Impact of National Culture on the Management Practices of Construction Projects in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Culture plays an important role in Arab Middle East society. Its unique historical, social, and religious traditions require special attention to cultural traits in the exercise of authority, control, and interaction. However, little research has investigated the effects of national culture on the management practices of construction companies. This research investigates this relationship through a questionnaire survey and interviews of a sample of construction companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It solicits views about the type of and experiences concerning the effect of the key national and cultural dimensions on adopted management practices. The research demonstrates that construction companies within the UAE construction industry have developed and adopted a unique management style that is a mixture of Western and Eastern management applications. These companies have primarily adopted a clan culture that emphasizes the development of human resources, flexibility, decentralization, teamwork, consensus decision making, and information sharing.