The Palestinian Executive: Leadership Under Challenging Conditions

The Palestinian Executive is based on field research in the West Bank and Gaza, which involved interviewing 110 executives from 63 publicly and family-owned companies. Using a cross-cultural and contextual approach, the authors examine the leadership styles of successful senior executives and managers living and working under challenging conditions in Palestine. The book: ¢ Explores the impact of culture, environmental pressures, and harsh circumstances on doing business in Palestine ¢ Sheds light on the leadership, interpersonal, and decision-making styles of successful Palestinian executives ¢ Provides specific recommendations on how to develop future business leaders. The Palestinian Executive is an indispensable book to many, among them: CEOs, business leaders, and HR professionals who are responsible for recruiting, motivating, and developing their current and future managers; aspiring young Palestinian students, supervisors, and managers; academic scholars as well as students of cross-cultural leadership; multicultural managers and expatriates who work with or for Palestinian organizations.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; Part 1 Palestine: A Challenging Context; Chapter 1 Understanding Culture from Within: Culture and Context Do Matter; Chapter 2 Environmental Pressures, Challenges and Opportunities; Part 2 Leadership Styles; Chapter 3 Roles of the Palestinian Executive; Chapter 4 Leadership Styles of Palestinian Executives; Chapter 5 On Performance and Motivation; Part 3 Journey to Leadership Success; Chapter 6 The Ingredients for Successful Leadership; Chapter 7 Advice to Potential Executives; Part 4 Final Thoughts; Chapter 8 Recommendations for Developing Future Leaders; Chapter 9 Suggestions for Future Research;

About the Author :
Farid A. Muna studied and worked in both the West and the Middle East. He earned his MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, US, and his PhD from London Business School, UK. He is Chairman of Meirc Training & Consulting. Dr Muna is the author of The Arab Executive and Seven Metaphors on Management, and the co-author of Developing Multicultural Leaders. Grace C. Khoury has been a faculty member in the business administration and marketing department at Birzeit University, Palestine for over twenty two years. She is also the director of the MBA program. Dr Khoury has written a number of case studies and published several articles on leadership, entrepreneurship, and management. She holds an MBA from Suffolk University, Boston, USA, and a PhD in Human Resource Management from Bradford University, UK.

Review :
’The Palestinian Executive highlights the resilience and determination required to survive and prosper in an environment long marked by arbitrary, often deliberate, barriers. This book provides first-hand evidence of the ingredients for successful business leadership: self-development, early responsibility, experience, and training. Warning signals are given: risks of excessive social pressures from connections, cronyism, and nepotism. What are strengths in one context may be weaknesses in others. Farid Muna and Grace Khoury are to be congratulated on this clearly written work.’ Michael Jefferson, London Metropolitan Business School and University of Buckingham, UK ’The Palestinian Executive: Leadership Under Challenging Conditions is an important and insightful work that fills a major gap in our knowledge of Palestinian leadership and business within the context of the Israeli occupation. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in a critical understanding of the economic and political impact of the conflict on business in Palestine.’ Ibrahim S. Dabdoub, Group CEO, National Bank of Kuwait ’Any business executive, academic scholar or manager intent on gaining a deeper understanding of the business context and challenges facing managers in Palestine will benefit from this thought-provoking yet delightfully written book. Muna and Khoury brilliantly lead readers through the intricacies and complexities of the Palestinian business context, masterfully blending thoughtful analysis solidly grounded in research with rich anecdotal evidence. On this basis the authors derive pragmatic and insightful recommendations that will undoubtedly have an important impact on future generations of Palestinian business leaders.’ George Tovstiga, Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK ’A truly unique view into Palestine’s business world and the complex reality that Palestinian business executives face on a daily basis to maintain an economy of survival. Th