DOING GREAT IN THE
MIDDLE EAST
BY DR BARRY CUMMINGS
Did you come here with a great story of how good you were in (insert any other country of the world) and assume that you could do it again over here? Did you read “Effective Business in the Middle East” (Motivate Publishing, 2012) – a good book by Nicolai Tillisch, a friend and colleague? Or, do you still regard Jeremy Williams’ “Don’t They Know it’s Friday” (1999) as the best guide for doing business here?
Either way, have you ever asked, for example, a young Emirati leader how they would like you to do business here? I have, many times, during my almost 20 years in the region, and during my doctoral research into how expatriates in particular frequently go wrong in the Middle East. When I completed my research paper it was over 200 pages long, so I’ll keep this brief!
To quote a tweet I made a few months ago, “Ask the next generation of leaders, not the last, what the future will look like.” Many of the old hands (anyone who has been here for 5 years or more will often claim this title) in the Middle East will happily regale a listener with tales of how contracts were redundant, and a handshake was all that was needed to clinch the deal in the ‘good old days.’ What they might not say, or even have understood, is that the handshake was only earned after a lengthy courtship in which trust was gained and proven. Many did not even realise they were being tested, and the modern business world rarely has the time for this form of prelude.
I have a rule of thumb for doing business here, and it goes like this: for anyone over 60 years old, a handshake will do; anyone younger than, say, their late-30s, and I expect to complete a normal contractual procedure, including documents, signatures, etc. I try to avoid doing business with those businesspersons in between these ages I will leave you to work out the possible reasons for this rule, but it works for me.
During my research, I asked both expatriates and Emiratis two questions, amongst others, as I sought to identify what each group both liked and disliked about the other. The answers may surprise you, and full answers to these, and the remaining, questions will be contained in my forthcoming book. The answers differed based on gender and country of origin. Almost every resident was impressed with the expertise of the foreign workers, but was more annoyed than might be expected at how quickly the foreigner appeared to forget that it was a privilege to be here, earning a livelihood.
Many nationals complained at the lack of knowledge-transfer that overseas workers injected into their daily roles in the Middle East. Certain nationalities were specifically identified as being worse than others in this regard, but nationals perceived very few foreign workers, at any level, as appearing to make this a priority. It is a truism that the best way to earn respect is first to give it. The would-be businessperson seeking a place in the Middle East who does not emphasise their intention to give back not only their time but also their knowledge is actively showing disrespect for their new host country’s needs and expectations.
Both male and female nationals made it very clear that intrinsic motivation, the internal drive to achieve competency and the accompanying respect, was a major element in their search for partners. And partners who did not offer (and deliver!) would quickly be sidelined. Many expatriates, of course, said that they had tried to ensure knowledge transfer took place, but the receiving nationals would not or could not achieve the required standard in the time available. Maybe the answer is not to complain they couldn’t achieve the standard, but to ensure enough time is inserted into the work contract to ensure that the standards were attainable? Here I have to admit to being partial: I am partial to organizations that truly understand the need for initial training and
70 | TRAINING MAGAZINE MIDDLE EAST Q3 2015
Soft Skills