AIU Governance Radar

Albukhary International University (AIU) is launching a new quarterly online forum – the AIU Governance Radar (‘Radar’), consisting of the combined triplet of:

1. Opinion Column (max 1,500 words), followed by
2. 75min Lecture (20min impulse lecture with 55min interactive exchange), and
3. a Forum that empowers students, faculty, and Radar-contributors to interactively exchange and further develop Radar-topics on a continuous basis.

AIU and 3Zero.

At AIU we are profoundly dedicated to achieving Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus’ vision of creating a world of three zeros — zero net carbon emission, zero wealth concentration for ending poverty, and zero unemployment by unleashing entrepreneurship in all. Inspired by AIU’s 8-hour rule (8-h for sleep, 8-h for learning, and 8-h for helping others in need), AIU students continuously create 3Zero Clubs to advance Yunus’ vision.

AIU Governance Radar.

The Radar’s mission is to be an impactful source of inspiration and aspiration for AIU students to advance 3Zero. We focus on Governance because we firmly believe that innovation and impactful leadership are eventually determined by an effective governance structure, mindset, and capabilities. Radar represents a global sourcing of relevant ideas, solutions, and technologies that can meaningfully advance each of our stakeholders’ commitment to 3Zero.

Governance

Effective governance is determined by three dimensions:

1. Structure: Can the frontline field intelligence travel without friction to decision-makers? The top of an organization is only as good as it can tap in real-time into the lively intelligence that is continuously being generated at the field level through engagement with customers, new technologies, competitors, and nascent market trends. Organizational innovations to minimize the friction between the top and the front-lines of the organization to foster innovation, sustainability, and survival are critical to the prospects of success and 3Zero impact.
2. Cognition: In a fast-changing and disruptive world, an entrepreneurial endeavor’s prospect to succeed and survive is not a matter of adaptation to the (outside) world but to create an aspirational vision that the outside world will gravitate to. Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus’ vision of creating a world of 3Zero, for that matter, is a powerful example. AIU students are encouraged to develop an independent mindset, rooted in the 5As (Adab, Akhlaq, Akidah, Amanah, Amalan), to create entrepreneurial ventures dedicated to 3Zero that defy established conventions, deploy innovative models, and make global connections to succeed.
3. Capabilities: The sustainable success of any venture is a matter of uniting and continuously evolving the right set of leadership capabilities. Exploitation (making the best of an existing operating business) and Exploration (developing future business potential) require very distinct capabilities. Decision-makers are continuously challenged to strike the right balance of Exploitation/Exploration. More importantly, the challenge is too often about what should be done ‘in-house’ and what can be and should be realized through partnerships. These are the critical decision-points that ultimately determine successful execution and sustainability.

Radar

Leading scholars and business professionals from around the world are invited to make a contribution to the AIU Governance Radar: from the deployment of frontline technologies (in particular in the area of data science and AI), business model innovation and ecosystem partnerships, to innovative governance and leadership approaches. The AIU Governance Radar is fundamentally practice-oriented, inspired by leading minds.