PM 1 understood that the police and defense
industry invite commercial and technical bids and CERT offers a proposal and presentation. If
accepted, CERT provides a letter of intent and begins services. PM two had a less detailed
understanding, stating there was a “formal letter to the education and training department of the
police and defense.” The remaining PMs did not know the process. Therefore, the assumed
cause is validated.
The third assumed cause was that PMs do not have the necessary skills and basic
procedural knowledge to provide required courses to police and defense. In order to verify this
cause, the PM’s were asked how they would establish a relationship with police and defense.
Their ideas ranged from hiring a consultant to utilizing better marketing. One PM noted there is
no in-house expertise for such a purpose. Therefore, a procedural gap was validated.
Synthesis of Results for Knowledge Causes
Interview results gave a clear sense that at least two PMs lacked factual, conceptual and
procedural knowledge and indicated their thoughts on their lack of knowledge in approaching the
goal of increasing education and training in the field of police and defense.
Results for Motivation Causes
PMs’ motivation was measured with a survey and interview questions designed to
validate or refute the assumed causes of the performance gap due to motivation. The protocols
listed six survey questions and four interview questions. All three assumed causes were
addressed in order to understand whether PMs value finishing existing projects above finding
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 54
new projects and exploring opportunities as well as pursuing projects in the field of police and
defense. The questions were focused to validate the assumed causes of the motivational gaps:
The first question asked how PMs feel about exploring new opportunities in police and
defense education and training. All gave positive responses such as “great idea.” They elaborated
by saying they should continuously engage clients, that they have international partners, that
CERT can contribute more programs, especially in technical field, and that CERT should also
explore opportunities in all of the Middle East. These responses showcase that most PMs are
motivated in the sense that they value reaching out to industry members. Only one PM did not
value exploring the opportunities: “I have enough business.” Therefore, only one PM was not
motivated and did not value opportunities in the field, so the assumed cause of PMs’ not valuing
exploring opportunities in the field was validated.
The second question asked if they would teach on police and defense premises. Three
PMs answered positively, and three answered negatively. As three PMs were not motivated, the
assumed cause is validated. The third question asked if they would like to start the conversation
with the police and defense regarding their education and training requirement. Five PMs
answered, “Yes.” Only one PM answered, “I am not sure because I don’t speak Arabic.” Because
only PM 1 was not motivated, the cause was not validated. The last question for this section
asked if they are confident they can bring a project from the police or defense to CERT. All six
PMs responded positively and demonstrate PMs are motivated to bring projects to CERT, so the
motivational cause was not validated.
The survey responses included statements regarding whether the PMs are interested in
exploring new opportunities in the field of police and defense industry, their willingness to teach
and train on the police and defense premises, their interest in approaching police and defense
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industry for education and training needs, and their confidence in and ability to create productive
communication with the police and defense industry. PMs also mentioned the value of pursuing
a relationship with that industry, even when there are challenges in the process. The survey
questions were developed to capture whether the above assumed causes were validated.
Table 6
Survey Questions on Motivation Causes

The survey results show that the PMs are very interested in exploring new opportunities,
as all five responded “strongly agree” and one responded “agree.” The survey also showed PMs
are willing to teach on police and defense premises. Five of the PMs responded “strongly agree”

