LD 7

e kulturellen Unterschiede kennen und sich darauf einstellen, kann die

;; ~6(beit mit arabischen Geschäftspartnern sehr erfolgreich und entspannt
GIBSON hat einen Fachmann zu diesem Thema befragt. _PlpllßlwwwJ

.. .1.:extent can we generalize about the

· world? How do Arabs and Europeans Dr Karim-Elmahi Ismail is
· iU:' see each other? How important is president of the Institute for
· ;~u5iness people from other eultures to Marketing in the Middle East
. :~s;:<ll1d Islam? As more and more West­ (Institut für Marketing im
le explore opportunities and markets Nahen Osten) in Düsseldorf
. these questions are becoming increas­ ([Link]). Ismail, who
has a doctorate from the
·r:-"u8hi Ismail is a leading expert on Ger­ University of Co[ogne, previ­
-e5S relations. Business Spotlight spoke ~ worked for the em~

, advice on how to work effectively with bas.2)' of the state of Qatar in

Bonn. He currently advlses
German companies on the
ossible to generalize ab out "the Arab development and implemen­
tation of marketing and distribution strategies in
::: 'alk about the Arab world, we're talk­ the Near and Middle East. He also leads inter­
,- ~[lormous area, from North Africa to cultural training sessions and workshops for Eu­
-~ :, 5ize, it is possible to recognize some ropean companies doing business in the Islamic
. -c>. First of all, there is the language, which
world. Contact: institute@[Link]

is a vital medium for the exchange of scientific, social,

political and eultural information across this vast area
from Mauritania ro Iraq. The second great common
feature of this region is Islam, a moral and behav­
ioural code that strongly influences both private and
business life. Thirdly, there is a common hisrory. The
region had a great medieval period with many
outstanding achievements in literature, science and the
arts that had an impact on Europe. These include devel­
~rrungenschaft
opments in astronomy, mathematics, medicine and
Einstellung physics. Europeans use Arabic numbers to count with.
Kodex Many words beginning with Al have their roots in Ara­
Doktortitel
.. .
Botschaft
bic: für example, "algebra" comes from the Arabic
Merkmal word al jabr. Funnily enough, the word "alcohol"
(starker) Einfluss comes from the Arab word al kuhl.
.Umsetzung
Mittelalter
How do Arabs and Germans typically see each other?
herausragend Germans are often rather confused by the Arab wor/d.
früher They miss clear structures, and everything seems to be
Pünktlj~hkeit
chaotic. People don't seem to be very efficient. Germans
Katar
riesig have great problems with the Arab attitude rowards
unerlässlich time - there is a lack of punctuality, people don't seem ~

Business Spotlight 37
 Saying hello:
take the time
to learn rules
of polite
behaviour

"some countries, for example Dubai, are highly in­ • If you are invited to an Arab horne, don't ask after the
flueneed by Europe," says Dr Karim-Elmahi Ismail. wife or daughter.
But some types of behaviour are eommon to most Arab • Don't touch a child on his or her head. Th is is thought
countries. Here Ismail provides praetieal adviee for busi­ to bring bad luek.
ness people travelling in the Arab world. • Be careful with cornpliments about objects. Your busi­
• Avoid criticisrn. Don't eritieize the polities of the eoun­ ness partner will feel obliged to give them to you.
try you are In. Under no eireumstanees should you erit­ • If you are given a wrapped present, never open it in
ieize Islam. Don't, for example, ~ that Ramadan front of others. Th is has to do with faee-savi ng. You
is unhealthy or that the prayers eould take plaee later should show the same pl,easure, whatever the value of
so that one does not lose time in a meeting. the present.
• When you are sitting, be careful not to show the sole of • Remember that for Arabs, small talk is not srnall but
your shoe to an Arab. This is eonsidered to be an insult. big. Business is a soeial event.
• If you are i nvited to the house of your business partner, • Don't take it personally if negotiations get loud and peo­
you will be expeeted to take off your shoes. The same pie raise all their points at onee. Don't get down to
is true of visits to a mosque. details too quiekly.
• Never use your left hand to greet sorneone or to pass • Don't atternpt to put time pressure on your business
a doeument. The left hand is eonsidered to be unelean. partners.
• If you are offered food or drink, never refuse it. • Don't reject a proposal directly, sinee there is a dan­
• Don't show irnpatience if people corne late to an ap­ ger that your Arab partner will take it personally.
pointment. Remember: their destiny is not in their own All of this requires a high level of eommunieation and
hands. diplomatie skills.

to have any self-discipline, there is no precision and From the Arab point of view, Germans are always
little long-term planning. Targets are frequently not met in a hurry and live to work, neglecting their family life
and agreements not kept to. The Germans feel that and not respecting older people. Punctuality and pre­
tasks taken on by locals are not fully completed and cis ion are viewed by the Arabs as stress factors. The re­
that people don't seem willing to make decisions or take lationship of men to women is completely different ­
risks. In addition, the Arab communication style is they are concerned about the fact that European
foreign to the Germans, and they have the impression women are sometimes scantily c1othed, which, in their
that the Arabs treat blue and white-collar workers very view, shows a lack of respect for men.
differently. Arabs seem to ignore rules and improvise a The Arabs' sense of humour is frequently a kind of
lot. Relationships are more important than performance intellectual cynicism, and they often feel that the Ger­
in the Arab world. Then there's the whole field of mans lack humour. Arabs are masters of words - this
bargaining and haggling. All these points are viewed go es back to their his tory. They can recite poetry .b..y.
in a negative way by Germans. heart.

