In contrast, the Arab officers, as spiders, focused on developing a
network of friends and contacts. Steed said this explains the Arab penchant
for frequent and long meetings that to the American appear to be a waste of
time.
"To improve working relationships, it is imperative that one sees and
understands the differences in culture and how this affects the daily life
of each person," Steed wrote in Army Magazine, published by the Association
of the U.S. Army. "Once one understands the cultural paradigm of the other,
then it is possible for real productive dialogue and cooperation to exist."
"The Middle Eastern officer bases success on whom one meets with and how
many people one has made contact with throughout the day, although the
officer probably does not think about it that way himself," Steed said. "He
does not determine his success on what he does, but on how he builds or
strengthens his network."
Steed said the Arab officer builds his career by ingratiating himself
with his superiors. This includes long sessions where he and more senior
officers drink tea and speak about their families.
"He wants to build this network so that when he needs something, he can
reach out and touch a line and make contact with someone who can help him,"
Steed said. "This is a reason why hospitality is so important. If someone
enters another’s office, he must feel welcome and be treated well -- the
strand connecting the two people must be strengthened."
As a result, Steed said, the Arab officer tries hard not to share
information that would threaten his social network. The officer also
refrains from cooperating with his colleagues in a way that would expose his
methods or contacts with senior officers.
Steed warned his American colleagues in Afghanistan or Iraq against the
notion that Arabs would revise their thinking through working in a
Western-style system. Instead, the Arab officer would merely adopt his
methods to appease his U.S. or other Western benefactors.
"There has been a great deal of interaction between the U.S. military
and the people of Iraq and of Afghanistan, and working relationships have
improved over time," Steed said. "This does not necessarily mean, however,
that the other cultures are 'coming around' to a Western way of thinking;
they are probably adapting their practices to appease the current power
broker. If we want to achieve real and lasting transformations, we need to
first understand the underlying differences and then make adjustments to
shape the discussion in a way that will assist in accomplishing our goals
and desires."
