{"73923":{"#nid":"73923","#data":{"type":"news","title":"College of Management Helps Iraq Restore Power","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECrime and terrorism don\u0027t top the list of concerns that Iraqis want their government to address, according to a recent poll conducted by the International Republican Institute. Restoring reliable electrical power ranks number one.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a country where summer temperatures can reach 130 degrees, frequent power outages have been a huge source of public anger and frustration since the United States toppled Saddam Hussein\u0027s regime in May 2003. On \u0022good\u0022 days, Iraqis might have 12 hours of on-again, off-again electricity. But often the total is only half of that.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech College of Management\u0027s Huang Executive Education Center recently lent a hand in helping solve this shortage by providing leadership training to 38 members of the Iraq Ministry of Electricity who traveled to Atlanta. Georgia Tech\u0027s Strategic Energy Initiative helped, too, teaching Iraqi officials about the latest and greatest in power-plant technology.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EContracted by the United States Agency for International Development via Bechtel Corporation, GE Energy selected Georgia Tech to provide the training program. \u0022We\u0027ve had a good relationship with GE Energy, providing other types of training for its employees, so when they recognized they needed help with Iraq, we were a natural place to look,\u0022 said Dan Stotz, director of executive education for the business school.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring a two-month period, Iraq Ministry officials came in two different groups: first upper-level managers and then operations people. With the help of translators, they took classes covering a range of management and energy issues and made field trips to power plants.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne Iraqi project manager (who goes unnamed here because of the deadly reprisals cooperating with Americans could cost him) stressed that improved security is key to boosting his country\u0027s electrical capacity. Iraq\u0027s power infrastructure has been a favorite target of insurgents determined to undermine international efforts to rebuild the country.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMany foreign companies who could help speed the construction of badly needed power stations have kept their distance because of all the explosive violence, the project manager lamented. \u0022We\u0027re doing our best to improve the situation,\u0022 he said. \u0022We have enough people, but we need more foreign aid.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIraq\u0027s power grid never recovered from hits taken during the 1991 Gulf War because of the international embargo blocking the flow of goods and services into and out of the country, he explained. Faced with parts shortages, power managers had to jerry-rig the system to work as best they could. Keeping Baghdad fed with electricity was their top priority as the power infrastructure in other regions fell into deep disrepair, he said. Reportedly the extreme extent of the grid\u0027s dilapidation proved to be a big shock to coalition forces, greatly hindering their efforts to restore order.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESome business-school professors were disheartened to learn of management practices that became standard in the Iraq Ministry during Hussein\u0027s regime. \u0022Given Saddam\u0027s legacy of favoritism, a lot of the principles you\u0027d consider to be normal - pay for performance, merit recognition - just aren\u0027t there,\u0022 said Dennis Nagao, associate professor of organizational behavior. \u0022We taught them best practices. However, they have a lot of entrenched individuals, the old guard, who are going to be difficult to root out.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFortunately, the Iraq Ministry officials who came to Tech seem committed to making a difference, Stotz said. \u0022They\u0027re glad that Saddam is gone and very hopeful for the future. They know that getting electricity to the people is very important to the future of their country.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAn Iraqi training coordinator employed by GE said he was very pleased with the high quality of Georgia Tech\u0027s leadership development program. \u0022I wish everyone in the Iraqi Ministry could get the training,\u0022 he said. \u0022They need it.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor almost all of the participating Iraqis, this was their first trip to America. Making time to explore Atlanta, visiting such attractions as the zoo and the World of Coca-Cola Museum, they were pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of Americans. \u0022They wanted to know why the Americans in Iraq aren\u0027t as friendly,\u0022 Nagao said. \u0022I had to explain that\u0027s because we\u0027re not being shot at here.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Members of Iraq Ministry of Electricity received leadership training"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"The Georgia Tech College of Management recently lent a hand in helping solve the power shortage in Iraq by providing leadership training to 38 members of the Iraq Ministry of Electricity who traveled to Atlanta.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Iraq Ministry of Electricity trained in leadership"}],"uid":"27301","created_gmt":"2005-07-12 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:02:27","author":"Elizabeth Campell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2005-07-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2005-07-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/mgt.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech College of Management"},{"url":"http:\/\/mgt.gatech.edu\/exec_ed\/index.html","title":"Executive Programs"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"3148","name":"brand"},{"id":"3150","name":"loyalty"},{"id":"2762","name":"marketing"},{"id":"3149","name":"religion"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003EBrad Dixon\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECollege of Management\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=bd106\u0022\u003EContact Brad Dixon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-3943\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["brad.dixon@mgt.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}