Organizational environment best practices: Empirical evidence from the UAE

Abstract

The present study is a modest attempt to bridge the gap between the rich western theories and the under-researched eastern contexts, namely UAE and to deeply explore the organizational practices and the quality of work-life using the Status-Certainty-Autonomy-Relatedness-Fairness (SCARF) construct. In this study, we first present the five core values that make up the SCARF model. This model is then used as the research lens for studying organizational practices. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews relating to the perceptions of nine managers from seven organizations. The data were analyzed and discussed qualitatively using an explanatory matrix with the assistance of a qualitative data analysis (QDA) computer software package, called NVIVO software Version 9. We examined the effectiveness of these five values empirically to gain insight into organizational practices in the context of the UAE. An explanatory matrix emerged from the data that gives deep insights into organizational practices and to provide a structured explanation on these prevailing practices. The matrix also serves as the foundation of a theoretical model that could be used in future research to assess the quality of organizational practices. The study may be considered the first in the UAE to discuss workplace practices and the quality of work life. The main contribution of this study was the use of the SCARF model to investigate organizational practices and the use of dimensional analysis to derive and construct a theoretical model.