The Palestinian Executive: Leadership Under Challenging Conditions

Citation

Bailie, H.T. (2013), "The Palestinian Executive: Leadership Under Challenging Conditions", Competitiveness Review, Vol. 23 No. 4/5, pp. 430-432. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-04-2013-0038

The Palestinian Executive: Leadership Under Challenging Conditions discusses the successful leadership styles of executives and managers living in a turbulent and conflicted region of the world. Using both an empirical and eclectic approach to their research, Farid A. Muna and Grace C. Khoury provide an insightful and informative view of the Palestinian business world, addressing the impact of culture, politics, and economy on the business environment and on its business leaders.

Farid A. Muna holds degrees from University of California at Berkeley and the London Business School, University of London. He is currently Chairman of Meirc Training and Consulting. His interests lie in leadership, strategic thinking and planning, and human resource management. Aside from having published articles on the above topics, Muna is the author of Seven Metaphors on Management: Tools for Managers in the Arab Word and the co‐author of Developing Multicultural Leaders: The Journey to Leadership Success.

Grace C. Khoury is Director of the MBA program at Birzeit University, Palestine. She holds degrees from Suffolk University, Boston and Bradford University, UK. She is founder of the Grace Consulting Group that provides consulting services to private, governmental, and non‐profit organizations. She has published articles on leadership, entrepreneurship, performance appraisal, and stress management and is co‐editor of the book, Rising to the Digital Challenge: Lesson from Mediterranean Enterprises.

In the introduction to The Palestinian Executive: Leadership Under Challenging Conditions, Muna and Khoury discuss the shift from the “universal” school of thought that has advocated business managerial styles and leadership from a Western perspective to the acknowledgement that culture and context do impact leadership styles and practices. Following the introduction the book is divided into four parts: “Palestine: A Challenging Context”; “Leadership Styles”; “Journey to Leadership Success”; and “Final Thoughts.”

Part one, “Palestine: A Challenging Context,” looks at the need for managers and executives to understand the culture and context of doing business in Palestine. This includes a knowledge of business styles, such as the paternalistic management style and personalized approach. It goes on to discuss the business environment and the challenges entrepreneurs face in regards to the obstruction of internal commerce, the limits of economic interactions, and the role of information technology on facilitating communication in business organizations. Part one concludes with a look at how the social environment influences the business environment, including the pressures of cronyism, favouritism, and nepotism, and the cultural challenges faced by entrepreneurs and leaders.

Part two, “Leadership Styles,” which a broader range of topics than the other sections, begins by referencing Henry Mintzberg's delineation of ten managerial roles with the intention of comparing how 110 Palestinian executives view their own roles both inside and outside their companies. While most of the roles seem to be universal, there are differences in how Palestinian executives are required to help their employees solve personal problems and the paternalistic roles expected of executives. In the section on the role of Palestinian women in management, Muna and Khoury state that while only 16.7 percent of the labor force are women, higher education for both sons and daughters is considered essential. While women make up a certain percentage of faculties in universities and are members of the Palestinian cabinet, the authors also point out that, because of certain cultural and social restrictions, women do not have the same freedoms or opportunities in the business world. Some of the difficulties highlighted by women in managerial positions were: completing advanced degrees while running household, junior male managers' refusals to accept them as their managers, and the lack of acceptance in the “old boys' club”.

Other topics covered in part two are the importance of time to executives and the factors that work against it, such as the social demands that go hand in hand with Palestinian executives' paternalistic roles and government bureaucracy. This is followed by a discussion of decision‐making styles including the “autocratic‐consultative” style most commonly used by executives. Some of the reasons outlined for this particular style are largely cultural and are reflected in the employees' expectations that leaders should make the decisions, the need for leaders to take calculated risks, the lack of multicultural employees, and the employees' trust in their executives. Part two ends with a segment on what motivates the Palestinian executive and reaches the conclusion that early childhood and conditions during adulthood have been prime factors in motivating successful leaders.

Part three, “Journey to Leadership Success,” looks at the “ingredients” needed to be a successful leader and entrepreneur in Palestine. It begins by reviewing the differences between managers and leaders and concludes that the attributes of both are needed to run a successful business. When executives were asked, “what were the factors, people or events that contributed to your success?” in the context of living in a troubled and turbulent region, the responses came down to four factors: being imprisoned or having a relation imprisoned or deported for political reasons, role models, the influence of a parent, and luck. The section is followed by a discussion of the elements that make up leadership success including: self‐development, early responsibility, exposure and role models, quality of education, and ethics and values. Finally, the importance of three types of training is stressed: management and leadership, specialized technical courses, and attending and participating in conferences and trade exhibitions.

The Palestinian Executive: Leadership Under Challenging Conditions ends with suggestions for further research and three appendices. Appendix A traces in more detail the move from universal leadership practices to a multicultural approach; Appendix B covers the methodology and statistical analysis used in the research; and, Appendix C contains the questionnaires sent to executives.

As there is a dearth of research on the subject of business leaders in Palestine, this book gives much needed insight into leadership practices in the Palestinian business world. The book is enhanced throughout with substantive quotes from 110 Palestinian executives who speak on a personal level about the challenges of conducting business in the region and developing strategies and management styles that accord with the culture and that motivate their employees. The Palestinian Executive: Leadership Under Challenging Conditions is essential reading for executives and managers and students who would like to gain a critical understanding of how culture, economics, and politics impact business in Palestine.