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Management in the Middle East

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Abstract

This chapter is about management philosophy and practice in the Middle East. It argues that, unlike in other multi-country regions such as Europe or Asia, the Middle East does have a unique, distinctively non-Western, governance blueprint. In prosecuting its case, the chapter proposes that geographical conceptions do little to aid understanding the Arab world. Rather, the influence of Islamic history and the circumstance of oil discovery in the twentieth century is pivotal in creating a conception of the Middle East. This view deemphasizes jurisdictions and civic (secular) identity. The chapter examines three partially overlapping instantiations of the Middle Eastern management construct: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the Gulf States generally (GCC), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It proposes that the first of these instantiations – which, in key ways, most approximates fidelity to Islam – is where the analyst can best appreciate the philosophical underpinnings of Middle Eastern management.

For several years the author held professional jobs in Middle Eastern countries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département des relations industrielles, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada

    Anthony M. Gould

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  1. Anthony M. Gould
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Correspondence to Anthony M. Gould .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Emporia State University, Emporia, USA

    Jeffrey Muldoon

  2. Faculté des Sciences Sociales, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada

    Anthony Gould

  3. College of Business, RMIT University, School of Management, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Adela McMurray

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Gould, A.M. (2020). Management in the Middle East. In: Muldoon, J., Gould, A., McMurray, A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Management History. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62348-1_119-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62348-1_119-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62348-1

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