We talked about the company's business development in the Arab world, where they have a 100% owned developing company in Dubai which is run by Abdulla, a man with both Syrian and Egyptian heritage. Over time, they have developed on other markets such as Pakistan and Libya to name two of their most spectacular Arab markets.
To be perfectly honest I didn´t think that they would continue their project into the Tunisian market, given the crisis at this time. Positively, I was wrong. Their strategy is long term in which they invest as much and quickly (read slowly) and it does not matter if it is during a crisis time or during a boom. The Arab world has become a very important part in their business development.
For a long time, they have a distributor in Tunisia which is a well-known and powerful businessman. The problem with the distributor is that he has a production in the same category of products.
My job consisted of finding other potential distributors, and to make a smaller market analysis. I had a well thought out list of demands that they searched among potential distributors.
For me, the personal characteristics are extremely important because it is very difficult to find someone who understands the straight communication that we Scandinavians have. So at the top of my list was personality and then came other characteristics.
The next time I met Lars was in Tunisia with Abdulla. They had received a list of 10 alternative distributors. The list consisted of both powerful and well-known businessmen and less well-known businessmen / women, but which could offer good contacts, financial strength, and had businesses on the rise. The major difference between these categories was their involvement in a new business. Anyone who has a lot of business going on is not being equally involved in a new project or hungry for more success.
We started working on the visiting program and it was now that I discovered something very exciting. I have become more Arabic in my way of navigating among North African businessmen than I was previously aware of. In all the situations that arose during those days we worked together I, Lars and Abdulla, it was mostly Abdulla and I who thought and acted alike.
Lars has a huge experience in different parts of the world and especially of work in the Arab world which is evident, while Abdulla has worked more or less his entire life within the company. He has become more Scandinavian in his way of thinking and approach.
The situations that arose could be simple things such as complains to the receptionist in the hotel, where I was more humble in my complaint with several words and smiles while Lars complained gross. Or when we met their existing distributor who had made up his strategy, where a dinner with avoidance of business discussions were included. Then Lars went straight to the point and talked about what they were not satisfied with and the distributor responded with a story to get out of the real issue. Finally, we were invited to his office the day after. In the office, he was very well prepared. In both these meetings,
I had to translate, but sometimes it felt weird because I expressed myself differently. When I thought I could not translate exactly the right way, I said that I do not really understand, and asked Abdulla to explain directly in Arabic.
For discussion and analysis of the potential new candidates that we visited, maybe Abdulla and I were a bit more careful in our judgments because we know that it is only the time and contact with the individual business man that will show 1) their commitment 2) their ability to understand the straight foward Scandinavian communication 3) what was just "talk" and what was really the substance, etc.
I also noticed how Abdulla, in turn, was much more straightforward in his way than most Arabs I have encountered. I want the reader to notice that I in no way have entered values but that this is just about responding differently. For an Arab, it is extremely impolite to be too straight forward in certain contexts where you can hurt the other person.
The experience with Lars and Abdulla I believe was one of the more interesting in my time as a consultant because it clarifies the context such as:
- that I have become accustomed to a way to communicate to assume that I am either or!
- that it is difficult for someone that have not directly lived in a family with other cultural patterns to really understand what is applicable. Although Lars has many years of experience with long business relationships in this culture he has not been as shaped like me who lived so intimately with the culture. Lars adapt their communication and while I think and is Arabic.
- how exciting and successful collaboration can be with two people like Lars and Abdulla who have learned and become accustomed to each others' cultural language and mentality.
- the importance of having the right partners to get into this for us very special culture and mentality.
The success in the Arab world for this Scandinavian multinational company is clearly Lars and Abdullas ability to adapt. But still, in certain situations to understand the importance and need of someone who is both and either or ...