A Play-Based Approach to Learning in Internationalizing Arab Family Businesses

Abstract

Arab family businesses (AFB) can be found across a richly diverse region with a myriad of unique cultures. As Arab family businesses worldwide become more sophisticated with ownership, succession and wealth planning changing, family business training and education need to rapidly evolve its support of family businesses. This chapter argues that in the MENA region, training and education approaches for family-owned businesses differ to others due to their environmental paradox. Given such differences, play could offer Arab family business leaders an alternative route to training and education, as executives increasingly encounter rapid and complex environmental, competitive, and internal changes. In particular, the chapter argues that AFB's which are internationalizing their markets and operations will be driven by changes that force breaks with traditional routines.