An Investigation into the challenges facing educational leaders\managers from western developed ...

232 Pages·2016·3.44 MB·English

An Investigation into the challenges facing educational leaders\managers
from western developed contexts working for the first time in tertiary
institutions in the United Arab Emirates and their coping strategies

Name: Aidan John Cranage Thorne
Student Number: 57006637
Candidate Number:

Graduate School of Education
University of Exeter

Submitted to the University of Exeter in part fulfillment for the degree of Doctorate
of Education (Ed.D.) in Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages in
August 2015. This thesis is available for library use on the understanding that it is
copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without
proper acknowledgment. I certify that all the material in the thesis which is not my
own work has been identified and that no materials has previously been submitted
and approved for the award of a degree by this or by any other university.

Signature:
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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my Supervisor, Dr. Susan Riley,
for her ongoing encouragement, insight, valuable constructive criticism and
confidence in my ability to succeed. I am also indebted to the participants who
agreed to be a part of the study. Without their interest, input, trust and involvement
this study would not have been possible.

I would also like to acknowledge my wife Christine for the tangible and emotional
support she provided throughout the research process. She kept me calm in times
of stress and bolstered my confidence when required. Without her love and support
I would not have been able to complete the research process.

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Abstract
In this era of global mobility, it is increasingly common for individuals to travel
beyond their home contexts to live and work. However, adjusting to life and work in
an unfamiliar cultural setting can pose challenges due to the differing cultural
values, norms and expectations which one might encounter. This thesis focuses on
the UAE where, because of the relatively small numbers of UAE nationals, the
demographic profile is characterized by the numerical dominance of foreign
nationals at almost every occupational level. However, the shaping forces of the
indigenous culture remain at the forefront of virtually every aspect of life in that
country exerting a strong influence on working practices and expectations.. This
thesis investigates the experiences of a small group of expatriates recruited to
leadership positions in the UAE tertiary sector, specifically it focuses on what
challenges they experience in their work in that context and what coping strategies
they may employ to help them navigate their new environment.
This research was carried out in two tertiary institutions and data were gathered
through interviews with seven expatriates new to the context; the views of two
Emirati colleagues also contributed to this study. The findings of the study reveal
that while tertiary educational institutions in the UAE appear to share structural
similarities with western counterparts, local interpretations of organizational roles,
structures and processes combine to create organizational cultures unique to that
context. The resulting mismatch of expectations between western recruits and their
Emirati hosts can sometimes be a source of tensions and misunderstandings. The
study additionally found that participants who were able to draw upon attitudes and
behaviours associated with the ongoing development of intercultural competence
were better equipped to cope with the challenges they encountered in ways which
were more beneficial to them in terms of their individual well-being and peace of
mind, as well as to their employing institutions.
The findings of this study have implications for the way UAE human resources
departments organize and conduct not only the recruitment of senior expatriate
staff, but also the ongoing orientation and professional support that is offered to
them.
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Table of contents
Chapter 1 Introduction 10
1.1 Aims of the Study 12
1.2 Orientation of the study: Professional knowledge development 12
1.2.1 Culture and Organizational Culture 13
1.3 A potential research gap 14
1.4 The expatriate experience: My personal connection 15
1.5 Conclusion 17
Chapter 2 The UAE context: historical background 19
2.1 Historical context 19
2.2 Historical factors that shaped contemporary UAE perspectives 19
2.2.1 UAE: Changing views of leadership under colonial influence 21
2.2.2 Contemporary maintenance of control: Wealth, heritage and
tradition 24
2.3 Higher Education in the UAE: Rapid development 24
2.3.1 Features of the UAE tertiary system 25
2.4 The expatriate academic experience in UAE institutions 28
2.5 The institutions in this study 29
2.5.1 Institute A 29
2.5.2 Institute B 30
2.6 Chapter summary 31
Chapter 3: Reading review 33
3.1 Introduction 33