Please check
the appropriate Box
1 2 3 4 5 6
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
1. I am very interested in
exploring new opportunities in
the field of police and defense
industry.
1 5
2. I am willing to teach and
train on the police and defense
premises.
1 2 3
3. I am interested in
approaching police and defense
industry for education and
training needs.
6
4. I am confident about my
ability to pursue in creating
productive communication with
police and defense industry.
1 2 3
5. It is important to me to
pursue the relationship with
police and defense industry,
even if there are challenges in
the process.
1 1 4
6. It is important for me to
pursue a relationship with a new
industry such as police and
defense, even if my project
managers do not require me to.
1 1 3 1
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and one responded “agree.” The third survey question asked about PMs’ interest in approaching
the police and defense industry for education and training needs, and all responded “strongly
agree.” The fourth survey question asked about confidence regarding ability to pursue productive
communication with police and defense industry. Three PMs strongly agreed with this statement,
two agreed, and one somewhat agreed.
The fifth survey question asked if it is important to pursue the relationship with police
and defense industry even if there are challenges in the process. The majority of the PMs
responded positively, as four strongly agreed, one agreed and one somewhat agreed. This
indicated that PMs were motivated to pursue business relations with the police and defense
industry even if they face challenges. Lastly, the sixth question asked if it is important to pursue
a relationship with a new industry such as police and defense even if not required to by the
organization’s leaders. Most agreed that they like to pursue business relations with this industry,
one strongly agreed, another somewhat agreed and the last disagreed.
Synthesis of Results for Motivation Causes
Survey results showed two PMs were not motivated to teach at the police and defense
premises or to pursue in any business relations with the police and defense if it is not mandated.
Similarly, in the interview, one confirmed he is not motivated to explore more business
opportunities, and one confirmed he is not motivated to teach at the police and defense premises.
Both survey and interview responses were aligned and confirm the motivational gaps. Though
the number of PMs who represented the gap is small, all of them are key to their department’s
success and if any of them is not motivated, it can affect the department’s overall performance.
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Results for Organization Causes
Organizational causes were measured with survey questions considering Clark and Estes’
(2008) framework of three aspects: alignment, culture and change. In order to assess the PM
perceptions on CERTs culture and organization, they were asked to answer the items described
in Table 8.
Table 7
Survey Questions on Organizational Causes
Please check
the appropriate Box
1 2 3 4 5 6
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
1. My department’s goals are
aligned with CERT’s general
goals.
1 3 2
2. CERT has an effective
structure to pursue relationship
with new fields such as police
and defense industry.
1 2 3
3. I am clear about CERT’s
organizational value in pursuing
a relationship with police and
defense.
1 2 3
4. CERT’s department heads
seek my input for the company’s
strategic plan.
1 4 1
5. I have adequate incentives to
pursue a relationship with a new
industry such as police and
defense.
1 4 1
6. My line manager
trusts me to execute my
job.
1 2 3
7. CERT supports the
Emiratisation initiative.
1 2 3

