Business savvy ideas

Bahraini executive Dr Jassim Haji Hussain believes he has uncovered a way Western firms can develop their businesses in the Arab world without encountering cultural confusion.

After six years of analysis and research into the subject he has earned a doctorate in business administration.

Having closely observed the workings of multi-national organisations, Dr Haji hopes his thesis can help bridge the gap between the Western corporate culture and local social customs, while enhancing their productivity at the same time.

Dr Haji, 48, head of information technology infrastructure at Gulf Air, said: "When you set up offices in other countries you need to customise your policies.

"As an Arab I cannot say that you should come here and behave like an Arab or like a Bedouin; and, similarly, we have to prepare local employees to work within a multi-national environment.

"However, an American-based firm, for example, has to take into consideration local customs and practises. Whatever we do in our life is centred on our faith. For us religion is constant while everything else can change.

"I found that there is often no consideration for prayer times or Ramadan hours.

"With respect to women - there is little understanding on how to behave. How can you ask a woman to come for a meeting at 9pm in the evening at a hotel or as a male executive expect to shake hands with all the women you meet? They are not aware of our customs!

"Americans are very direct and assertive but Arab culture is more diplomatic. Direct speech is often taken as rude and disrespectful and it can make the locals tense and uncomfortable.

"At the same time our people should understand that watching American movies, driving American cars, eating at McDonald's and drinking Pepsi is not enough to understand American organisational culture.

"One of the strengths of US culture is the business man's punctuality and we have to learn from that. We have to learn to be punctual, deliver on time, understand business and not mix it up with emotions. We are still a few years away from that.

"The bottom line is that with thousands of employees in different centres, the multi-national company cannot have a single policy for every country it has offices in."

For his background research Dr Haji conducted in-depth interviews with 13 respondents who were locals, representatives of his former employer EDS, a US-based multi-national IT company, as well as independent observers.

He believes that understanding the US 'work culture' and learning to adapt it in a new environment will eventually help Bahrainis to adapt to other Western working ethics.

He also believes that international companies should also make more effort to ensure their senior employees are aware of the cultural differences before posting them abroad. Too many, he concludes, are not taking enough time to train and induct staff so that they have a better understanding of the local way of life.

He said: "My recommendation is to train these guys on our cultural norms and what they can expect here before you send them away and, if possible, include their families in this process as well.

"There are many websites online that provide information on Bahraini culture but simply putting it on a website and hoping staff will read, understand and appreciate it is not enough.

"Bahrain is a small country, returns may be less, the number of employees may be few but you cannot just take your culture and hope to apply it here.

"You can always bring in expatriate managers but in the long term you will need local staff to prosper too. Understanding can help avoid conflict that arises out of differences in culture, customs, religion and social values."

After presenting his paper to senior government officials including the Minister of Labour, he is hoping to stage workshops and presentations to graduates from the kingdom's public schools, institutes and universities.

He said: "It is not enough to give them certificates when they graduate, when they go out into the world they find it totally different from the way they have been brought up.

"Our national charter says our assets are our people and this is one way of taking our people to a higher level and bringing more investment into the country to meet the country's 'Vision 2030'.

"Our culture is what we take pride in and so maintaining our identity, while being able to move to the next level, is what I dream of."

Dr Haji earned his doctorate in business administration from the University of Northumbria in Newcastle, UK. At the same time his son Ali received his master's degree in Business Management from Nottingham Trent University and daughter Sara received her bachelor's degree in counselling from the University of Huddersfield. He lives with his British wife Denise in Janabiya with their teenage daughter, Dana, who starts Grade 7 in September.