Background To Business in Saudi Arabia

Western business culture makes a strong separation between work and religious belief. Even very devout Christians would be loath to invoke divine scriptures or mention the will of God in a typical business encounter.

However, when doing business in Saudi Arabia (and elsewhere in the Gulf), it is important to bear in mind the all-pervasive nature of the influence of Islam.

Life – and business as an important aspect of life – are governed by the prescriptive tenets of a religion which forms the backdrop to society. Nothing happens which has not been willed by God. If a deal comes off it is due to the will of God, if it fails it was not meant to be. Thus, a sense of fatalism and a resulting lack of urgency are often quoted by business people from non-Islamic cultures as being the over-riding impressions of a trip to Saudi. The oft-quoted Arabic phrase, ‘In Sha Allah’ (if God wills it) represents a deeply rooted belief in the unending activity of a Supreme Being, rather than an excuse for inactivity or lack of motivation.

The observance of religious ritual takes precedence over all other aspects of life and prayer punctuates the business day. Meetings’ discourse contains numerous references to God and His Prophet Mohammed and offices display numerous Koranic texts.

Do not underestimate the deep conviction of your Saudi contacts and do not imagine that reference to religion is in any way a ploy or insincere.

Author

This country-specific business culture profile was written by Keith Warburton who is the founder of the cultural awareness training consultancy Global Business Culture. 

Global Business culture is a leading training provider in the fields of cross-cultural communication and global virtual team working.  We provide training to global corporations in live classroom-based formats, through webinars and also through our cultural awareness digital learning hub, Global Business Compass.

This World Business Culture profile is designed as an introduction to business culture in Saudi Arabia only and a more detailed understanding needs a more in-depth exploration which we can provide through our training and consultancy services.