The United Arab Emirates are made up of six countries/states which include Abu Dhabi, ‘Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn. These countries/states merged together in 1971 and have remained stable in comparison to the rest of the Middle East. The UAE is the hub of today’s business in the Middle East, having one of the strongest global economies due to the abundant oil and natural gas resources. As we focus on global economics we must also turn our attention to managing and understanding cultural differences. To best understand and manage these differences we should look at business from the perspective of the areas social conditions.
Social conditions are particularly important in order to best understand how to meet and address people appropriately. For instance it is considered appropriate to address a chief by the title Sheikh or Sheikha or Sayed or Sayeda for Mr. and Mrs. After or during introductions we usually shake hands in the west with a strong firm handshake ensuring that we make eye contact until the hand shake is done. However, in the UAE it is recommended that the handshake be limp as opposed to firm. It is also important to allow them to offer and retract their hand first.
Another issue is personal space and touching. In the west we would find it unusual or be uncomfortable with people being “close talkers” in the UAE their concept of personal space is much different so be sure not to take a step back as your host gets closer to you. Another different aspect of this is that is the social norm for men to hold hands and is often done when being led somewhere. Now that we understand the basics of meeting people in the UAE I would recommend you visit the sites below to learn useful expressions and other tips that will aid you in managing the UAE culture.
http://www.uae-embassy.org/business-trade/general-cultural-norms
http://www.uae-embassy.org/travel-culture/traveling-muslim-country
References:
Bloomberg. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=axmdijbZMi5k
Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ). ( n.d. ). The world factbook. Retrieved at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
Moran, R. T., Harris, P. R., & Moran, S. V. (2011). Managing cultural differences: Leadership skills and strategies for working in a global world. New York: Elsevier.
Christopher Lee Van Wagner says
I also hit on the subject of meeting/greeting in my post. Another item I found interesting about their culture is that it is not acceptable to make prolonged eye contact with women or ask a man about his wife or daughter. Both of these things are considered very intimate and inappropriate.
Another point of interest is that it is expected of business partners to become more personal than here in the West. As mentioned by the US-UAE Business Council,”In the Middle East, doing business revolves much more around personal relationships, family ties, trust and honor. It is therefore important that business relationships be built on mutual friendship and trust. As a consequence of this, if you have friends or contacts in the right places, rules may be bent or things may be done more quickly. The system works on the basis that favors are reciprocated and never forgotten.”
Reference:
US-UAE Business Council, 2015, retrieved from http://usuaebusiness.org/about-the-uae/business-etiquette-in-the-uae/