Introduction
The article shows that the Arab Gulf culturally endorses Implicit Leadership Theory. They prefer charismatic-value based, self-protective, and considerate leaders. Arabs prefer integrity, competence, diplomacy, inspirational skills, future and performance oriented in leadership. The article further reinforces the importance of skills, education, and inspirational skills in leadership. The Implicit Leadership Theory notes that autocratic leadership style inhibits success.
Arab employees and supporting their leaders
Arab Gulf regions are proud of their environment and history more than their present and future. It is nearly impossible to gain their commitments to support long-term goals. Future and performance oriented leader who gets the support of the staff in implementing long term plans is more likely to succeed than other leaders.
Arab Gulf successful leaders need exceptional skills so that they can accommodate untraditional work values without rejection by their traditional societies. The leader must play dual roles of work and social leader for their success. Leaders need teamwork and diplomatic skills to implement their decisions. The social leadership enables the leader to adopt leadership styles and values that do not match the local culture but must transform it to desirable ones, and equally sell their values to the traditional oriented-employees.
Performance-oriented leaders require precision, objectivity, accountability, impartiality, and non-discrimination. A Leader who follows these ideals of performance will alienate employees and provoke resistance. The social culture considers getting along more valuable than getting ahead. A leader will find it hard to support competency, and instead support loyal staff. Leaders need the support of loyal people to support their decision-making processes (Abdalla & Al-Homoud 523).
Values of a leader’s success such as team work, integration, and collaboration require the leader to rise above the organizational in-grouping and out-grouping. This is a challenge in the Arab region. Leaders who rise above these groupings face a lot of external pressure and failure. Arab world has deeply rooted tribal values in economic, social, political lives which significantly affect the spirit of teamwork and values not supported by in-groupings. Leaders tend to support in-group goals, favouritism, nepotism, personal goals instead of supporting contractual relationship of the employees to their organisations. Leaders who embrace performance orientation and impartiality with limited tribal affiliations are likely to employees’ resistance when it comes to decision-making processes (Abdalla & Al-Homoud 524).
Successful leaders balance their leadership skills by diplomacy towards employees. Diplomacy may help leaders have their way with little resistance. For a success to happen, leaders may need to support their courage and diplomacy approach to strong and influential social network orientations. Networks give the leader the power he needs to overcome challenges of resistance from subordinates.
Arabs do not like negative feedbacks. They take such feedbacks so personal to the extent of even withdrawing from the job. Leaders and peers in Arab Gulf take the employees’ happiness with acceptance of them as persons and rarely confront them with negative feedback. Leaders do not do this to avoid confronting employees so as to preserve interpersonal relationship (Abdalla & Al-Homoud 528).
Conclusion
Arab Gulf believes that autocratic and nonparticipation leadership styles are the causes of leadership failures. They suggest that leaders should use diplomacy for their future success. Leaders who adopt a participatory approach in Arab Gulf must consult widely for their success. Self-reliance in Arab world is like deserting a group.
Work Cited
Ikhlas, Abdalla, and Al-Homoud, Moudi. “Exploring the Implicit Leadership Theory in the Arabian Gulf States.” Applied Psychology: An International Review 50.4 (2001): 523-528. Web.