Question

Introduction

Aaron and Dee are the two newest US-based coordinators hired by the Academic Leadership Center (ALC) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Their primary task is to help the ALC identify credentialed female lecturers and presenters from the United States to participate in training workshops and leadership forums for aspiring faculty in the KSA higher education system. However, the current political climate is creating some cross-cultural differences and personal assumptions about the venue that are making it difficult for them to find speakers willing to consider the opportunity.

Background on KSA Higher Education

The KSA has long been established as an oil country, and much of their economy is driven by the production and sale of oil, making it a commodity-based economy. Realizing that the long-term sustainability of this model would eventually put the Kingdom in potential jeopardy, King Abdullah created a vision for the country that centered on moving the nation to a knowledge-based economy. The 2007 King Abdullah Project for General Education Development was a $3.1 billion project (Asharq Al-Awsat, 2007). His successor, King Salman, supported King Abdullah’s vision and propelled it forward with the nation’s blueprint for growth, which he characterized as a “pioneering and successful global model of excellence” (Saudi Gazette, 2016, para. 1) in Saudi Vision 2030 – the country’s plan for the future. The themes of the vision are: (a) an ambitious nation; (b) a vibrant community; and (c) a thriving economy (Saudi Gazette, 2016, para 20). With a new focus on a knowledge-based economy, King Abdullah turned his attention to education in KSA. Two significant factors were at play. First, the physical structure of institutions of higher education were expanded and upgraded. Most of these institutions were constructed with separate but equal campuses for women. And second, the establishment in 2005 of a national scholarship to educate Saudi men and women at Western universities. By 2007, approximately 5,000 students took advantage of the scholarship in the US (General Authority for Statistics [KSA], n.d.) and 89,423 by 2014 (World Education News & Reviews, 2014). The modern higher education system in the KSA is relatively new; in fact, only three institutions of higher learning are more than 50 years old. And, about 63% of the public universities were created in the past 15 years (Global Penn State, n.d). In 2008, the KSA housed 24 government-supported institutions of higher education (not counting institutes), and by 2017, that number grew to 37 (Buller, n.d). With the onset and growth of colleges and universities within the KSA came a need for training. Within the KSA, law prohibits expatriates from holding key positions such as Dean or Vice President (Vice Rector). These government-sponsored positions must be held by Saudi nationals. Clearly, with the rapid growth of campuses across the nation, those individuals moving into such positions from the faculty ranks needed to have resources for professional development and training in the business of higher education administration. In 2009, the Ministry of Higher Education (now, the Ministry of Education), sponsored the development of a newly formed ALC, modeled largely off the American Council on Education and Universities of the United Kingdom. The ALC was spearheaded by a team of leaders at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, in Dhahran, under the leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Khaled S. Al-Sultan. The vision of the ALC was “to be a leading centre in the region for the advancement of leadership in higher education institutions” (Smith & Abouammoh, 2013, p. 40). The early programs of the ALC focused on such topics as: The Essential Academic Leader; Introduction to Academic Leadership; Advancing Undergraduate Education through Best Practices in Teaching and Learning; and Advancing Professional Development through Best Practices in Leadership and Administration. Today, the services of the ALC have grown to include: training and consultation to potential leaders of higher education; direct consultation service to sitting university leaders; an emerging national faculty mentorship program (spearheaded by the only full-time Western ALC female faculty development trainer); research studies related to KSA higher education; a training-thetrainer program; and full-blown leadership forums and symposia, of which the first was for women (on which the male forum was modeled).

Background on Women in the KSA

The KSA remains an enigma in terms of women in society. Ask women there how they feel, and you will get mixed answers. Many want the right to drive a car, while others say, “Why would I want to do that, when I have my own driver? Wouldn’t you want someone to help you load your strollers and groceries and pick you up at the front door in the rain wherever you are shopping?” They have a point. Some women are angered when Western women judge them as oppressed. This is a mistake often made in the midst of conversations – one to be avoided. Tribal values are very much revered and regarded, and many Saudi women see those values as part of their heritage. Western ways are exactly that – the ways of Westerners.

Interestingly, however, as the world’s most gender-segregated nation, there are changes underway. The social–political landscape is slowly shifting. In just 2015, women gained the right to vote; and, in 2013, King Abdullah appointed 30 women to sit on the high Shura Council (formally called the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia), the governing body that advises the King. Amid these changes, however, limits are real. Under the conservative Islamic state, for example, women still have male guardianship. This guardianship dictates if women can open a bank account, travel, get married, work, or have access to healthcare. In addition, women are not allowed to try on clothing in the mall. They must make purchases and take them with them. Disrobing in public, even behind closed doors, is a great risk. You may remember that when the KSA sent its first female athletes to the London Olympics, critics denounced the competitors as prostitutes. So, yes – women still face limits to their freedom in the KSA.

While these limits seem far removed from what one experiences in the United States and other Western cultures, there are certain outcomes we can only dream about. For example, women in the KSA are paid the same wage for the same work as their male counterparts. Additionally, women are given more rights in terms of family and monetary support. Unlike years of back payment in child support in the United States, such an outcome does not happen in the KSA. The law demands women and children are provided for by men, and men are held to that with unwavering expectations. And, just like men, women are educated for free by the government.

