Emiratisation : an assessment of intercultural realities

Abstract

This research undertook to examine those obstacles which prevented organisations in Abu Dhabi from complying with the aims of the UAE government's Emiratisation initiative: that of strategic employment for UAE nationals and transfer of knowledge from the incumbent senior management, primarily of Western origin.

Research into the psycho-social barriers to knowledge creation and transfer used a multiple method and multi-disciplinary approach to examine the varying levels of need for cognition, requirements of `high care' and frames of reference of male UAE nationals and male Western expatriates.

The findings are summarised in a model which is reflective of the cultural values and social perceptions, and which aims to enable cross-cultural knowledge exchange in Abu Dhabi. The application of the model is designed to facilitate those common elements of `high care' expectation in organisations alongside those management initiatives which promote knowledge exchange, thus enabling organisational compliance with the government labour regulations and ultimately the strategic goals of the Emiratisation initiative.