3.1.1 Factors influencing reading review selection 33
3.2 Organization Theory: Introduction 34
3.2.1 Organization theory in the education field 35
3.2.2 Organizational models 36
3.2.3 Organizational Structures 37
3.2.4 Work policy, process and procedure 41
3.2.5 Decisions and decision-making processes 42
3.2.6 Power, decision-making and communication 43
3.2.7 Power, influence and decision-making in the UAE 45
3.3 Organizational Cultures: Introduction 48
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3.3.1 Organizational culture in higher education 48
3.3.2 The influence of national culture in organizations 49
3.3.3 Organizational culture in the UAE 50
3.3.4 Essentialist versus non-essentialist views of culture 52
3.3.5 Small cultures and large cultures 53
3.3.6 Everyone is a cultural traveller: an expanded view of intercultural
competence 54
3.3.7 The challenges of expatriation 54
3.3.7.1 Coping strategies as a component of Intercultural
competence 55
3.3.7.2 Intercultural competence: a process of becoming through
reflection 58
3.3.7.3 Intercultural competence: an uncomfortable journey 59
3.3.7.4 Coping with and adapting to new environments 60
3.4 Educational leadership and management: Introduction 64
3.4.1 Adjectival leadership 64
3.4.2 Instructional Leadership 65
3.4.3 Transformational Leadership 65
3.4.4 Distributed Leadership 65
3.4.5 Educational leadership: a multi-faceted role 66
3.5 Self-awareness and leadership 66
3.6 Leadership: the impact of context 67
3.6.1 Leadership in culturally diverse environments 69
3.7 Chapter summary 70
Chapter 4 Research Methodology 72
4.1 Introduction 72
4.2 Paradigm 72
4.2.1 Ontology: Differing perspectives 73
4.2.2 Epistemology: The nature of knowledge 74
4.3 Interpretive research paradigm 74
4.3.1 Interpretive research: The criteria debate 75
4.4 Symbolic Interactionism: A conceptual framework for the study 76
4.4.1 Symbolic Interactionism: Appropriate theoretical perspective 76
4.4.2 Behaviour and the environment 76
4.4.3 Symbolic Interactionism: Social interaction and interpretation 77
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4.5 Research questions and methodology 78
4.5.1 Methodological implications 79
4.6 The participants: A general comment 80
4.6.1 Additional factors affecting participant selection 80
4.6.2 Participants from western settings: The contextual factor 83
4.7 Interviews as a data collection method 83
4.7.1 Design of the interview 85
4.7.2 Role of the researcher in interviews 86
4.7.3 Piloting the interviews 86
4.7.4 Data collection 87
4.7.5 Data transcription 89
4.7.6 Data analysis 90
4.7.6.1 Analytic memos 90
4.7.7 Data coding 91
4.7.7.1 In Vivo codes 93
4.7.7.2 Descriptive codes 93
4.7.7.3 Affective codes 94
4.7.7.4 Saturation point 95
4.8 Role of the researcher in data analysis 97
4.8.1 Trustworthiness 98
4.8.2 Reflexivity 98
4.8.3 Ethics 101
4.8.4 Limitations of the study 102
4.9 Chapter summary 103
Chapter 5 Presentation and discussion of findings 105
5.1 Data presentation 105
5.2 Working in the UAE: Differing perspectives of organizations 106
5.2.1 Pyramid versus flatter organizational structures 107
5.2.2 Western expectations meet UAE interpretations 110
5.2.2.1 Hybrid organization 112
5.2.3 Features of higher education in the UAE 115
5.2.3.1 Quantity versus quality 116
5.2.3.2: Teaching NOT research 117
5.2.3.3. Transience and expatriation 119
5.2.3.4 Summary 122
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5.3. Differing perspectives on the leadership and management role 123
5.3.1 Leaders and the led, managers and the managed 123
5.3.1.1 Leadership and respect for leadership 125
5.3.1.2 Followers and voice 125
5.3.2 Let me speak, hear me, trust me 126
5.3.2.1 Differing perceptions on trust 127
5.3.2.2 Responsibility without authority 129
5.3.3 Managing Time 131
5.3.3.1 Differing perceptions of time use 132
5.3.3.2 Participant misunderstandings 132
5.3.4 Governance and policy guidelines 134
5.3.4.1 Developed versus undeveloped 134
5.3.4.2 Decision-making 136
5.3.4.3 Summary 137
5.4 Coping strategies: Introduction 138
5.5 Cognitive strategies 141
5.5.1 Active knowledge seeker 141
5.6 Differing attitudes 143
5.6.1 Positive attitudes and beneficial behaviours 144
5.6.2 Negative attitudes and detrimental behaviours 148
5.7 Summary 149
Chapter 6 Summary of the findings and implications 151
6.1 Introduction 151
6.2 Research question one: challenges 151
6.2.1 Organizational structures, culture and functioning 151
6.2.2 Unexpected realities 153
6.3 Research question two: strategies for coping with challenges 154
6.4 Implications of the study 154
6.4.1 Global models with local characteristics 155
6.4.2 Human resource (HR) practice 158
6.4.2.1 Selection processes 159
6.4.2.2 HR practices: orientation and induction 160
6.4.3 Commitment, interaction and integration 161
6.5 Summary 162
6.6 Limitations of the study 163
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Bibliography 165
Appendix A Interview guides 191
Appendix B Sample transcript 194
Appendix C Coding samples 225
Appendix D Ethics forms 227

