Contrasting Work Culture in Africa & Middle East & South Asia, by Dr. Safiullah Ozaki, PhD, is an important study on the factors that contribute to a dynamic economic development in developing countries. It is a timely reminder of how Western societies still interact with the cultures of the third world. What many people don’t realise is that Africa and Asia are experiencing a massive influx of highly educated workers who will impact positively or negatively on all aspects of their societies. This book shows us the need to critically examine the ways in which we can better understand the relationships between cultures and how this can impact positively on development.
The author shows us that the Western society has developed negative stereotypes about Africa and Asia. We all have a distorted perception of these societies. However, it is true that these cultures do have differences that need to be examined carefully. The author shows us that in addition to cultural differences there are also structural factors that need to be taken into consideration. This book will explain how the present day pressures of work, family, and other stresses affect the way people interact with each other.
Most people living in the West work in jobs that are dictated by a few unscrupulous companies that wish to exploit the poor working conditions available. In fact this scenario is so common that it is almost considered normal. Yet it is a myth that Africa and Asia are remote and inaccessible cultures that cannot compare to the standardised standards of the West. This book will explain that Africa and Asia are the key to opening up economic, social and cultural opportunities for all.
The author contends that the Western culture is generally blind to the differences between cultures and how they affect people. He argues that the Western culture has not properly analyzed the impact of cultural differences. In this manner, they are continuing to live in the ‘age of slavery’. They fail to see that slavery has left their societies with deep-seated problems that are not going to be solved with the same traditional, cookie-cutter solutions offered by the West. This book will chart the emergence of three distinctive African and Asian lifestyles that emerged against the backdrop of the Old World’s authoritarianism and neocolonialism.
It will be difficult for most people to understand the notion of difference when confronted with the multi-cultural traditions of these two regions. Yet the author strives to make the reader understand the significance of these dynamics. This book will deal with three key issues related to African cultures and their effects on working conditions. The first part focuses on slave labour, the second on the attitudes of the masses towards these communities and the third on the role of employers in providing work. These three issues form the basic framework of understanding contemporary African and Asian cultures.
The author traces the development of these three distinctive cultures through the evolution of modern business in Africa and the Middle East. The development of these industries came about at a time when there was very little else for any kind of businessman to do but work. Thus, as the demand for the products developed the role of employers also changed from being providers of ready made products to those who provided labour.
This insight offers us some important insights as we try to understand contemporary African and Asian cultures and the changes they have undergone. The author shows that while there were some genuine exceptions there has been a consistent tendency towards a form of compulsion that has substituted a free and open economy with a set of mutually dependent norms and rules. It is these norms and rules, mostly developed over the last century, that have combined to create what we know as the work culture that characterizes much of the workforce of the Middle East and Africa today. Such a regime based on individual accountability, flexible work hours and high levels of productivity has not only created great wealth for the individuals who have come to dominate the global labour market but has also led to huge improvements in the living standards of the people across these two regions.
By closely examining both the development of individual cultures and the changes that have occurred within nations, the author suggests that there is a rich possibility for turning the work culture of the Middle East and Africa into a model for the developing world. This perspective is particularly important as it is becoming increasingly apparent that both the pressures of rapid economic growth and the pressures of climate change are making the transition from traditional industries to more advanced sectors of the economy much more difficult. This will inevitably affect people in all parts of the world, regardless of their culture and the fact that this effect is already happening today in many places. Yet by offering an insight into the practices and beliefs behind the working patterns of these two regions, the author makes it possible for readers not only to understand why such constraints are being imposed on employees but also to see how they can be addressed. It is an important book which makes important and valid points about the future of work.