Team-Building Skills How well are Arab workers skilled in working with teams that include diverse members from different cultures and nationalities? Studies indicate that Arab workers, in general, are more comfortable working with people with whom they share lots of commonalities, such as lan- guage or nationality. But today, that is insufficient; busi- ness requires people to work with others who come from many different backgrounds. Working effectively in teams is a skill that direly needs to be developed among Arab workers. The inability to work as part of a team is causing people to leave their jobs and causing compa- nies to lose millions of dollars in employee turnover. Mark Andrews, MENA regional director for Edexcel, said that, "Attitude and in-work behaviors play a crucial role in building a long term relationship between employees and employers. Key skill gaps exist in the areas of lead- ership, teamwork, innovation and creativity." Among the other skills that were found lacking is the ability to resolve conflict in a team environment. Ho mobily Personal Business Mobile Plans *Services *News & Entertainment Roaming Internation implementing their operational responsibilities." Such emphasis on teamwork has helped the company become one of the leading telecommunication companies in the region. Many companies in the Arab region have under- stood this problem and are taking measures to overcome it. The Saudi telecommunication company, Mobily, was the first company to receive the Dale Carnegie "Leadership Award" in HR. Among the reasons for such an award were Mobily's ability to instill a culture based on values of openness, respect, energy, and progressiveness. Mobily was credited for its ability to foster an environ- ment of teamwork and a unified culture that governed their business operations. In its annual report, Mobily was very clear in the importance of teamwork for its suc- cess: "Management experts often stress the value of 'teamwork,' but at Mobily we go a step further: we are a 'family' where members work together, help each other, and share a common goal. More than any single factor, this deep-rooted culture of cooperation and mutual support has contributed to the outstanding progress that Mobily has made in a relatively short space of time. Our people feel they belong; they feel appreciated; and consequently they are committed to successfully Discussion Questions 1. Do you agree with the notion that teamwork in Arab companies is more challenging? Explain. 2. How can managers improve the effectiveness of their teams in Arab contexts? 3. Can you think of other examples of Arab companies where teamwork has become a virtue? Explain. Source: "Conference in Bahrain stresses need for retaining employees at workplace," http://www.ameinfo.com/188735. html, April 7, 2010; "Mobily 1st Arab firm to get Dale Carnegie "Leadership Award' in HR," http://www.entrepreneur.com/ trade-journals/article/195705411.html, March 16, 2009; K.O. AI Kaf. Mobily 2006 annual report, http://www.mobily.com.sz, 2006.