The Ministry of Culture of KSA has a central role in fulfilling the three main pillars of Vision 2030: helping to create a dynamic society, a thriving economy and an ambitious nation. Thus, the work of the organization should be aimed at the universal implementation of these three pillars. In addition, the vision of the organization of the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia is to promote the flourishing of culture and art throughout the country.
The Ministry sees the goals of art and culture in enriching life, celebrating national identity, and strengthening mutual understanding between citizens. In reality, the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia is, indeed, focused on the development of culture and art. The organization tries to promote various cultural exchange programs, while remaining true to its rich heritage. In addition, the Ministry of Culture organizes various youth events, such as exhibitions and concerts. For example, in 2020, the organization held an exhibition dedicated to Arabic calligraphy murals. Such events contribute to the promotion and development of cultural values among modern youth.
When creating the Ministry of Culture, one of the tasks was to preserve Saudi culture and ensure that its unique value is understood. To achieve this goal, many cultural and historical events have been held by 2021. The organization held various exhibitions dedicated to art and historical memory of the country. Also, the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah was planned for 2020, the purpose of which was to showcase the national cinema.
This festival was the first for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and demonstrated good results; the second festival is already planned for 2021. In other words, the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia is making every effort to fulfill the tasks stated at the very beginning. As of 2018, there were no art or cultural exhibitions in the country, no film festivals, and virtually no modern museums. By 2021, it is clear that the state has begun to pay much more attention to cultural programs and events, which has a positive effect on the image of Saudi Arabia.
However, it is noticeable that by 2021, the organization was not able to successfully fulfill all the goals and objectives. Thus, at the moment, only two of the many programs announced are actually functioning. For example, the Fashion Incubation Program, which was created to attract Saudis to the fashion of Saudi Arabia and its history, is now closed. Programs dedicated to national culture, art, and folklore are also no longer available. There are many reasons why cultural and historical programs have not worked for a long time. The lack of focus on management and advertising has led to few people applying for the programs.
Initially, the Ministry of Culture identified sixteen sub-sectors to focus on. These sub-sectors included heritage, cultural festivals, and events, cinema, literature, museums, fashion, etcetera. It was this broad focus of tasks that led to the fact that the organization could not pay enough attention to each of them. Thus, the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia should have taken a more careful approach to management in order to ensure the efficient operation of each sector.
The Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia has set many different objectives, plans, and goals. To achieve all of these, sixteen sub-sectors were created, which were to be managed by eleven bodies. However, using the example of Apple, it becomes evident that this method of management is not effective.
Apple believes that experts should manage the sectors in which their expertise manifests itself (Podolny & Hansen, 2020). Apple proves that the presence of experts has a positive impact on the work of the organization, as they understand what details are important and can efficiently manage the department. Thus, the organization ensures the quality of management of all existing sectors and departments. The sub-sector responsible for the development of historical museums should be managed by experts in this field. The fashion program in Saudi Arabia was managed by the cultural department, which was focused more on the development of this particular aspect rather than the fashion industry.
Moreover, the quality of a leader who manages a particular department should also have a positive impact on effective work. It is leadership qualities that lead companies to success and enable them to complete all the set tasks (Goleman, 2000). Thus, the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia needs to have leaders who will effectively manage the committees and sectors. A leader should be able to focus on achieving a common goal rather than personal objectives (Morriss et al., 2012).
By prioritizing people and society, a leader is able to achieve successful results. Similarly, in the Ministry of Culture’s work, the priority should be the prosperity of the entire Saudi society and culture rather than the organization’s personal goals. Thus, the Ministry of Culture should accept leaders with special qualities to achieve all the objectives. These leaders will be able to guide the Ministry in the right direction and ensure successful operation.
Another reason for the closure of many cultural and educational programs in Saudi Arabia is the COVID-19 epidemic. The pandemic certainly had a special impact on the development of the Ministry of Culture and caused inconveniences for its operation.
However, organizations should be prepared for such unforeseen circumstances that may make it difficult to work (Suarez, 2020). Therefore, the management of the organization should teach its employees to improvise and work effectively under the pressure of such events. Another reason for not completing the tasks set is the lack of a systematic view of the problems. As mentioned earlier, the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia identified sixteen sub-sectors to focus on. However, the systems view allows organizations to approach their tasks more comprehensively (Brown, 2008). This approach is able to reduce the number of sub-sectors, which will lead to their successful functioning and the implementation of objectives.
Thus, all the goals and targets set by the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia at the initial stage were not met by 2021. The organization has managed to create various cultural programs, festivals, and events that contribute to the development of the country and the preservation of its heritage. However, factors such as poor management and the coronavirus pandemic have hindered the development of the Ministry. In order to continue to work effectively, the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia should first improve the quality of management. There are also a number of ways to close the gap between the objectives and visions of the Ministry in 2018 and 2021. Training new leaders as well as acquiring skills to work in unexpected circumstances might greatly benefit the organization in the future.
References
Brown, T. (2008). Design thinking. Harvard business review, 86(6), 84.
Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review, 78(2), 78-90.
Morriss, A., Ely, R. J., & Frei, F. X. (2012). Stop holding yourself back. Contemporary Issues in Leadership, 3.
Podolny, J. M., & Hansen, M. T. (2020). How apple is organized for innovation. Harvard Business Review, 98(6), 86-95.
Suarez, F. F., & Montes, J. S. (2020). Building Organizational Resilience. Harvard Business Review, 98(6), 47-52.