By Saad Al-Dosari
Most Arab countries do not focus on supporting and developing the capabilities of their youth and creating better job opportunities that suit their academic qualifications. This shows that human resources are not utilized in the private and public sectors the way they should. For example, in many Arab countries one will find individuals holding very important positions even though they are not qualified to assume the responsibility of such positions. How have they been assigned to such positions? It is through nepotism or loyalty to their tribe.
We also see people who have higher degrees and who work in higher positions but who impose red-tape measures on subordinates. One wonders how those people ended up holding such positions. The answer is that it is also through nepotism or tribal loyalty. Those people usually fail to create harmony in their teams and end up bringing disaster to employers instead of benefit. They also fail to accomplish the objectives, policies and mission of the company or the government agency because they are not cut out to do this kind of work.
Another example is a person who spends his entire life in the academic world and then is asked to assume a senior position that involves administration and management. Because he does not have experience in management, he ends up treating employees as if they were college students, using a reward-punishment system and thereby creating an unhealthy work environment.
Giving jobs to people based on nepotism or tribal loyalty instead of competency is a sure recipe for disaster. The West does not hire people based on nepotism or tribal loyalty, nor does it hire unqualified people to hold important positions in the public or government sector. Trust should only be placed in people who are capable of running the show and who are competent enough to achieve the sought-after goals and objectives.
Many Arabs who were deprived of the chance to prove themselves had to immigrate to countries that do not attach importance to tribal loyalty and nepotism in the workplace.
When those Arabs prove to be successful in the West, the countries where they came from end up regretting not having given them a chance to succeed in their homeland.