The first question asked how PMs feel about their department’s goals in relationship to
CERT’s general goals. Five answered that CERT’s department goals are aligned with CERT’s
main organizational goal. Only one of the PM’s answered, “I’m not sure what is CERT’s goal”,
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 58
so the assumed caused regarding goal alignment was not validated. The second question asked
how they feel about the structure provided by CERT to establish partnerships with new fields.
Only one PM stated not being “aware of CERT’s structure on partnerships” as most of the PMs
were aware of the structure and the assumed cause of goal alignment was validated. The third
asked if they were aware of the consequences of not meeting Key Performance Indicators. Four
stated “yes” and, of the other two, one said no and the other stated, “Yes in general, but it’s not
effective yet.” Therefore, the gap in awareness of KPI was validated. However, this question was
one of the hardest questions, and the PMs did not really elaborate on their responses. Only two
expressed not having such a system and, if there were one, then it is not effective.
The fourth question if they received an opportunity to contribute to the company’s
strategic plan? Five answered “yes” and expanded their answer saying that they are engaged with
the strategic plan and fortunate to have an interactive role. Only one answered, saying “No, I was
never invited.” The fifth question asked if CERT provides a percentage of the income from the
projects they bring. All PMs said no and expanded their answer by saying that they wished that
were the case, as that would motivate them and that it had been discussed but not provided.
Therefore, the assumed cause regarding lack of incentive was validated. The sixth question
aimed to measure trust. PMs were asked if they felt management trusts them to conduct their
work. All responded positively and expanded by saying management sees their work, do not
interfere with work and provide freedom to achieve work. The seventh question was on
Emiratisation. PMs were asked if they think Emirati employees are needed in CERT and whether
they feel they make a difference in the overall performance of the company. All responded with
“yes.”
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 59
The eighth and final question asked about the value in CERT’s pursuing projects with
police and defense. PMs mentioned that CERT contributes to building capability in national
security, that working with police and defense is vital for CERT’s portfolio and provides benefits
and prestige for CERT, that the CERT’s role is to give back to the community, especially to the
police and defense industry, that CERT’s expertise can be multiplied across various military and
police establishments with substantial impact on cost optimization, and that CERT’s success
would lead to manifold sustainability in nation building efforts for generations to come.
PMs received a seven-question survey in order to identify organizational gaps. The
survey was conducted using a Likert scale. PMs indicated whether they strongly disagreed,
disagreed, somewhat disagreed, somewhat agreed, agreed and strongly agreed. The survey was
also designed to validate the assumed causes indicated above.
For question one, all PMs agreed their department goals are aligned with CERTs general
goals. Two strongly agreed with this statement, three agreed and one somewhat agreed. For
question two, PMs expressed that CERTs has an effective structure that supports their pursuing
new business relationships in the field of police and defense. Three PMs strongly agreed, two
agreed and one somewhat agreed, so the goal alignment assumed cause was not validated. For
the third question, most PMs were clear about the CERTs organizational value in pursuing a
business relationship with the police and defense industry. Three responded they strongly agreed
with this statement, two agreed, and one somewhat disagreed. The fourth question was on
involvement, and all responded that CERTs management seeks their input for the company’s
strategic plan. Four of them agreed on this statement, one strongly agreed and the last somewhat
agreed. The fifth question was on having the adequate incentive in pursuing the defense and
police industry: most agreed, one strongly agreed, and only one somewhat disagreed. The sixth
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 60
question was in response to the line managers’ trust of employees, the results showed the
majority strongly agreed that the line manager trusts them to executing the job. The last question
was on Emiratisation, and most PMs’ strongly agreed with CERT’s supporting the Emiratisation
initiative.
Synthesis of Results for Organization Causes
Interview results showed there is gap in the organizational structure, and the above
answers validate the assumed causes on goal alignment, involvement, incentive and
Emiratisation. The organizational gaps were captured using three aspects: alignment, culture and
change. Interview questions were asked on the basis of these assumed causes. Questions related
to goal alignment, incentives, involvement, and Emiratisation. Two PMs confirmed there is a
structure in the company for building partnerships. However, the company lacks an incentive
system, and PMs were never incentivized on their projects. They also confirmed that
Emiratisation is a key element for the company and would be a great value in increasing the
department’s market share for education and training in the UAE. As for the knowledge causes,
both survey and interview responses were aligned and confirm the organizational gaps. The
major problem with the organization was that CERT has a significant internal and external
communication gap and the company does not have a proper communication strategy.
Summary
To help CERT achieve the goal of securing four binding MOUs with the police and
security, interviews and surveys were conducted with seven PMs. Overall, eleven assumed
causes were validated to confirm CERT’s education and training department’s inability to
increase education and training business in the field of police and defense. These validated
causes were based on knowledge, motivation and organization issues. Eleven of the fourteen
