Overcoming Cross-Cultural Differences in the UAE

Overcoming Cross-Cultural Differences in the UAE
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Overcoming Cross-Cultural Differences in the UAE
Introduction
As a result of the world’s cross-border mobility, countries all over the world continue to experience an influx of individuals from different cultural backgrounds. Qualified individuals easily secure jobs for themselves in overseas countries. This trend is likely to continue for a long time as governments all over the world seek to build stronger bonds and make it easier for their people to freely move and work wherever they want. However, problems that emanate from the cultural differences of employees often emerge. These problems can seem minute but in the end, these can greatly impact productivity and make it incredibly difficult for employees to perform well on their tasks. For managers, it can be problematic to deal with employees from different cultural backgrounds as well. As a manager, it is getting increasingly essential for one to seek to understand how people from different cultures operate, the values they uphold, and their attitude towards factors such as time, teamwork, and goal-setting. Understanding the above makes it easier for a manager to find common grounds whenever issues emerge between employees. The wider goal for any organization is to grow their profits and beat their competition as well. These require teamwork and as a manager, one has to make sure their employees are on the same page if the goals outlined above are to be achieved.
Purpose of this Report
The purpose of this report is, therefore, to help offer managers an insight into the importance of understanding cultural differences, how they can solve problems that develop as a result of employees’ cultural differences, and how they can prepare when taking positions in new countries.
Brief Background of the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates is currently one of the major economic powerhouses in the Middle East. The country which is made up of seven states has grown tremendously in the past 70 years. Before oil was discovered in the UAE, the county’s economy “was dependent on fishing and a declining pearl industry” (BBC, 2018). Oil helped to transform the country and currently, the UAE boasts of having some of the most beautiful tourist destinations as well as a global trading hub. In the last 20 years or so, the UAE has seen a great influx of people from all corners of the world. As the country blossomed, opportunities were conceived at a high rate. These attracted a lot of people from around the world. One of the cities and emirate in the UAE, Dubai, currently boasts of a population of 3.137 million people. A significant percentage of this figure belongs to people who are were not originally born in Dubai. A 2014 article by Dubai Online indicates that “the resident population of Dubai at the end of 2014 was approximately 2,327,000 while the active daytime population was 3,408,000.” What this means is that Dubai’s daytime population could be in upwards of 4 or 5 million people today since the emirate continues to grow and expand at an alarming rate.
As more people continue to find their way to the UAE, cultural differences start to ...