Business Etiquette & Power Distance In Saudi Arabia By: La Royce Browning

Within the country culture of Saudi Arabia there are several business etiquette's that must be followed upon entering in to the country.  First, you must be invited into the country and be accompanied by a Saudi sponsor which is called a wakeel upon entering.  The wakeel makes the arrangements for meetings with the appropriate people for you.  Making appointments are a must and should be made several weeks to a month in advance if at all possible.  If you were to schedule a meeting with a government official, your meeting would not be finalized until you arrived physically in the country.  Saudis like to have meetings in the morning and on time.  Although it is custom to keep foreigners waiting and not uncommon to have a meeting cancelled once you arrive.

Saudis do not require a lot of personal space as some other cultures.  They tend to stand very close to you while you are in conversation and you may feel as though they are violating your personal space.  Their meetings are generally not private until after a trust relationship has been established and Saudis prefer to work with people that they know and trust.  This means that you may expect frequent interruptions.  Other people may wander in and out of the room to starting different conversations.  You may join in on the conversation but do not bring the topic back to the original discussions until the new person leaves.






Power distance varies from culture to culture and in Saudi Arabia power distance is extremely high.  A brief definition of power distance is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.  Saudi Arabia has one of the highest ranking power distance in the world and one of the main reasons is religion.  If you are not Muslim you are not allowed to enter Saudi Arabia without invitation and exit with a permit.  The Islamic faith allows this power distance and even promotes people in superior positions without questions.  Muslims believe in the idea of power and unquestioned superiority based off of verses in the Koran.  Saudi Arabians believe that obeying your superiors and supporting your government is of the utmost importance which they accept as a part of their cultural heritage.

Due to the high power distance of Saudi Arabia has many inequalities with the most prominent one being unequal wealth distribution.  Some of the effects of the unequal distribution are things including a caste system that also inhibits upward mobility, stifling innovations and free thinking and less job opportunities.  Saudis have an expectation and acceptance that the leaders will separate themselves from the group and this condition is not necessarily subverted upon populations.  It is rather accepted by the society and laws are so strictly enforced that thieved can have their hands amputated and public beheadings are still held for capital punishment