Before 1960, there was no public form of education for women in the KSA (Al-Rawaf & Simmons, 1991). In 1970, 795 men and 13 women graduated from a university in the KSA compared to 21,229 men and 21,721 women in 1999 (Baki, 2004). In 2015, the number of women enrolled in higher education for a bachelor’s degree was estimated to be 551,000 compared to 513,000 men (Saudi Gazette, 2015).

Shortly after its beginning, the ALC strategically hired Byron, a male US coordinator, to work for the Center. Byron’s job is to recruit speakers for the various programs, help identify the yearly agenda of workshop topics, and develop curriculum to be delivered during the seminars. Byron was responsible for recruiting both the men and women facilitators for the workshops.

In 2015, the ALC hired an additional male coordinator from the US, Aaron, to assist with the development and strategy of new emerging programs. And, shortly thereafter, the first US female ALC coordinator, Dee, was hired. Aaron and Dee worked together on the new programming to include the first ever national women’s leadership forum held in Riyadh.

Together, Aaron and Dee began working on identifying women to speak at the programs. Often, the ALC desires speakers from well-known top-ranked US universities. And, the women need to have strong backgrounds in academic administration, teaching, and leadership. Practitioners are preferred to theorists, and most need to have served at the level of Dean, or higher. Prior to each workshop or forum, Dee and Aaron schedule a conference call to begin brainstorming about identifying women who might be a good fit for the topics being covered, in addition to the other criteria just mentioned. Usually, a list of anywhere between four to 10 women are identified. For a traditional workshop, only two women are required to participate as facilitators, but for a forum, the number ranges anywhere from four to six. Because the women must have approximately one week of availability in order to attend, many promising candidates are unavailable. After the recruiting calls are made, the list of potential candidates quickly dwindles, and often, a new list needs to be generated.

The workshops are two days long, and the two speakers rotate their groups in a single city so that each group gets eight sessions over the course of the two days. When the two days are over, the presenters move to another city for another two-day workshop. The on-the-ground time is usually five days – four workshop days and one travel day between workshops. Two additional travel days are required to get back and forth from country to country. A forum has a much broader range of activity, hence, the need for more presenters. The forum usually consists of an opening session, a panel discussion with the presenters, a case study across the four days, and a more traditional workshop setting, including different topical sessions presented by the lecturers. The case study is assigned to groups, and they work during the evenings to present case findings during the final day of the forum.

After this initial inquiry, the candidates typically respond in one of two ways. The first is that the individual being recruited simply indicates she has no interest in traveling to the Middle East. The other typical response is that the individual is interested, but has concerns about going. At this point, Aaron and Dee have their work cut out for them, particularly if Aaron (as a man) is trying to explain to the woman what the experience is like. Remember, in the KSA, women still cannot drive, must be vigilant about not entering spaces occupied by men (such as elevators and airports or restaurants’ seating areas), and must wear the traditional coverings to include the abaya (body) and hijab (head). The stigma associated with these diverse viewpoints is often difficult to overcome in the recruiting process; however, for women who can tolerate these constraints, the international experience gained is invaluable.

Furthermore, as might be imagined, the media depiction of the Middle East does not inspire women to want to travel there. Often, there is just an initial divergence in terms of personal beliefs, since many high-powered higher education female leaders have gotten where they are because of their strong advocacy for women’s rights and their own determination to not be a victim of the proverbial old boys’ network.

Once the candidate agrees to participate, she is nominated to the ALC, and her qualifications are vetted by a committee. Sometimes, the candidate is not accepted, and Aaron or Dee must go back to the drawing board to find another candidate from an already slim list of potential candidates.

Identifying women who would be good candidates as speakers for a workshop or forum in the Middle East is challenging. The recruiter must have a deep “Rolodex” and find appropriate candidates to meet the criteria of the ALC in terms of home institution, position and experience.

Once the list is generated, the challenge remains to engage interest on the part of the lecturer. However, the work is gratifying, advances women in global higher education, and offers an opportunity to advance one’s professional international résumé – often a game changer in being selected for high-powered positions in the hiring process. Frequently, the women who are interested in possibly attending are torn about whether to go. They have hesitations because of personal belief systems and pre-conceived notions about the Middle East as depicted by the media.

Question:

1. Discuss the factors that influence a female employee to accept an overseas assignment like this. What recommendations would you make to ALC to enhance the job performance of the female expatriates working as faculty trainers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?

Answer 1

There are many factors that a female employee may accept an assignment like this as written below;

The employee is very driven to learn about foreign cultures.

• Foreigners are usually very driven to understand different cultures. If the employee have such personality traits, they may choose such a job regardless of the cons of it

The employee may be looking forward to get a foreign oppotunity where she can explore more regarding the subject.

• There are people who will always be looking forward to get challenging opportunities (probably in new environments) and people like that may undertake the job.

The employee may be needy for money.

• Overseas employment with so many recruitment criterias will be paid well as well. Employees looking to better their financial positions can also take up the opportunity.

Recommendations for enhancing job performance of faculties;

Culturally, America and Saudi are extremely different. The ALC must take this into account in dealing with the recruited faculty.

They can give a good vacation plan for the faculy, like 15 days to 1 month every 6 months. Holiday packages to more relaxed locations are also a way to keep the faculty engaged and relaxed. Recently, Saudi has watered down its traffic laws as well like they have started giving driving license to females. If the faculty category is authorized to drive, they can arrange licenses for them. If not, they can be given transport facilities and other amenities. Relaxation facilities like games and other things can be provided as well.