Generalisations are observations made by outsiders on a region about a culture or society. "Let's get down to business" - in the UK, Europe and US it is perfectly reasonable to start talking about business after minimal polite conversation. •Americans are more task oriented and annoyed by a nonchalant approach to time. 1. The Individual. In order to really get a relationship at the stage where the trust is firm and mutual both sides need to get personal. One can still have contracts signed but never see them as water tight. Bailey examines the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus' relationship to women, and especially Jesus' parables. Shura means surveying the opinions of those who are most knowledgeable in order to reach a decision that is best. He has been lecturing at different German universities since 2011 on issues related to ideology and the interplay of power thereof in socio-political life, and religion and its relationship to contemporary politics in the regions of West Asia and North Africa, especially Egypt and Syria. Understand face - one must observe and try and understand how face, shame and honour work in the region. This group mentality means the interests, opinions and decisions of the group carry much more weight than that of the individual. Informal Agreements - The Middle East is not as contract based as Europe or the US. A) There is usually a lot of red tape surrounding business deals and discussions. 5. Home › Essays › Gender Roles & Muslims in the Middle East – An Essay. It is important to always be patient in meetings and to allow for delays and distractions. One must spend time nurturing the relationship and show great awareness as to when it is at a stage appropriate to take things forward in a business sense. • KEY: Arab countries are religiously and ethnically diverse with Islam being the dominant religion in most countries. Middle Eastern Language, Literature and Culture. Disagreements - Due to the need to save face in this part of the world it is never a good idea to be too direct with people. Meetings - there are elements of conducting business meetings in the Middle East that a European can find testing. Such family centred cultures tend to put the interests of the family first. Eastern world refers to countries in Asia and Middle East. “It’s just typically associated with the region geographically identified as the Middle East,” she says. Staff will expect explicit orders and guidance, meetings will be where decisions are implemented rather than discussed and very formal relationships exist with the boss. Secondly, Middle Eastern people tend to invest a huge amount of their time establishing personal relationships and getting to better know their negotiating parties before actually initiating the work (Badawy, 1980). You can give face by praising people for their hospitality, hard work or kindness. It is no longer a luxury but a necessity. The Middle East of 2017 is a violent imbroglio in which the U.S. is hopelessly mired. Never jump straight into business at a meeting. In less hierarchical cultures a subordinate is expected to use initiative, share in the decision making process, can say "no" to the boss and most of the time has an informal relationship with the boss. Gender Roles & Muslims in the Middle East – An Essay By Kaycee on February 2, 2015 • ( 5). This group mentality means the interests, opinions and decisions of the group carry much more weight than that of the individual.2. For the European this is a distraction but for the Arab it is simply hospitable to allow people in, and those that wander in will naturally want to speak with you. For example, if a person needs a visa to Sweden but have left it too late, they can see if people within their network system have "wasta" in the embassy. Getting to know people on a personal level is crucial in order to assess whether a relationship can be established. Collectivist - this means that in such cultures the \"we\" takes precedence over the \"I\". HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. When disagreeing one should as diplomatic as possible. Why is the Middle East called the Middle East? People speak to each other at a distance and touching is kept to a minimum. There are many manifestations of Islam across the region that live alongside Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. If there is to be a personnel change in the region it is critical that the person leaving the region introduce the new face. For example in the Middle East, saying "no" or blatantly disagreeing with people is not usually done in order to save people's face. Relationship driven cultures usually have the following traits: 1. To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select 'I agree', or select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. Eastern world is comprised of nations in Asia including the Middle East whereas Western world refers to North and South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The Arabs who stay clean and close to their beliefs are highly respected and honored in the whole Middle East. 34 New House, 67-68 Hatton Garden, London EC1N 8JY, UK. 2. They will appreciate that you have helped save face. You may be in a meeting a find that people walk in and out of the meeting room, will sit down next to you and completely change the topic of conversation. To become insistent on contracts and deadlines can make Arabs become rather stand-offish as they would consider such behaviour as signifying a lack of trust in them. Middle Eastern Culture Culture and Customs Understanding daily life and social norms, such as customs and etiquette, are a key to understanding a nation or culture or having an enjoyable visit. The Family - the family or tribe takes central focus in daily life. The area is not solely populated by Arabs but also Kurds, Turks, Iranians and more. 5. Negotiations - negotiations can be lengthy and frustrating affairs. ask about their personal well-being, business and the kids. The Importance of Business Relationships in the Middle East. Before discussing the Middle East as a region it is important to bear two things in mind. What’s more, instead of clarifying the chaos, maps or charts that break down the various conflicts and … Broken promises will lead to broken relationships. Consensus - in hierarchical societies decisions are usually made on a group basis. Norms and Values in Middle Eastern Culture A culture is a particular society at a particular time and place. If the married couple wants to visit the husband’s homeland, she could only do so using a passport of her husband’s country. And this has consequences for society, the … Now let's look at the potential areas for UK and Middle Eastern culture to clash. Because of this, doing business in the Middle … •While a ME may be offended by the Americans attention … It is the underbelly of the cultural iceberg that poses the problems. 1950 W. Corporate Way PMB 25615, Anaheim, CA 92801, USA. Today, the cultures of the world can be divided into two main parts such as the Eastern and Western culture. The challenges that Tunisian, Egyptians, and others face have less to do with the particularities of a Middle Eastern way of life than with the cultural milieu that … Many visitors to the Middle East complain about the way they are treated in souks and bazaars. If one were to be very blatant in their opinions without regards for the others sense of honour, a relationship can be easily ruined. C) Decisions usually come from the top. We use generalisations in intercultural awareness training as it acts as a useful safety net, meaning if someone goes to the region and knows nothing about it they can fall back on the generalisations made until they start to figure things out for themselves. By Daniel Miessler in Culture Created/Updated: February 4, 2019 . 