Saudiization and job performance: opportunities and constraints in the management of Saudi national employees in the public sector

Alsarhani, Khaled (2005) Saudiization and job performance: opportunities and constraints in the management of Saudi national employees in the public sector. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This study aims to develop an in-depth understanding of the policy of Saudiization, situating it within its real-life context in the Saudi public sector. The purpose is to evaluate critically how national culture-based programmes like Saudiization, infused as they are with universalistic assumptions, can affect organisations, focusing specifically on their impact upon job performance and organisational effectiveness. Adopting an holistic and integrative approach, Saudiization is examined, both in process and content terms, and from different dimensions (strategic, cultural, organisational, and managerial).Within each dimension, related literature is critically reviewed to guide the discussion and frame the investigation of the linkage between Saudiization and job performance.

The main findings reveal the reality of Saudi society and work organizations to be diverse, yet neglected in policy deliberations. There are cultural differences, diversities and contradictions within Saudi society and organisations, despite commonalities and similarities at the macro level. These differences and diversities have been found to influence work-related values, attitudes, behaviour, relationships and practices significantly, making the link between national culture, organisational culture and job performance more complex than predicted through Saudiization and in previous studies. The failure to recognize this diversity and complexity limits the potential of Saudiization, and in some areas detracts from the stated aim of improving job performance and organisational effectiveness.

Taken together, the theoretical and empirical sections of this thesis provide a more compelling and realistic picture of the cultural diversities within Saudi society and organisations, counteracting the influence of narrow yet popular accounts of homogeneity. Pluralist thinking is incorporated to provide a better understanding of the complex link between organisational culture and job performance and to highlight the pitfalls of the crossvergence perspective when examining the link between national culture and local management practices. The crossvergence perspective tends to omit intra-cultural differences and subcultures, implying that management values and practices are culture or country-specific.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management; H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Supervisor's Name: Beirne, Dr. Martin and Wilson, Prof. Fiona
• Date of Award: 2005
• Depositing User: Mr Toby Hanning
• Unique ID: glathesis:2005-1543
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 16 Feb 2010
• Last Modified: 10 Dec 2012 13:42
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/1543