38 Business Spotlight 1/2008

 are the main cultural differences
business people need to consider?
a big difference in views of indi­
m and collectivism. Arab society
- ~rally much more collective than
.in society. Social networking is very
-.:ant; people talk about "us" rather
'me". Loyalty to both youdamily
'lli employer is very important. The
nship between employer and em­
;:c is seen as a moral obligation, and
-. as a contract on a piece of paper.
'er distance is another important
-. The power distance is much lower
;ope than in the Arab world. The
:: process starts in the way children
.. ~ .-\rab world are brought up - they
<"xpected to obey adults. They are
~:H to trea t teachers with grea t re·
::. just as later on the boss will be
::--d. Power is centralized in compa­
~". "';ith the top management ta king the decisions. expected to criticize the ideas of their manager, even if
"7.".flns who are not aware of this ohen speak to the they disagree. The other side of the coin is that the man­
~g people, those who aren't able to make decisions. agers carry the responsibility for the quality of the prod­
. rhen interpret this as an unwillingness to rake on ucts and services. A non-authoritarian manager will
- -nsibility or to take risks. simply be seen as a weak manager. The thinking is that,
.- .; Arabs, the ideal manager is a patron. The struc­ if the staff have too much freedom, they will abuse it;
.::-::; ,Ire extremely hierarchical; subordinates are not the manager is there to control what his staff are doing.
This is a major problem for teams when people used
to Bat hierarchies, such as those in Germany, come to­
;,:;;-e_.sth, [;J'bju:z] etw, missbrauchen
;ain l'bo:gm] (verlhandeln
gether with Arabs. Things can work as long as the Ger­
and whlte-collar workers ArbeiterCinnenl und man manager is around, but when he is gone, there is
o ~.:llt,kol_;J 'w3:bz] A!1gestellte ~ page 58 chaos.
eart [bai 'ho:t] auswendig. Arab countries tend to be domina ted by men, of
" t~ o!!ler side of .the - [bm] die Kehrseite der Medaille
leis,!,. ['sml ,srz;Jm] Zynismus course. The most extreme example of that is Saudi Ara­
;ny_ ['destani] Schicksal bia. Problems arise when a German delegation comes
-sav!ng ['fels,s~IVIQ] Gesichtswahrung with a flat hierarchy and the leader is a woman.
d0lllo'n to 5th. [get 'daUI}. t;J] etw. in AngriHnehmen
The attitude towards the future is also very differ­
::gle ['hre~el] feilschen
.=rarehical [halo'ro:klk'll [wg. Aussprache] ent. Arabs believe that the future is decided by God. A
-ra--;chy ['ha"ro:kil . [wg,.Aussprachel key word here is il1shallah ("God willing"). People do
lt ['msAlt] Belei,digung
.g-t~~m [,loQ'l3:m] langfristig
q!:,.e [mnsk] Moschee
reet 5th. [m'glekt]
oti~tion [nl,g;JuJi'elJ'n]
orking ['netw3:kIQ]
etw. vernachlässigen
Verhandlung
[Link] und -pflege
"It is important to understand
y ~b. [;:,'bel]
"[Link] loblr'geIJ'n]
jrTldm. gehorchen
Verpflichtung
that Islam is not just a
iged [<l'blald3dJ
tron ['peltr;:,n]
verpflichtet
SchirmherrCinl; hier:
Patriarch
religion but a social order" f

'Ne~ distance ['pau;:, ,drst;Jns] Machtdistanz

is~ Ca .I!.oint> [reiz] (einen Punkt> vorbringen
'eet 5th. [1'1 'd3ekt] etw. zurückweisen not have so much feal' of the future because they believe
nt~y clothed [,skrentIli 'kl;Juod] leicht bekleidet
that the future is not in their hands. Germans find it
le IS;Jul] Sohle
'Do!dinate [S<l'b:J:dm<lt] Untergebene(rl very difficult to understand this way of looking at
99~st 5th. [s;:,'d3est] etw. andeuten things. When Germans make plans, they start with the
El. ~_th. on [,terk 'on] etw. übernehmen idea that people can determine what happens in the
Le! ['to:gIt] Ziel(...orgabel
er no circumstances auf keinen Fall
future, while the Ara b will say, 'Tll do my best, but life
:xl;:, 'n;Ju ,s3:k<lmstrenslzl runs its own course." This helps to explain why Arabs
rapped [rrept] eingepackt tend to prefer quick results and practical solutions, ~

