Cross Cultural Perspectives of Expatriate Managers Working in Egypt

Abstract

This study focuses on western managers of organizations doing business in Egypt, and examines their perspectives on the interface between them and Egyptian culture, within an organizational framework. The research was carried out through a mailed questionnaire survey sent to foreign managers of organizations doing business in Egypt. Informal interviews and the relevant literature provided the topics for the survey. Four macro-themes emerged from the analysis of the various survey topics. In sequential order of importance, these are cultural respect (the extent to which culture should be taken into consideration as far as organization is concerned), cultural experience (the experience of foreign managers of the different behavioural traits of Egyptians within the workplace), cultural adaptability (foreign managers' reactions to certain cultural traits that exhibit themselves in the workplace), and cultural understanding (understanding of the reasons that underlie the behavioural traits encountered). These findings are a preliminary step for further research in an area that has a high potential for business, yet low research input.