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assumed causes were either fully or partially validated, and the most critical assumed causes
were identified in order to address them with appropriate solutions in the chapter five.
In the dimension of knowledge, three validated or partially validated causes are addressed
because there is a gap between actual level of knowledge and desired level of knowledge among
PMs. The three validated knowledge causes are factual, procedural and conceptual. The factual
gap was that PMs lack knowledge on opportunities in the field of police and defense industry.
They also do not have the necessary skills and basic procedural knowledge to provide required
courses to police and defense. From the conceptual perspective, findings showed they do not
know how to approach the police and defense industry. However, the PMs were had knowledge
and understanding on the general needs of police and defense for educations and training;
therefore, the assumed causes on their knowledge of understanding the needs was not validated.
In the dimension of motivation, there were three fully or partially validated causes. The
two main ones are value-related causes. The findings showed that PMs do not value exploring
opportunities in the field of police and defense industry. Also, they do not value finding new
projects related to police and defense due to their engagement with other projects.
In the dimension of organization, all six assumed causes were validated. The findings
showed there is no structure for governance and accountability in the education and training
department at CERT and the department’s goals are not aligned with the company’s goals. In
terms of goal alignment, PMs are not asked for their input on the company’s growing plan so
they could share their experience of the growing areas in the education and training. Lack of
incentives for PMs was the reason for not establishing projects related to police and defense.
Finally, the findings showed that there were not any Emiratis working in the education and
training department who have experience and contacts within the industry of police and defense.
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CHAPTER FIVE: SOLUTIONS, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION
The purpose of this study was to use the gap analysis problem-solving framework of
Clark and Estes (2008) to help CERT in achieving the goal of formalizing business approaches
to the police and defense industry via securing four binding MOUs. In Chapter Four, eleven
assumed causes were validated to confirm CERT’s education and training department’s inability
to increase education and training business in the field of police and defense. These validated
causes were based on knowledge, motivation and organization issues. This chapter covers
evidence-based solutions to address the validated causes. All validated causes are addressed and
solutions are presented. However, recommendations address only the most critical causes. The
rationale of choosing these causes is discussed in the next section. It is followed by
recommended solutions and by the implementation and evaluation plan in order to close the
performance gap at CERTs education and training department.
Validated Causes Selection and Rationale
In Chapter Four, eleven of the fourteen assumed causes were either fully or partially
validated, and the most critical assumed causes were identified in order to address them with
appropriate solutions. The two criteria for selecting the validated causes were the magnitude of
the gap and the significance of the problem.
In the dimension of knowledge, three validated or partially validated causes are addressed
because there is a gap between actual level of knowledge and desired level of knowledge among
PMs. The three validated knowledge causes are factual, procedural and conceptual.
In the dimension of motivation, there were three fully or partially validated causes. Two
value-related causes are addressed here. In the dimension of organization, all six validated and
partially validated causes are addressed due to the importance of the problem. The triangulation
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 63
of the survey results and interview findings showcased that CERT’s PMs were not sure whether
the education and training department goals are aligned to CERT’s overall goal. Furthermore,
they were not sure whether their department has the proper structure for governance and
accountability; the gap in goal alignment was 70%. In summary, all eleven validated causes are
addressed: three related to knowledge, three related to motivation, and five related to
organizational problems. The solutions address these same areas. In addition, this chapter
presents Solution Integration as a recommendation based on the validated causes.
A summary of the selected validated knowledge, motivational, and organizational causes
and rationales is presented in Table 9. The gap in the rational is calculated as follow; both the
survey results and interview responses identified gaps weight out of 100%. This means if you
divide the 100% by 6, it will result at almost 16.67%. The triangulation of the survey results and
interview findings and added weighage from survey to interview created the overall gap.
Table 8
Selection and Rationale of the Validated Causes
Category Validated Causes Selection Rationale
Knowledge
Factual
1. CERT project managers lack knowledge on
the opportunities that could be available for
them in the field of police and defense
industry.
Yes 66% Gap
Knowledge
Procedural
2. CERT project managers do not have the
necessary skills and basic procedural
knowledge to provide required courses to
police and defense.
Yes 34% Gap
Knowledge
Conceptual
3. CERT project managers do not know how
to plan their approach towards the police
and defense.
Yes 50% Gap
Motivation
Value
4. Project managers do not value exploring
opportunities in the field of police and
defense industry.
Yes 50% Gap
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 64
Table 8, continued
Motivation
Value
5. Project managers value to finish the existing
projects above finding new projects in field
of police and defense.
Yes 34% Gap
Organization
Goal
Alignment
6. There is no structure for governance and
accountability in the education and training
department.
7. Department’s goals are not aligned with
company’s goals.
Yes 67% Gap