Figures and Tables
Table 1: Interface between IC and coping strategies 63
Table 2: Example of an analytic memo 91
Table 3: Coding sample 93
Table 4: Research question 1: Challenges and Issues 107
Table 5: Research question 2: Coping Strategies 140

Acronyms
ADEC – Abu Dhabi Education Council
BERA – British Educational Research Association
CEPA – Common English Proficiency Assessment
CHEDS – Centre for Higher Education data and Statistics
EEC – European Economic Community
ELT – English Language Teaching
GCC – Gulf Cooperation Council
HCT – Higher Colleges of technology
HE – Higher education
HEI – Higher education institution
HR – Human Resources
IC - Intercultural competence
IELTS – International English Language Testing System
MENA – Middle East and North Africa
MNC – Multi-national company
MOHE – Ministry of Higher Education
NAFTA - North Atlantic Free Trade Association
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SI – Symbolic Interactionism
UAE - United Arab Emirates
UAEU - United Arab Emirates University
UN – United Nations
VSO – Voluntary Service Overseas
ZU – Zayed University
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Chapter 1 Introduction
This study is based on the notion that bringing educational leaders and managers
into settings such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the cultural values,
norms and expectations facing them are often very different to those they are
familiar with, may serve to place them in situations where they have to deal with a
whole variety of sometimes unexpected challenges and issues. Any educational
institution within any context represents a unique organizational culture which
encompasses guidelines and boundaries which guide the behaviour of the staff
within the organization (Deem et al 2015: 566). However, given the increasing
globalization of education, the role of national, or societal, culture in shaping
organizational culture must also be given attention. Walker and Dimmock (2002:
1), in stressing the need to avoid “decontextualized paradigms” when examining
education systems or institutions, acknowledge that societal culture will inevitably
be a factor which exerts some measure of influence on individual organizations
and how they function. The main focus of this study therefore, is to identify what
some of the challenges facing newly recruited educational leaders and managers
to UAE institutions may be and to explore how participants faced with challenges in
the new and unfamiliar workplace environment navigate their way through them.
From personal experience, such challenges may serve as hidden shoals, or reefs,
on which the unwary traveller frequently founders, sometimes with disastrous
professional and personal consequences for individuals, their families as well as
the institutions that employ them. This is an issue that is assuming increased
importance as culturally diverse organizational teams become a global norm
across most contexts and in key social sectors such as health and education.
Smith et al (2007) and Mackenzie Smith (2008) amongst others, note that the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) regional contexts provide good examples of this trend,
with many GCC settings (e.g. the UAE, The Sultanate of Oman, Qatar and Saudi
Arabia) having initiated large, complex ongoing educational reform processes in
the early years of the twenty first century. They go on to comment that these GCC
contexts set these reform processes in place with the aim of implementing
educational changes that were perceived as necessary to turn what were
essentially traditional education systems into systems capable of meeting the
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