At present, Emiratis, as the indigenous population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), are leading the city, whereas the situation in the business world requires changes in this area. From the perspective of profitability, the companies’ success is significantly conditional upon the offer of products or services reflecting all customers’ cultural values and norms. Since the country is presented by people of various nationalities, the sole focus on Emiratis will be disadvantageous for business. In this case, the sustainable development of such enterprises as the Emirates Group depends on the inclusion of all folkways and mores into their daily operations to satisfy the demand. In turn, the orientation of a single population group will indicate the possible dissatisfaction of others, leading to financial losses.
It is clear that the role of Emiratis in ruling the country should not be underestimated, but the needs of enterprises are vital as well. Hence, a compromise between these minorities’ influence on business activity and a variety of perceptions of Arabian, Arabic, and Islamic peoples is required to ensure the prosperity of the region in the long run (Cheon, 2019). For this, thinking about nationalities as categories of citizens with specific needs but equal rights will be beneficial for large companies in the UAE hiring workers with differences in class consciousness in contrast to ethnocentrism.
The integration of 160 nationalities into one corporation implies both challenges and opportunities, and their consideration allows for predicting the outcomes of their operations. In the case of the Emirates Group, the former are connected to the problems of communication and information exchange within the organization. The reason for it is the complicated relations between leaders and group members explained by varying attitudes to essential concepts such as religious beliefs or the perceptions of masculinity and femininity (Chernyak-Hai & Rabenu, 2018).
They are complemented by individualism and collectivism typical for one or another group. These factors should be addressed through the promotion of a sense of empowerment, motivation, and emotional support (Chernyak-Hai & Rabenu, 2018). Therefore, the diversity of employees in the workplace primarily affects their capabilities to share essential data.
Alongside the specified obstacles to successful cooperation characterizing the situation in the Emirates Group, a multinational environment creates numerous opportunities for both personal growth and companies development. The former is related to the impact of one’s interaction with representatives of dominant nationalities on the acquisition of cross-cultural literacy, whereas the latter directly affects the profits through enhanced cooperation (Chernyak-Hai & Rabenu, 2018). Thus, a diverse workforce positively correlates with high chances for career promotion for employees at all levels and the improvement of the business’s financial indicators.
Living in a city with such a variety of people as Dubai implies regular encounters with local residents from different social strata and castes as well as foreigners who come there to work. From this point of view, assimilation with citizens of the same origin and nationality will deprive me of the invaluable experience I could receive when dealing with members of cultural groups. Therefore, I would prefer trying to integrate into the overall community of all people to learn more about their values, norms, and traditions. This decision will allow me to acquire skills and abilities to facilitate communication in any multinational environment in the future.
What is more important, the time spent with representatives of various populations will contribute to my professional growth. While working together with employees for a company distinguished by the existence of conflicting opinions, I will be able to learn how to manage difficult situations of a similar nature and find compromises when needed. In this way, the intention to cooperate with workers regardless of their personal characteristics, specifically their origin and nationality, will be advantageous for me as a specialist. Therefore, if I had an opportunity to live in this place, I would definitely communicate with all categories of citizens.
The development of Dubai as a world-class location might result in increased foreign workers’ stay. However, in order to achieve this outcome, it is necessary to ensure that the needs of these people are efficiently addressed. Currently, the dynamics of their residence are slightly different than ten years ago, but this situation is worsened by the issues employees face when arriving in the UAE. As follows from the case study, the main problem is the breach of human rights due to extremely low payment rates for migrant workers. Even though the companies promise to change their policies, their actions have not contributed to any improvements yet.
Another aspect of the matter is cultural specificities, which are exacerbated by the government’s particular attention to Emiratis compared to other population groups. This fact allows a conclusion on the preference of minorities in the recruitment process while neglecting more qualified professionals among expatriate employees suitable for the jobs (Waxin, Lindsay, Belkhodja, & Zhao, 2018). When complemented by the uneven social distribution and relatively low social mobility in the context of a rapidly growing market, the choice of foreign workers to leave the country in several years seems reasonable. From the perspective of uncertainty avoidance and unacceptable power distance, the shift in the trend is possible only after mitigating the described risks.
References
Cheon, B. K. (2019). The diversity of cultural diversity: Psychological consequences of different patterns of intercultural contact and mixing. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 22(1), 93-105. Web.
Chernyak-Hai, L., & Rabenu, E. (2018). The new era of workplace relationships: Is social exchange theory still relevant?. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 11(3), 456-481. Web.
Waxin, M. F., Lindsay, V., Belkhodja, O., & Zhao, F. (2018). Workforce localization in the UAE: Recruitment and selection challenges and practices in private and public organizations. The Journal of Developing Areas, 52(4), 99-113. Web.