Organization
Involvement
8. The managers are not asked for their input
for company’s growing plan so they can
share their experience of the growing areas
in the education and training.
Yes 16.67% Gap

Organization
Incentives
9. Lack of incentives to establish projects with
police and defense.
Yes 100% Gap

Organization
Emiratisation
10. There are not enough Emiratis in CERT
who have the experience and contacts with
the industry of police and defense.
Yes 100% Gap

Solutions for Knowledge Causes
Factual Knowledge
According to Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) factual knowledge is the basic element
students must have to be familiar with a discipline or solve problems and is divided into two
areas: knowledge of terminology and knowledge of specific details and elements. Knowledge of
terminology includes knowledge of specific verbal and nonverbal labels and symbols.
Knowledge of specific details and elements refers to knowledge of events, locations, people,
dates, sources of information, and alike.
The main problem found in terms of factual knowledge was that PMs were not aware of
the opportunities available to them. A gap of 65% was found pertaining to this cause, and urgent
actions are required to bridge CERT and the police and defense industry. In order to avail
themselves of the opportunities, it is important for PMs to participate to the international military
exhibitions and seminars to grasp the education and training trends for this industry. According
to Rueda (2011), learning improves when a learner is actively engaged with task. Therefore, it is
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 65
important that PMs should actively search and get involved in activities related to the current
education and training needs of the police and defense of the country. Moreover, according to
Kiewra and Dubois (1998) diagramming is a way of visualizing knowledge, and efforts from the
side of the PMs are needed in order to be aware and take advantage of opportunities as soon as
possible. Moreover, PMs should be efficient enough to find opportunities on their own (Tsang,
2010).
Procedural Knowledge
PMs lack the basic skills and knowledge to identify what best suits the police and defense
education and training requirement. This can be resolved by meticulously examining PMs at the
time of selection and recruitment (Ambrose et al., 2010). They can also be properly trained, and
administration should know PMs’ needs before providing training. PMs might have problems
comprehending the processes due to their complexity, or these processes could be too lengthy.
For example, the job description and the role and responsibilities of the PMs should be well
communicated to the candidate at the first stage of the recruitment. They should be shown many
plans and policies to understand them and execute the same efficiently and effectively (Tsang,
2010).
Conceptual Knowledge
PMs were unaware of how to plan their business approaches for education and training
within the police and defense industry. Proper communication strategy of delivering the
mandated goal should be clear to the PMs in order to understand from where they should start
and whom to contact. They must be told about the plans and policies in detail. As PMs are not
involved in the plans and policies, they rarely know about them. On the flip side, some were not
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 66
interested in knowing. Hence, there is a need to involve PMs in creating plans and policies
(Tsang, 2010).
Summary
In order to close the gap in knowledge among PMs, three solutions are proposed. The
first is for PMs to participate in international military exhibitions and seminars to grasp
education and training trends within this industry. Secondly, PMs should actively search for and
become involved in activities related to current education and training needs for the police and
the country’s defense. Lastly, proper training can also be provided to PMs regarding plans and
policies so that they may understand and execute them efficiently and effectively
Solutions for Motivation Causes
As described above, there is gap of 50 percent in motivation: PMs do not value the
business opportunities available in the field of police and defense. According to Rueda (2011),
attainment value refers to the importance one attaches to doing well on a task. As CERT’s
mission is to make the intellectual and educational resources of the Higher Colleges of
Technology available to the community and the region at large (CERT, 2013), it is important that
PMs understand the value of their contribution and should be well aware of the value added to
CERT in doing business with the police and defense industry. According to Eccles (2007),
learning and motivation can be enhanced if the learner values the given task. CERTs
management leadership should describe to all project managers the importance of being an active
government owned company that contributes to the nation’s development, particularly with the
police and defense industry. As more the PMs are engaged with the government related project,
the more they will be appreciated by their leadership. The mission of the organization should be
well communicated along with the priorities the industry of engagement.
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 67
Motivation Value
PMs were not interested in finding new projects. They were busy with the existing
projects. In order to create the necessary motivation, PMs can receive incentives to undertake
many projects, and incentives can be decided upon the number of projects undertaken. The PMs
