Conference Report on the AMSS Seminar on “Islamic Principles of Organizational Behavior”

Abstract

One of the most successful seminars held jointly this year by theAssociation of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS) and the International Instituteof Islamic Thought (IIIT) was the one on “Islamic Principles of organizationalBehavior” held in Herndon, Virginia, @fur 12-14, 1409/September 23-25,1988, and attended by 50 people. What contributed most to its success wasthe small manageable number of mostly specialized prokssionals, the shortnessof the speeches (none more than 20 minutes) and the humane schedule thatwas “on schedule” including ample free time for general conversation.The seminar was envisioned by Dr. AbulHamid AbiiSulaymzin, thePresident of AMSS, in his introductory remarks, as a step on the road tosimilar successive seminars worldwide. He viewed it as a way ”to help Muslimsocial scientists acquire the ability and adopt the scientific attitude whichwould enable them to effectively communicate with the contemporary world,”and as a means to undertake a “renewed . . . search for our mts and idealsthat have . . . been swept aside in many cases,” especially in the businesscommunity.In the opening session, Dr. Taha Al Alwani (President of IIIT), speakingin Arabic (rendered into English by Dr. Mona Abul Fadl), presented theframework for understanding the challenge that an “Islamic” OrganizationalBehavior Discipline poses. He delineated the relationship between culture,institutions, and civilization. “Culture,” he said, “provides the intangible matrix. . . which conditions the performance of institutions which, in turn, providethe scaffolding for civilization.” He warned against repeating the mistake ofthird world countries, and particularly Muslim countries, that still suffer fromtheir “misreading or misconstruing the relationship between cultures andinstitutions.” He noted that Muslims do not need to look to Western expertsfor the “values deemed favorable for the performance of a model administrationbecause “our cultural heritage” provides “the ideals and the values whichare necessary for a competent and effective, as well as humane and ethical,administration.” He said, “our heritage provided the models for implementingthese ideals and values in changing situations.” Dr. Al Alwani offered theguidelines of the agenda of the Islamization of Knowledge developed by theIIIT as the environment in which they will develop scholarship and practicalorientation in the field of organizational behavior ...