Abstract
Making sense of leadership development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is very important for a number of reasons. The kingdom is considered the heart of Islam; it is one of the closest Arab allies to the United States, and the largest producer of oil in the world. However, the country is undergoing rapid changes: Its aged leadership is ceding power to a new generation, and its society, which is dominated by young people, is restive. Saudi Arabia has long remained closed to foreign scholars, with a select few academics allowed into the kingdom over the past decade. The purpose of this chapter is to present contextual factors affecting leadership practices and development in the kingdom. In particular, the authors provide a historical, geographical, and economic overview of KSA in connection to leadership practices; discuss cultural, economic, political, and other social aspects affecting leadership and leadership development in the kingdom; and present examples of how leadership practices are reflected in different sectors.
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Dirani, K.M., Hamie, C.S., Tlaiss, H. (2017). Leadership in Saudi Arabia: A Multifaceted Phenomenon. In: Ardichvili, A., Dirani, K. (eds) Leadership Development in Emerging Market Economies. Palgrave Studies of Internationalization in Emerging Markets. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58003-0_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58003-0_14
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