perceived new projects to be a burden, (Pink, 2011) as neither financial nor non-financial
incentives were offered. This created monotony for PMs and a reluctance to start new projects.
They should be told that their experience and knowledge will increase along with projects
undertaken in the police and defense industry, and that this will prove to be beneficial for their
careers (Eccles, 2007). Furthermore; PMs did not have self-efficacy. They were not clear in the
establishment of the projects with the police and defense industry. PMs should show interest for
these. Mainly, they were not aware of the benefits of establishing projects. The importance of
projects and contribution in their career development can be explained through development
programs. However, there was gap of only 16.6% in this area, which does not require herculean
efforts to bridge (Locke & Latham, 2002).
Summary
In order to close the motivational gap at CERT’s education and training department, two
recommendations are proposed. First, the mission of the organization should be well
communicated along with the priorities the industry of engagement. Secondly, rewards should be
used to increase motivation.
Solution for Organization Causes
Organizational Goals
No structure of governance and accountability was found in the context of formalizing
the partnerships with the police and defense industry with four MOUs by November 2016. In
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 68
addition, the education and training department goals were not aligned with the organization.
The gap was 70%, calculated by adding up the weight of the validated causes and dividing them
by 100%. Two major problems were found in organizational goal alignment. Firstly, there was
no hierarchy and structure in the education and training department. Secondly, department goals
were not aligned with company goals. There is a need to create a proper hierarchy and to create
accountability for PMs. This can be resolved by making departmental goals clear to the PMs. To
align the goals of department with the company, there should be clarity in the overall goals to
result in the achievement of individual, departmental and organizational goals (Maslow, 1998).
Organizational Involvement
Managers were not asked for their suggestions in contributing to the growth of education
and training: the gap was 16.6%. It can be bridged by involving PMs in the organization’s
decisions. More PM involvement will be beneficial for them and for the police and defense
industry (Locke & Latham, 2002). Specifically, the leadership should invite the PMs to the
biyearly retreats.
Organization Incentives
No incentives were provided to the PMs. Enough incentives should be provided in a bid
to motivate them. Incentives can be both financial such as one to two gross salaries as yearly
bonuses and rewarding them with monetary percentage on each project; and non-financial such
as recognizing the best project managers of the year, supporting their further careers plans from
sending then to professional development trainings and rewarding the PMs seniority above the
less preforming PMs. Some PMs will perform better with non-financial incentives. In addition,
some might be motivated solely by financial incentives (Locke & Latham, 2002).
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 69
Organization Emiratisation
According to Karmostaji (2014), setting clear goals for Emiratisation and prioritizing
them will demonstrate a better understanding among PMs of identifying areas where they can
hire capable Emiratis and position them in right roles within the department. Experienced
Emiratis should receive preference in the police and defense industry. According to Stone
(1997), an individual’s every action of is based on economic calculus (p. 272). CERT has to
create an Emiratisation fund and should be annually budgeted in order to attract more Emiratis
with better salary packages.
Summary
In order to address the discovered organizational gap at CERTs education and training
department, six recommendations are proposed. The first is to align CERT’s goals with
department goals. The second is to create a structure of governance and accountability that
creates a clearer mandate and structural approach to the department goal. The third is that PMs
should be trained to plan their industrial approaches and to take ownership of their business. The
fourth is that PMs should be part of CERT’s business growth plan. The fifth that policies should
be created to support both financial and non-financial incentives. Lastly, there should be a fund
to support Emiratisation at CERT.
Implementation Plan
The implementation plan is mandatory in order to integrate the solutions of the
knowledge, motivation, and organization. To properly ensure the knowledge dimension in the
PMs, regular training sessions and development programs should be implemented. Surveys and
interviews will be performed to evaluate the effectiveness of solutions. To motivate the PMs,
they should be given incentives by performance appraisal. Tying their personal goals are aligned
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 70
with those of the organization will help ensure PMs put forth their best efforts. Survey and
interview will be performed to find out the effectiveness of the same. Emiratisation can be
implemented by recruiting more and more local people. Roles and responsibilities can be made
clear by sharing it in written. By sharing roles and responsibilities in written, project managers
can go through when they have confusion. Survey and interview will be performed to find out
the effectiveness of the same.
Evaluation Plan