3. Hakim Khatib studied political science of the Middle East, European Studies, journalism and linguistics. Many who feel this way are also proponents of the misconception that because the "world is getting smaller" our differences are becoming less obvious and less of a problem. 6. 2. that’s why they marry cousins by arrangement. In Middle Eastern etiquette, it's impolite to ever show the soles of your feet. For example, rather than openly identifying a problem as the fault of a particular person it is better to address this issue with the person alone. Hagging or bargaining is a very important part of Middle Eastern culture, and it is viewed as offensive to refrain from engaging in it. Recoiling from such behaviour would make one seem cold. In order to succeed in the region it is important to use wasta and to also reciprocate favours done for you. Networks - due to such cultures relying on bonds and relationships, networks are usually the way things get done. Personal Space - personal space is respected in the UK. 9. These are areas such as attitudes, beliefs, assumptions, world views, communication styles and values. On the whole these are very unlikely to cause any great problems in the business world. There are several characteristics of culture impacting the interactions between Middle Eastern and Western peoples. This is an essay I wrote a few years ago… Abstract. Continuity - once a relationship has been built it is important to maintain continuity. their MOTHERS ensure that they will inbreed and not find a real woman. However throughout the years, the two have come to influence one another constantly due to globalization, and shaping and moulding one another in the process. • It can also be defined as those countries where Arabic is the dominant language. 8. The rules of the Arab culture or the religion of Islam keep the followers focused, or they don’t. Most people–especially in the West–know very little about the Middle East and the people that live there. Trying to understand the complexities of Middle East politics can seem like an impenetrable task and the tangled and changing relations between governments and groups in the region are a common subject of discussion. Invest time - in order to build a relationship you must be willing to invest time. If in a business relationship both sides started to communicate through a contract it is a sure sign that the relationship has broken down. As a result there are usually very complex rules of engagement and communication styles. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. •Punctuality is less important to a Middle Easterner and may be late for an appointment or not come at all if a relationship issue arises. Evolution - the Middle East is steeped in religion, culture and a pattern of thought. Get Personal - one should not be afraid to open up and divulge personal details. Simply stated in everyday interaction we see only the surface level of culture, i.e. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. The people in eastern countries are more traditional than people in the West when we consider their rituals, customs, clothing, etc. If they do, they will ask them to help get them the visa. What are the diff… Middle East and North Africa (MENA). A simple example would be that instead of "no" you may get "I will try", "Let's do our best" or "God willing". Making use of early Syriac and Arabic Christian literature on the Gospels, Middle Eastern culture specialist Kenneth Bailey explores examines the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus' relationship to women and especially Jesus' parables. Finally, a note about haggling. This includes Collectivist vs. Individualistic Societies, Power Distance, Masculinity - Femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance, and Long-Term Orientation as described by Hofstede (2001). Therefore within the business world it is important not to only concentrate on building relationships with decision makers but also those that advise them. For example, Indians pay respect to their elders by touching their feet; East Asians use bows as greetings, apologizing and thanking. Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps. Again this goes back to the whole idea of honour and shame, i.e. art, books, film, food, fashion and language. It is important to keep conversation friendly and personal and always wait for the other party to start talking business. upholding the family/tribal honour. Manifestations of this are that nepotism is seen as natural and protecting the honour of the family is a very high priority. For example, I can make the generalisation that women in the Middle East do not shake hands with men, but there will always be exceptions to the rule. This lack of knowledge hurts our ability to understand, and engage in intelligent discussion about, current events. B) Arabs often make decisions on gut and heart feelings, not on facts and figures. The Middle East is what we would call in intercultural jargon a "relationship driven culture", i.e. In addition, periodic use of cultural interpreters helps ameliorate the These of course do not bear in mind individual differences. Being part of a network gives you access to resources. East and West may have myriad differences based on culture and education. Secondly, please note that the article will be making generalisations about the Middle East. Small talk - informal chatting is critical. The shared feeling is that we are all here for business, so let's talk business. Cousin marriage, or "consanguinity" (marriages among couples who are related as second cousins or closer), is allowed and often encouraged throughout the Middle East, and in Muslim countries such as Pakistan. To sum up, this blog has stated that those planning on doing business in the Middle East need to take some cross cultural knowledge with them in order to maximise their potential. If you are not negotiating with the decision maker you are most likely wasting your time and simply being sussed out. If they are unsure about you they will want time to try and learn more about you. But there are always two sides to everything. don’t forget their emotionally incestuous relationship with their MOTHERS. If people are unaware of such differences when it comes to such fundamentals, the potential for misunderstandings, poor communication and failed relationships are increased. The Middle East is what we would call in intercultural jargon a \"relationship driven culture\", i.e. In hierarchical societies the boss takes sole control because that is what they are paid for. For example, people may take telephone calls. As of 2003, an average of 45% of married couples were related in the Arab world. Why Do Middle Eastern Men Wear a Chequered Head-dress? Hence different parts of the world feature different cultures that vary very much from one another. Middle East Relationships, Explained Through An Interactive Map. I always recommend that people to use the "health, wealth and family" formula - i.e. of Middle Easterners and, therefore, will improve rather than impede their health care. Intercultural awareness training provides people with an insight into those very differences and provides strategies to help overcome potential obstacles. It is important to always remember that things change slowly there. Azazeel, Youssef Ziedan. 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