:'008 Business Spotlight 39

while Germans, who are oriented more to the long say that the importance of written contracts must t _
term, seek perfection. speeted. The Arabs have a saying that agreemenrs
Other key areas involve motivation and priorities. only valid until there are new insights.
The German tendency is to say that you must work In the Orient, emotional arguments can playa.
hard to reach goals, while the Ara b attitude is that hard jor role in decision-making. The Oriental side wil
work is important, but wark is not everything; the fam­ more in favour of showing status and prestige; m­
ily and social network require time and need to be agers are expected to show their wealth. Face-to-;
looked after. In fact, they have a higher priority. negotiating is vital for Arabs. The German side .
The German motivation is primarily to fulfil the look for precise formulations, while the Arabs pr
contract with the company. In the Arab world, the re­ global formulations.
lationship is not so much with the company as with the
manager. Again, loyalty to one's family and social net­ With all these fundamental differences, it sounds a
work is much stronger than to the company. So, we German-Arab cooperation is very difficult. How ca
have two conflicting attitudes. Another problem area is work?
that of negotiating. Typically, the German side will The key thing is to be aware of the differences, and ~~
you can seek solutions.
adapt to ~.!.'!.J;}'d~et] ..,_. sich <In et,w. anpassen
consultant [bn'sAlt;:>nt] <Unternehmens·JBerater(jnJ How important is it for business people from other c
contract"[;kontrrekt] , Vertrag tures to understand Islam?
face:to·fac~ [,fel St;'feTS] [Link]änlich
fulfil sth. [ful'fJl] etw. erfüllen
Ir is important to understand that Islam is not only a
insight ['InSalt] Erkenntnis ligion, but also a social order. 5ecularism is har::.
insura'nce [Jn'Ju;}pnsj Versicherung imaginable. The inf]uence of Islam goes far bey
inte~est['.J.r1tre~tJ, .~.0sen ethics; there are rules for everything in Islam, from b'~
negotiate_[m'g;}uJielt] verhandeln
[Link] [ni ,g;}oJi'eIJ'n] Verhandlung to death and also for business life.
pilg!"imag~ ['pllgrJImd3] Pilgerschaft The prayer times are an example of this. There .:.
primarilyJpral'mer;:>li] in erster Linie five prayer times each day. Four of these influence ~.
secul~ism ['~ekjubJn,z;}m] Säkularis;;'us
valid ['vrehd]
working day: in the morning, at midday, in the aft:­
gültig ..
withdraw from sth. sich von etw. zurückziehen noon and at sunset. It's best to avoid making appot .
[wlo'dr;): trAm] ments at these times; if you hold a meeting at one

40 Business Spotlight 1/2: .

 strictly kept apart. It even plays a role in greetings ­
a man doesn't give a woman his hand first.
Another point to consider is fasting during Ramadan.
'31: How to work more effectively with Arab As you are not permitted to eat during the hours of day­
.,;nad AI-Omari, How To Books, ISBN 1­ light, your business partners will not be physically in a
_- >~, [12.99 (currently out of print) position to carry on negotiations. Avoid setting delivery
-: ng Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times, Mar- dates during Ramadan, as it is a time when people
Jell, Intercultural Press, ISBN 978-1­ will withdraw from business activities. The same ap­
,.:'·3 $21.95 plies to the times of pilgrimage, when decision-makers
~ • ~igge für den Orient: Mit Kulturkompetenz may weil be away in Mecca. Banks need to respect that
~- -·=~·tJichem Erfolg, Sylvia Ortlieb, Bildung und paying interest is forbidden in Islam; this is taken very
;:~. ISBN 978-3-8214-7655-1, € 1 9.80* seriously in Saudi Arabia. As we don't have control
= :-:·m I\-! [Link] over the future, insurance has no role to play in Islamic
thinkingj this thinking also influences the attitude w­
wards service contracts. Of course, Arabs adapt w in­
,ews describes itself as "The Middle East's ternational business culture, but some of these funda­
- t:nglish Language Daily" newspaper: mental beliefs remain below the surface. I]l
'[Link]
--rabische Gesellschaft: [Link] ROBER 1 GJI\SON is {/n ilTtercultllral
col1sultant elf Siemens AG in M/mich
(wwu [Link]) al1d the author
: :.en people willleave the room or look im­
. ~,;.eir
watches.
of 111 teycultllral Business Com111unica­
tiOl1 (Cornelsel/, ISBN 978-3-8109­
- men and women in society is another fac­
3123-8, €13.95).
_':.i W be considered. In some conservative
Contact: gibson.1'Ob@[Link]
c:h as Saudi Arabia, men and women are

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