Communication at Work

COMMUNICATION AT WORK

Overview
Communication in this culture is much more indirect than the west and you can never take anything or anyone at face value until you know who and what you are dealing with. As a matter of course you have to be very wary of people’s motives. The whole culture runs on behind-the-scenes networks and information is often distorted. You come to realize that 'reality' and the 'facts' vary according to who you talk to. Communication in this culture is hierarchical and generally speaking what is appropriate is extremely tight and ridiculously so by western standards.

Who you know
The whole place runs on groups and cronies reporting up and down the hierarchy and information networks. It is very much a case of who you know and it is a relationship centric culture. We reported to one person on a day to day basis and in retrospect this was a huge mistake as this person had far too much responsibility and say; and he was part of a faction. If you find yourself in this situation it is very important to network with key people beyond and above your supervisor and his faction.

Relationship centric culture
The multi-tiered management structure and relationship centric approach was reflected in the team which was a hierarchy and whether you had influence or not really depended on your place in the hierarchy. A lot of things were pre-empted by this way of operating and professional approaches were essentially undermined.

Guarded formal communication
In this culture people stand when the most senior managers enter meetings and when they are present the meeting is about their views and you are there to listen, rather than contribute no matter how senior you are. Initially you notice how meetings are strangely quiet and how careful people are around superiors. Every conversation with someone in a position of authority is a protocol right down to your body language which should be formal and respectful. If you are naturally more open and egalitarian you will need to be guarded and contained. Generally speaking you will be operating in a tightly constrained environment with micro margins of error regarding what is acceptable. To western sensibilities this is taken to a ridiculous extent. Every communication can be a liability and it is a risk to get too familiar with colleagues either at or outside work. Be very cautious of those who offer to help you…they may be genuine or they may be sounding you out. This is a particular aspect of the culture and you may come up against some self-serving individuals and factions. The most casual 'how are you finding it' conversations get back to management. To compare notes about work with other colleagues is a real risk. If management ask you about co-workers do not give anything away because even a casual question may not be what it seems which is another aspect of the culture. To talk about anyone in a position of authority is inadvisable. Generally you are not free to speak. This is particularly the case if you work, live and socialise with colleagues and you will be absolutely amazed at what gets back.

Communication & key people
Communication and participation with a large team was dependent on key people and if they went away or there was a halt or hiatus in the project (such as the peak of summer and Ramadan), communication just stopped. 'You weren't told and you weren't included' was a real issue and I don’t know how many time colleagues asked me what was going on. They have absolutely no idea of how to communicate via systems and ‘the system’ is individuals. They are particularly poor with correspondence which they don’t see they need to acknowledge or discuss but they are very particular about how you communicate with them. This is one of the classic double standards you are faced with when you work in the Middle East.

Eyes and ears everywhere – how they get information
There was complete reliance on a few managers or trusted senior staff liaising between the most senior management and the rest of the team. Colleagues were also used as quasi-managers, without the team being told. Likewise people that sit near the team may be watching and reporting back, without the team's knowledge. This was a particular feature of the Middle East – eyes and ears everywhere, which we were warned about. However, they would never tell you who their sources were. This was seriously flawed because colleagues and factions could undermine others without being exposed or challenged. Under this system it was easy to tell outright lies and set people up. Since information networks were strictly covert and only a handful of key people regularly liaised with senior management or had their 'ear', the views decision makers developed of situations were skewed.

Reliability and credibility of information
The fundamental problem with the reliability and credibility of information in this environment is the top down hierarchy which relies on selective lines of communication and information. If a team of experienced staff cannot agree about what instruction they were given or meeting minutes as happened on different occasions, then the credibility of professional and personal 'opinions', 'claims' and 'hearsay' is worthless. On top of the so called 'facts' these comments require some degree of interpretation and you hear very different 'interpretations' or suspiciously similar opinions along factional lines. You had to be careful and check.

Things may not be as they seem
Over a period of time you will be told things (and often not) but you will also begin to notice gaps between what you're told and what actually happens. What you come to realise is the 'system' runs on relationships, information networks and factions and this is exacerbated by the viewpoints of different cultures and backgrounds. You will come to realise you need to be on your guard in this environment at all times because things may not be as they seem or as you are told and the best protection is the safety of the group or not revealing your hand. The public face and explanation (if you get one) may mask a different reality behind the scenes.