The implementation plan will be evaluated at four levels: reactions, learning, transfer and
impact. The following sections describe these levels and the manner in which they will be
evaluated.
Level 1: Reactions
According to Kirkpatrick (2006), the fist level of the evaluation should be measured by
participants’ reactions to training and motivation. Evaluating the PMs reaction after the
suggested solutions is important because their reaction to the inventions of the solutions will
predict their engagement with the purpose of training back on the job. In order to conduct a level
one assessment, the PMs will be asked to rate their reaction using Qualtrics survey. Using a
Likert scale of 1 to 4, the PMs will rate their satisfaction with the shared information and
solutions to improving practices of having adequate information of the opportunities for the
education and training department with the police and defense sectors. The gathered results will
be used to enhance future approached to staff training and development.
Level 2: Learning
PM learning can be investigated by observing their performance of how well they engage
their clients with the education and training services that CERT provides to the police and
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 71
defense industry. In addition, a survey will help in asking them about the specific knowledge and
skills attained.
Level 3: Transfer
According to Kirkpatrick (2006), the third level of the evaluation determines if the
learners are able to apply the knowledge and skills that they have gained though training to any
other context. The PMs will be monitored by their leaders in order to see how they are using
their skills in future business engagements for the education and training department.
Level 4: Impact
Impact on the organization and PMs will be examined by investigating positive results
such as how many projects they have secured from the police and defense industry and whether
the PMs are able to move the department to be form partnerships and signs four binding MOUs
by November 2016. Negative results will show failure of the solutions provided. Overall, the
evaluation plan will examine the efficiency and effectiveness of the solutions offered.
Limitations
There were limitations in interviewing and surveying PMs. Confidentiality of data was
one issue. Time constraints also limited data collection, the small sample limits the
generalizability of results and social desirability, Due to these limitations, there might be some
issues in the results in terms of validity, reliability and generalization.
Future Research
There is much research that can be conducted on the topic of this study. This study
discusses only the problem of PMs in the police and defense industry were discussed. In future,
the same research can used to the main CERT holding company, with many other industries also
such health at the hospital level, Police station level, oil and gas; to the refinery level. This study
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 72
can serve as guidance for researchers, students and authors. Gaps in the study can be addressed
in future research.
Conclusion
The Centre of Excellence of Applied Research and training (CERT) is the commercial,
research and training arm of HCT, The mission of CERT is to be the number one choice of the
UAE industry of professional education and training and to make HCT’s intellectual and
educational resources available to the community. The purpose of this project was to examine
the root causes of the performance gaps of CERT failing to meet its goal of becoming the largest
provider of education and training to the industry of policing and defense in the United Arab
Emirates. This study used the gap analysis problem-solving framework (Clark & Estes, 2008) to
help achieve the aimed goal of formalizing business approaches to increase the education and
training department market share by 40% by November 2016. Assumed causes for the
performance gaps were generated on personal knowledge, motivation and organization aspects
and literature reviews. All personal generated assumed causes were validated through surveys
and interviews.
Through the triangulation of survey results and interview findings, eleven causes were
validated. It was discovered that the PMs had performance gap in factual, conceptual and
procedural concerning on the opportunities in the field of police and defense industry and
knowing the proper protocol to approach the police and defense industry. In the dimension of
motivation, the PMs were did not value exploring business opportunities in the field of police
and defense and were not motivated to teach at the police and defense premises. From the
organizational perspective education and training department goals were not aligned to CERT’s
overall goal, the structure of governance and accountability were not in place, PMs were not
PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 73
aware of the value of having education and training projects with the police and defense industry.
They partially confirmed they were not asked for their input regarding the company’s growing
plan. In addition, all PMs confirmed that CERT lacked project-based incentives. Furthermore,
all PMs confirmed that Emiratisation is key for the education and training department and
contributes to CERT’s partnership growth with the government entities. Based on the validated
causes, solutions were recommended in order to address the barriers of knowledge, motivation,
and organization. Furthermore, a four-level evaluation plan based on Kirkpatrick (2006) was
proposed in order the recommended solutions are implemented.

PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 74
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Appendix
Gap Analysis Case Validation Method Worksheet
Assumed Cause Survey/Assessment Interview Questions
Knowledge
1) CERT project managers
lack the knowledge on the
opportunities that could be
available for them in the
field of police and defense
industry (F).
List 2-3 key opportunities
that are available for CERT
in the field of police and
defense industry.

What are the education and
training opportunities are
available in the field of
police and defense
industry?
2) CERT project managers
do not have conceptual
knowledge for their level of
understanding about the
police and defense industry
needs in general (C).
List 2-3 key needs that the
police and defense industry
in general.

What are the education and
training needs for the police
and defense industry in
general?
3) CERT project managers
do not have the necessary
skills and basic procedural
knowledge to provide
required courses to police
and defense (P).
List 2-3 key courses that
CERT could provide to the
police and defense industry.

How do you approach the
police and defense industry
to get the educational and
training requirement?
4) CERT project managers
do not know how to plan
their approach towards the
police and defense (M).
State the protocol for
establishing communication
with police and defense.
What are your plans in
response to the future
growing demand of
education and training for
the police and defense?
Motivation
1) Project managers are not
keen to explore new
opportunities in the field of
police and defense industry.
(INTEREST)
I am very interested in
exploring new opportunities
in the field of police and
defense industry.
Are you motivated to
explore new opportunities
in education and training in
the field of police and
defense? Explain?
2) Project managers are not
willing to teach and training
on the premises of police
and defense. (Choice)
I am willing to teach and
train on the police and
defense premises.
Would you accept to teach
in the premises of police
and defense? Why?

PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 88
Assumed Cause Survey/Assessment Interview Questions
3) Project managers have
lack of interest in
approaching police and
defense industry.
(INTEREST)
I am interested in
approaching police and
defense industry for
education and training
needs.
Would you like to start the
conversation with the police
and defense for their
education and training
requirement? Why?
4) Project managers have
Lack of self-efficacy in I
pursuing into the
conversation of partnerships
(EFFICACY)

I am confident about my
ability to pursue in creating
productive communication
with police and defense
industry.
Are you confident that you
can bring a project from the
police or defense? How?
5) Project managers do not
want to invest in any further
mental efforts (VALUE).
It is important to me to
pursue the relationship with
police and defense industry,
even if there are challenges
in the process.
Would any kind of support
help you in finding
projects? Explain?
6) Project managers would
only pursue a relationship
with police and defense if
project managers require
them to.
(GOAL ORIENTATION).
It is important for me to
pursue a relationship with a
new industry such as police
and defense, even if my
project managers do not
require me to.
What industry clients would
you like to have relation
with for education and
training business? Why?
Organizational
1) Departments goals are
not aligned with company’s
goals.
My department’s goals are
aligned with CERT’s
general goals.
Do you think that CERT is
meeting its goals? Explain?
2) There is no structure for
creating any partnerships
with industry.
CERT has an effective
structure to pursue
relationship with new fields
such as police and defense
industry.
Does CERT provide you
with your role and
responsibilities?
3) The value of creating
partnerships is not clearly
communicated.
I am clear about CERT’s
organizational value in
pursuing a relationship with
police and defense.
Are you aware of the
consequences of not
meeting your KPI’s?
Do you see a value of
bringing new projects?
4) The managers are not
asked for their input for
company’s growing plan.

CERT’s department heads
seek my input for the
company’s strategic plan
Have you got a chance to
contribute in the company’s
strategic plan?

PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY 89
Assumed Cause Survey/Assessment Interview Questions
5) Lack of incentives
provided for building a
partnership with the
policing and defense
industry.
I have adequate incentives
to pursue a relationship with
a new industry such as
police and defense.
Dose CERT give a
percentage of the project
that you bring?
6) Management getting into
details of every project and
show no trust on the project
managers.
My line manager trusts me
to execute my job.
Do you think the
management trust your
work and delegate you more
often?
7) The company is behind
to meet the government
Emiratisation initiative, for
the security reasons the
policing and defense
industry hardly share their
needs to expatriates.
CERT supports the
Emiritisation initiative.
Do you think Emirati’s are
needed in CERT and how
they make deference to the
overall performance of the
company?

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This dissertation examines the immediate business need for the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT) for the field of education and training in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study used the gap analysis problem solving framework (Clark & Estes, 2008) to help achieve the goal of formalizing business approaches through securing four binding memoranda of understanding (MOU) in the field of police and defense. The purpose of this study was to identify the knowledge and skills, motivational, and organizational issues causing a gap in CERT’s project managers’ performance within education and training department in terms of achieving the targeted goal. Surveys and interviews were conducted to collect data. The data was used to validate knowledge and skills, motivational and organizational assumed causes. Solutions to close CERT’s performance gap are recommended based on the validated causes. Lastly, an evaluation of the implementation plan is provided.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Kareem, Abdulhannan (author)

Core Title Increasing partnerships between education and industry in the United Arab Emirates: a gap analysis

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Global Executive

Publication Date 08/12/2015

Defense Date 08/09/2015

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag CERT,Education,Emiratization,HCT,Industry,OAI-PMH Harvest,partnerships,UAE

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Seli, Helena (committee chair), Filback, Robert A. (committee member), Robison, Mark Power (committee member)

Creator Email abdulhak@usc.edu,ahannan83@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-633177

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