Harbus

Issue date: 1/26/09 Section: Features

The three musketeers after a traditional Jordanian dinner at the fireplace.

Three HBS students were sponsored by USAID during the winter break to participate in a three week consultancy project in the Jordanian water sector. With water supplied 2 days or fewer out of 7 to most Jordanians, the water sector is of huge importance and is in need of drastic steps.

It was a challenging project, involving out-of-the-box ideas and solutions to improve the efficiency and performance of employees through incentivization. Successfully completing the project, the students returned back not only with a unique holiday experience but also with an insider perspective on the challenging Middle East conflict.

We were not sure what to expect from Jordan. The opportunity to experience the Middle East in one of the most liberal Arab countries enticed us, while the conflicts of the region added an unexpected thrill. Our project was to assist the recently privatized Jordan Water utility company drive efficiency and performance by implementing an incentive system aligned with company objectives. The experience of interviewing and meeting a broad gamut of customers, employees, executives and ministers in Jordan was unique and enabled us to gather detailed data to understand the nature of the challenge. The scope of improvement was vast, with water scarcity facing the region and widespread inefficiencies in distribution and utilization. We found that the problems and solutions both resided within the same organizations, where generous people welcomed us and shared their ideas with us. Inspired by their ideas, and complementing them with our professional and academic experiences, we were able to propose an operating model and compensation framework to the leaders of Jordan's water sector and create the momentum for much needed change.

The project was only one dimension of the trip. With the desert calling us, we traveled from the ancient city of Jerash to the southern wonder of Petra. Jordan contains three of the ten cities that belonged to the Decapolis - the ten-city network kingdom of the Middle East that was part of the Roman Empire. It was a fascinating experience to see the enormous amphitheaters and ancient ruins radiating the ancient grandeur and status of the Decapolis.

Moving on to more recent history, we thought it only fair to attempt to relive the life of "Lawrence of Arabia" by spending the night in the Wadi Rum desert. The night of December 25th is imprinted in our hearts as the night we travelled through the pitch-dark cold desert wilderness. Spending the night in a Bedouin camp, singing Arabic tribal tunes with the locals around a bonfire, and eating the local fare, we experienced life as Bedouins in the desert. The clear skies and mantle of stars solely provided by the remoteness of the desert drove home the grand scheme of things, and climbing mountains to catch a glimpse of the majestic sunrise while enjoying the wind and silence of the desert reminded us of the beauty of nature and the elements.

Continued...

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