Diversity in Saudi Arabia

Diversity in Organizations of Saudi Arabia

Contents

Introduction1

Issues of working women in Saudi Arabia1

Disabled people in the organizations2

Challenges for the organizations in Saudi Arabia3

Communication Style3

Relationships3

Attitude to time3

Hierarchy4

Diversity of nationalities at organizations in Saudi Arabia4

Importance of diversity in organizations from HR point of view4

Advantages of diversity in organization5

Theoretical concepts and/or management tools7

Managing diversity in organizations9

Conclusion10

References12

Introduction

This assignment will identify the nature and the practices of human resource management in a diverse country such as Saudi Arabia. The role of human resource management will be evaluated in the organizations which are operating in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, what theories are being applied by those organizations given the diverse culture of Saudi Arabia? How the human resource department develops its goal and objectives and deal with the recruitment issues of females and disabled persons. What challenges are being faced by human resource departments of the organizations and the legal implications of the issues in Saudi Arabia has been discussed. The following paragraphs will explain the nature and practices of human resource departments of organizations in Saudi Arabia.

Issues of working women in Saudi Arabia

The rights of women in Saudi Arabia are defined by Islam and tribal customs. According to the Islamic culture, it is forbidden for women in Saudi Arabia to go out their houses without covering their faces. All women, irrespective of their age, are required to chaperone by a male guardian. Women in Saudi Arabia cannot vote or take high government positions. However, King Abdullah has said that women will be able to vote and run for election candidates in the elections of 2015. In Saudi Arabia, women are even not allowed to drive. According to the current figures only 21% of the women in Saudi Arabia are working which constitutes 16% of the overall workforce of Saudi Arabia. The women rate of unemployment in Saudi Arabia is 36 per cent. The western lifestyle is not like by the people of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, organizations have serious ponder over this issue and make diversity happen in their organizations. Organizations should first understand and analyze the culture of national organizations which are operating in the country. Then the international organizations need to apply the same culture in their organizations so that they can successfully carry on their business in Saudi Arabia.

There are various organizations in Saudi Arabia which discourage the working of women in organizations. It is because the culture of Saudi Arabia is very conservative and nobody is allowed to transgress the laws which are established for the people by the government(Bjerke and Meer, 1993). Women also face multitude of problems in their professional career. In Saudi Arabia women are not allowed to leave their houses and go outside for jobs. They are required to wear veil whenever they want to go out. Therefore, the issue of diversity has become very important in Saudi Arabia to eradicate any type of prejudice and discrimination at the work place.

Disabled people in the organizations

There are more than 183,000 disabled persons registered in the Saudi ...