Top Ten CultureTips for Working in Gulf Arabia.
Want to Succeed in the Gulf Region? Start with these Top Ten Culture Tips!
How’d you do on yesterday’s CultureQuiz on Gulf Arabia? Hard or easy? Well, no matter how you did, here are Top Ten Seriously Important CultureTips as a follow-up to the CultureQuiz, to help insure your business success in the region! (If you haven’t already become a subscriber, you can see them all by subscribing right here, right now!) Here you go…
#10: It’s complicated: The main (and in some cases, sole) religion is Islam, and most people are Muslim; nevertheless, the various sects of Islam (mainly Shia and Sunni) vary more or less by country: Saudi Arabia is Sunni, but of a uniquely Wahabi form (following a strict, orthodox interpretation of Islam), Bahrain is mainly - but not only - Shia (Shiites believe that Islamic leadership should be determined by the direct lineage from the Prophet Mohammed onward, as opposed to Sunni who believe that leadership should be determined by current orthodox thought; Shia is more aligned with Iran and Sunni in the region is more aligned with Saudi Arabia). Kuwait and The Emirates (mainly Dubai and Abu Dhabi) are mainly Sunni; Oman follows a unique Ibadi form of Islam (neither Sunni nor Shia). Ethnically, the region is mainly Arab, but not only (the majority of people in the UAE, for example, are non-Arab, hailing from many different places throughout the Middle East, South Asia and beyond); the economics can be staggeringly different, ranging from extreme wealth in much of Gulf Arabia to the extreme poverty of Yemen. Arabic is the region’s main language, with a distinctly unique Gulf Arabian dialect different from other non-Gulf Arabic-speaking countries. Not to mention the mind-bending politics and alliances, and intra-nation differences (in the UAE, for example, Dubai is generally more western-oriented; Abu Dhabi, more conservative; in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, a trade-focused city on the coast, is more cosmopolitan than Riyadh, the interior capital). Tread mindfully, humbly and with respect for differences that may mean little to you, but much to your colleagues in the region.
#9: Trust is everything. Communication styles vary, but in general, everything is driven by the need for trust. Most Arabs tend to be immediately warm, friendly, welcoming, sometimes over-the-top with what might seem to non-Arabs as lavish hyperbolic and exaggerated — and hence, superficially insincere — warmth and praise. It is however, very sincere, in that it represents the wish for a close relationship that can be trusted and relied upon. Of course, that takes work and time, two factors you must therefore prioritize in order to succeed in the Middle East. Take the time to learn the hierarchy of decision-making in the region, as you should put initial energy into identifying your “wasta”: someone who can connect you to the right people to make things happen. Without a wasta, it is difficult to get things done.
#8: Understand the importance of Buqra (tomorrow): Take your watch off when…
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