Preferred leadership characteristics & styles

Hierarchical relationship: Saudi employees are accustomed to a hierarchical relationship between managers and employees, and may be uncomfortable with the more egalitarian approach common in foreign companies with "flatter" organizational structures. The good Saudi leader is a father figure who makes the decisions and takes care of his subordinates. In return, his subordinates are loyal.

Formal subordinates: Authority figures are to be obeyed, not questioned, and foreign managers who are used to a friendlier interaction with their subordinates may find themselves uncomfortable with the formal manner in which their Saudi employees relate to them.

Balanced relationship: Managers who are skilled at building personal relationships with their colleagues in the work setting will be more effective as leaders, but there is little expectation for managers to socialize with employees outside the workplace. While a friendly approach is better than having a very reserved manner, a manager can also lose employees' respect by being overly informal or becoming too personal too quickly.

Flexible: Managers should be flexible and willing to offer some latitude in deadlines and requests. For example, a Saudi employee may not respect an inflexible manager who refuses to change a deadline, especially if this inflexibility causes the Saudi to lose face if the deadline is not met.

Dress and appearance: Can also be important, as dressing well in Saudi Arabia shows respect for those around you. Once a relationship is established, the dress code can be somewhat relaxed, but for initial encounters and meetings, it is best to maintain a somewhat formal standard.

Potential pitfalls

A foreign manager who demonstrates humility will generally be respected, as arrogance and bragging are thought to be very rude. Foreign businesspeople should avoid promoting themselves too much, or implying that they are more knowledgeable than others. Saudis often feel that they do not need to prove or show evidence of their knowledge or intelligence to others. Foreign managers who are accustomed to having others openly present their knowledge may mistakenly assume that their Saudi counterparts are not well informed.

Recruiting & Hiring

Recruiting environment

The job market is very competitive in Saudi Arabia. In the past, foreigners were hired for many skilled jobs in the country. However, the Saudi government has been offering incentives for Saudi nationals to gain educational degrees abroad, and as these graduates return home, they are given first preference for skilled jobs under the government's Saudization policies to increase the number of nationals in the private sector.

Saudi women are also eligible for educational incentives, and their numbers in the workforce are slowly increasing.

Recruiting methods

Recruiting firms and Internet job sites (such as mihnati.com) are commonly used. Many companies also advertise open positions on their web sites. The best candidates for a position may not always apply, so it is wise to utilize every channel available to find the right people.

Newspapers: Can still be an effective way to recruit local employees. Foreign companies often get a good response to employment ads, so it is best to leave only a mailing address or fax number to avoid incurring a high volume of phone calls. It is common for companies to request information on degrees and grades earned, as well as a recommendation letter.

Some university recruiting: Is done, but it is usually not as successful as advertising on the Internet or in the newspaper. Many Saudis go abroad for their college and upper-level studies, so foreign degrees are quite common.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 877