RIYADH — In just 20 years, Rotana has grown from a record company to the world’s leading Arabic music and film production and distribution house in the world. Under the leadership of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, it has also become the top revenue-generating mobile content corporation in the entire Middle East, North Africa, the Gulf and Europe.
You don’t enjoy success like that using only half of your assets, which is why Rotana put Hend Al-Kadhi at the helm of its human resources at its Kingdom Tower headquarters in Riyadh. Since starting with the company in 2005, she has established a fully integrated human resources function and harmonized human resources policies and procedures. She has also developed and applied a reward strategy at Rotana that is both competitive and fair — for both men and women.
American-educated Al-Kadhi, with degrees in communication, education and human development, realizes that it takes both men and women for companies to reach their true potential.
“Inspiring leaders, like Prince Alwaleed, have empowered women in the workplace, and that is why at Rotana and throughout the Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), gender is never an issue — adding value is the key differentiator,” Al-Kadhi told Arab News. “I have learned a great deal from working with men, such as the way they take the initiative, the logic they apply to problem solving and the manner in which they hold themselves accountable. Some men have been kind enough to tell me that they have learned to be calmer and to promote higher ethical standards from working with me. We all agree that value is optimized when we contribute as part of a team. I am conducting a private study to try and learn more about this; initial findings indicate that ‘mixed working environments’ deliver higher value than all male environments, the banking industry proving to be an interesting example.”
That given, Al-Kadhi can move on to more important things, such as making Rotana a great place for anyone to work. “My objective is to add value in the human resources environment; to enable and align staff goals with corporate objectives and inspire those around me to maximize their contribution,” she said.
For women entering the workplace, the opportunities are there, Al-Kadhi said, but there are also responsibilities. “Let us put this into context: If a woman enters the workplace, she needs to accept that there will be challenges and not expect any special privileges,” Al-Kadhi said. “We are there to add value in situations where many pressures apply. Keeping this in mind, perhaps the biggest challenge is that we are working in a male-dominated environment where many men have not had the experience of working alongside women — the gender bias can be adverse or favorable, but either way it disrupts the process of generating value.”
Gender bias is a challenge for all employees. “The onus is on the woman to establish that she is business-driven and business-focused and that other distractions have no consequence,” Al-Kadhi said. “I find working with men in Saudi Arabia is often difficult initially until they understand my focus and drive; usually the work tasks then become easier. My experience of the work environment in the US or Europe is that men are more relaxed working with women and are less likely to behave too differently in their presence if they are true professionals. However, let us not imagine that there is no gender bias in the West; despite all the laws, it is evident.”
She said women could use some coaching on how to behave in a male-dominated environment. “First, you must present yourself as an equal; never take a submissive position and seek to command respect which comes from a highly professional and dedicated approach,” Al-Kadhi said. “Of course, there can be situations of conflict, and sometimes it seems that women are unfairly treated. But never react on the basis of gender. Stand up for your opinions as a professional. I also suggest that women should not try to mimic male behavior — be proud of your capabilities, stay calm, and walk away from unwanted intrusions.”
Women can become successful managers — even in mixed settings — provided they know what it means to manage. The advice extends to male managers as well. “For a woman to be a successful boss, she needs to set a best-practice example,” Al-Kadhi said. “I try to coach my staff and demonstrate affiliation in times of difficulty. If I have to be harsh I always seek to adopt an affirmative role so that it is clear why action is being taken in a certain way. With this in mind I think that the men who have and do report to me are aware of the care and the sense of fairness that is displayed. Am I the best boss? No. There is much that I need to learn from others. The only advice that I would provide other women in management positions is that you will need to learn quickly the best styles to motivate your team.”
It is not uncommon to hear people theorizing on whether the best workers are women or men, but, for Al-Kadhi, it is just a matter of the best workers. “It is difficult to generalize or categorize certain behaviors as being male or female biased,” she said. “Punctuality and dedication arise from a behavior described as ‘organizational commitment.’ I admire and respect many men and women for the level of commitment they display in this regard. You need to remember that women may have commitments or challenges external to the work environment which place them at a disadvantage; simple problems like driver availability can place women in difficult situations that will not apply to men. If I am to provide examples of organizational commitment, I would first think of certain men who are highly dedicated, even though they have health or other problems, and deliver outstanding value. They are role models and examples to us all. Let us learn from the best and then seek to apply it.”
Al-Kadhi also discussed some evidence that in some places women may indeed demonstrate more organizational commitment than men, but she is quick to note that that may just be because women value this new opportunity to find their freedom in the workplace as it provides access to more choices than staying at home. She also notes that if you view the issue that way, you probably need to develop a better perspective — if your company is interested in profit and success, that is.
“I find that these types of gender comparisons act as a barrier to greater integration in the workplace,” Al-Kadhi said. “Part of my role is to encourage gender harmony — so that it is clear how value is maximized in a mixed working environment.”