Effective leadership for the multilingual and cross-cultural workforce: A case study of small and medium enterprises in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Research Proposal on ‘Effective leadership for the multilingual and cross-cultural workforce: A
case study of small and medium enterprises in Abu Dhabi, UAE’
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1RESEARCH PROPOSAL
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
This research proposal aims to address the issue of effective leadership for the
multilingual and cross-cultural workforce in the small and medium sized enterprises in Abu
Dhabi, UAE. Due to rapid globalization, there has been increase in the multinational
corporations in the prosperous countries, including UAE and thus, the number of cross cultural
expatriates has been increasing too. The small and medium sized enterprises in Abu Dhabi are
also employing the skilled and unskilled multicultural immigrants and thereby encouraging the
integration of the cultures (Almezaini, 2013). However, as more and more multilingual and cross
cultural workforce is being employed, there are some potential issues in managing the
workforce. Hence, this study will focus on the impact of effective leadership on managing the
cross cultural workforce and bring out the best performance from the employees in the small and
medium sized enterprises in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The paper will present the background of the
study, research aim, objectives, and questions, research significance. This will be followed by
literature review and research methodology to be used for the study.
1.2 Background of the study
Abu Dhabi is the capital of United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the second most populous
city, following Dubai. Thus, the economy of Abu Dhabi is quite developed and it is mostly based
on the oil and gas production. The city has launched Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 for
building a resilient infrastructure for supporting the economic growth and developing highly
skilled labor force (Wamda.com, 2018). The initiatives under this scheme focuses on the growth
of the small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) by taking various measures such as exemption
of new licenses for having office spaces for two years, allowance of permanent home licenses

2RESEARCH PROPOSAL
and instance licensing for the commercial businesses, new liberal regulations for developing
infrastructures for the commercial, industrial and residential properties, developments of
ecotourism programs and facilities and recreational sports, facilitating healthcare and education
sectors, establishment of Abu Dhabi Accelerators and Advanced Industries Council and many
others (Deresky, 2017). It has also been reported that Abu Dhabi will spend around US $13.6
billion over the next three years to develop its SME sector (Wamda.com, 2018).
It is also to be noted that Abu Dhabi has a growing population of the skilled as well as
unskilled migrated workforce. This has resulted in highly multicultural and multilingual
workforce in almost all the sectors including the SMEs. However, as there is integration of cross-
cultural workforces, extra efforts are needed to handle the issues. The small and medium sized
enterprises have a small employee strength, and if there is cross cultural issues among the
employees, that would affect the productivity of the enterprise. Thus, through this research study,
the researcher aims to explore the impact of effective leadership on handling the issues related to
the efficient working of the employees belonging to different cultures and having different
languages (Bealer & Bhanugopan, 2014).
1.3 Research aim and objectives
The aim of the research paper is to explore the factors and outcomes of effective
leadership on handling the organizational issues related to multilingual and multicultural
workforces in the context of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
The objectives of the research study are:
 To explore the factors of effective leadership and their impact

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 To evaluate the issues originating from multilingual and multicultural workforce in the
SMEs
 To provide recommendations to the SME sector of Abu Dhabi to manage the cross-
cultural and multilingual workforce by applying effective leadership
1.4 Research questions
1) What are the factors of effective leadership and what are their impacts on the workforce?
2) What are the issues that can arise from the multilingual and cross-cultural workforce in the
companies, especially in the SMEs?
3) What outcome could be achieved by applying the effective leadership on the cross cultural
workforce in the SMEs in Abu Dhabi?
4) How to apply the leadership in the most efficient manner to get the maximum outcome?
1.5 Research hypothesis
H0 (null hypothesis): Effective leadership does not have significant impact on efficient
management of multilingual and cross-cultural workforce in the SMEs of Abu Dhabi.
H1 (alternative hypothesis): Effective leadership has significant impact on efficient management
of multilingual and cross-cultural workforce in the SMEs of Abu Dhabi.
1.6 Significance of the research
The research study has significance in both the academic and corporate world. Firstly,
through an extensive research, the study will contribute knowledge and findings in the academic
world. It will provide information on the unexplored area of research, that is, impact of effective
leadership on the cross-cultural workforces in Abu Dhabi, especially in the SME sector, which
will create opportunities for further research in this field of study. Similarly, the study is