Organizational Literature, Arabic

Arab organizational literature seems at first glance to be produced by diverse communities. There are those who work in the Arab countries and those who emigrated and are now part of the scientific community of their host country, if not the international community. Language is another line of divide. Scientists write in Arabic and French, in Arabic and English, or in one of these [Page 1105]languages only. The communication between the various categories reflects the separation between the Maghreb and the Mashriq regions. In the Maghreb (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia), French is the main language of education; hence some academics there have never published or taught in Arabic.

Notwithstanding these differences, there are commonalities between the Arab scientists who work in the field of organizational theory. They do have in common an approach to their work and their loose ties to a panArab organization related to the field, Al Munathama Alarabia Littanmia Alidaria (Arab Organization for Administrative Development; AOAD). This organization, as well as scholars, is concerned with two main issues: first, the appropriateness of Western organizational theories to the Arab context, and second, the development of an organizational body of knowledge that is both accessible to and usable by managers in the public as well as the private sector.

The AOAD and consultants in the field work essentially at disseminating organizational theories and various management techniques, whereas scholars are more interested in the relevance of such theories in the Arab context. Their research and observation on the ground provide them with better knowledge of the context.

Arab scientists who work in foreign universities may be interested in both emerging issues in their adoptive country and issues related to organizations in the Arab world. A question arises about the scientific knowledge produced: Is it universal science, or is it Arab scientific literature? This discussion will regard Arab organizational literature as limited neither by language nor by the nationality of its authors. It is, rather, a literature produced for information sharing, that is, for advancement of knowledge that helps one understand the organizational behavior and the functioning of organizations in the Arab world. Moreover, it contributes to the universal science in the field of organizational theory.