Thank God it’s Friday takes on a whole new meaning in the Middle East. It is much more than a substitution for the western idea of Saturday, considering the modified workweek being Sunday to Thursday. Realising that family is the significance of Friday in Middle Eastern culture is essential for leadership impact.
So why does the family dynamic have such a powerful influence in the corporate setting in the region? Because family is more than a name — it represents belonging, it is pride.
Reading the decade-old guidebook Don't They Know It's Friday? is a mere beginning to understanding the significance of Friday in the region. Leaders need to move beyond the cultural insights and etiquette guidance that is found in these books and comprehend what the weekend represents in this society — specifically "family day," which is like a weekly version of Christmas, but even more intense.
The idea of “family day” portrays the prominence of the group dynamic. Every week, the whole family (brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins) gathers at the patriarch’s house for an extended lunch and a day of lively discussions. This simple and precious act highlights the role of group interaction in every day life.
More than in the West, the influence of family in the Middle East is very strong and exerts tremendous influence over how people lead and what employees are looking for in their leaders. At the very least, organisations need to be aware of this influence. The business environment is a replica of this family structure: employees look to their boss for strong leadership and expect to experience what they would at home. At the same time, the boss embraces the responsibility for the stewardship of the employees.
An Arab family is a very tight-knit group of people, and the extended family is the locus for most social interaction, creating a strong group orientation. Family members have a say in an individual’s major life decisions, such as education, work and marriage. They live life out as a group, so much so that it is quite common to find cousins as best friends. In the Arab world, all of life, including business, is based on such relationships. So leading must be as well.
The pride in belonging extends beyond the family. As an example, consider how the residents stand beside Emiratis in celebrations of National Day across the UAE. This is a beautiful picture of what belonging can and should look like. When leveraged correctly, there is pride in belonging.
Building the Business Family — the tribe, which is a regionalisation of the word team, is one of the key leadership actions and needs to be a priority for every chief executive, managing director and business leader in the Middle East. This region is historically and in many senses still a tribal society, meaning that it is largely organised on the basis of kinship.
The strong tribal and family orientations influence the way business is conducted. The Middle East is a collectivist culture in which the group continues to protect the individuals, from their birth throughout their lifetime, in exchange for unquestionable loyalty.
Consequently employees in such societies highly value group interaction and seek strong attachment to their organisations and leaders. This strong cultural element carries over into the business environment. The employees’ value and identity in large part come from the relationship network of which they are part.
The Arab world revolves around the family as a group; the collective identity is greater than that of the individual member. Building a tribe from your workforce is an unrealised opportunity that leaders need to leverage. Employees saying they “belong” to your company fail in consideration to having a true group identity. Leadership success demands that you become a leader of a cohesive group rather than a mere collection of individuals.
Tommy Weir is a leadership adviser, author of 10 Tips for Leading in the Middle East and other leadership writings and the founder of the Emerging Markets Leadership Center
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
What is double taxation?
- Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
Company%20Profile
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The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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THE SPECS
GMC Sierra Denali 1500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Price: Dh232,500
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Brief scores:
Day 2
England: 277 & 19-0
West Indies: 154
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani