Understanding Tribes and Tribalism: The Overlooked Cultural Uniqueness, Measurement, and Corruption of Tribalism

By Dr. Yousif Abdelrahim

To distinguish tribes and tribal societies from tribalism, it’s important to know about tribes, tribalism, tribal behavior, and why tribes are important in some countries.

In this scholarly work, the author examines the origin of tribes and why it is necessary to have tribes in several cultures. In addition, the book provides empirical evidence that links tribalism to ethically suspect behaviors, such as unfairness, dishonesty, a lack of equity, and corruption.

The author explains why globalization has reduced corruption in many governments worldwide. Generally speaking, the author argues a myriad of reasons cause people in tribal countries to behave unethically, including tribalism and other tribal consequences such as oppression.

Other topics include: the history of ancient tribes, the importance of tribes for several societies, tribal identity, and why people are blindly loyal to a tribe.

Filled with examples, the book explains why tribalism is a cultural behavior different from other cultural values. The author also argues that researchers should consider adding tribalism to Hofstede’s Cultural Values that differentiate societies from one another. The book includes a tribalism measure for those who want to measure tribalism at the individual level.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Dec 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665714365

Dr. Yousif Abdelrahim

Dr. Yousif Abdelrahim is a chemical technologist by training. He earned his master’s degree in management and strategy from the Western Governors University in 2014. He earned his Doctor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2019, focusing on cross-cultural management, organizational behavior, and international business. He is a College Council member at the College of Business Administration at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahad University. He is the founder and chair of the Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Service Committee. Dr. Yousif is also an associate editor at the Journal of Economics and Business Studies (ISSN: 1532-4052). Dr. Yousif is a member of the Rosalind Member of London Journals Press, England, the honorary member of the American Honor Society for Academicians, member of OACET (Ontario Association for Technicians and Technologists, member of the program committee for the (38th) IBIMA conferences in Seville, Spain. He serves as an assistant professor of management at the College of Business Administration, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahad University.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 Dr. Yousif Abdelrahim.

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ISBN: 978-1-6657-1437-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-1436-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021921722

Archway Publishing rev. date: 11/22/2021

CONTENTS

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Acknowledgements

Preface

Chapter 1: Tribalism as a Unique Cultural Dimension Tribalism, Corruption, and Unethical Behavior

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction

3.1. The Theoretical Framework (Tribalism, Unethical Behavior, Corruption, and Globalization)

3.2.1. Why Is Tribalism a Unique Cultural Dimension?

3.3. Why Tribalism Relates to Unethical Behavior

3.4. How Tribalism Relates to Unethical Behavior

3.5. Tribalism and Corruption

3.6. Tribalism and Globalization

4. Research Methodology

4.1. Methods of Data Collection

4.2. The Dependent Variables

4.3. The Independent Variable

4.4. The Control Variables

4.5. The Moderating Variable

4.6. Multicollinearity in Regression Analysis

4.7. Hypotheses Testing

4.8. The Study Results

5. The Study Findings and Discussion

6. Conclusions

6.1. Theoretical Implications

6.2. Practical Implications

6.3. The Study Limitations and Future Research

7. References

Chapter 2: Why Does Tribalism Cause Corruption in Some Countries?

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction

3. Literature Review and Hypotheses Development

3.1. Corruption

3.2. Tribalism

3.3. Tribalism Versus Corruption

3.4. Gender Inequality Versus Corruption

3.5. Ethnic Fractionalization

3.6. Indigenous Population (Population Demographic)

3.7. Group Grievance (Perception of Grievance)

4. Research Methodology

4.1. Data Collection

4.2. The Dependent Variable

4.3. The Independent Variables

4.4. The Control Variable

4.5. Hypotheses Testing

5. The Study Findings

6. Conclusions

7. References

Chapter 3: Constructing and Validating a Tribalism Scale at the Individual Level

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction

3. Literature Review

3.1. The Concept of Tribalism

3.2. Tribal Loyalty

3.3. Tribal Belonging and Oneness

3.4. Tribal Group Identity

3.5. Tribal Patriarchy

3.6. Tribal Pride

4. Research Methodology

4.1. Scale Development and Procedures

4.2. Guidelines for the Scale Development and Analysis

4.3. Step 1: Creation of the Scale Items

4.3.1. The Theoretical Domain of the New Measure

4.3.2. Number of Items in the Scale

4.3.3. Deductive Approach

4.3.4. Item Development

4.3.5. Content Validity

4.4. Step 2: The Sample for Content Adequacy

4.4.1. Assessment of Content Adequacy

4.5. Step 3: Questionnaire Administration and Data Collection

4.5.1. Using Pencil-and-Paper Self-Administered Questionnaires

4.5.2. Monetary Incentives Versus Response Rate

4.5.3. Item Scaling

4.5.4. Sample Size

4.6. Step 4: Exploratory and Factor Analysis

4.6.1. Conducting an Exploratory Factor Analysis

4.6.2. Conducting Confirmatory Factor Analysis

4.7. Step 5: Assessment of Internal Consistency

4.8. Step 6: Construct Validity

4.8.1. Model Fit During CFA in Amos

4.8.2. Common Method Bias

4.8.3. Testing Common Method Bias

4.8.4. Ethical Considerations

4.9. Step 7: Reliability and Final Scale Validity

5. The Study Results and Analysis

5.1. The Scale Validation Using Simply Linear Regression Analysis

6. Discussions

6.1 Discussing the Results

6.2 The Research Study Limitations

6.3. Future Research

6.4. Theoretical Implications

6.5. Practical Implications

7. References

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who directly or indirectly contributed to this project’s successful completion. It is by God’s love and grace that I was able to complete this great project. I give much gratitude to the Creator of human beings for His faithfulness, compassion, and favor and for granting me the health, patience, and energy to complete this work. I give warm appreciation to my dissertation chair, Dr. Aditya Simha; my second committee member, Dr. K. Praveen Parboteeah; my reader, Dr. Rimi Zakaria; and all faculty members at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for their professional advice, support, and motivation to achieve this great goal. These individuals imparted helpful knowledge and made me more valuable to society. I must also remember my colleagues who continually encouraged me both in class and during group discussions. I also sincerely acknowledge my wife, Rian, and my children, Mugtba, Muayed, Muram, and Ahmed, for their patience and encouragement throughout my teaching and writing. The entire family gave me material, financial, and moral support for the completion of this project. To them, I give great honor. Finally, I extend my warm thanks to my writing adviser, Dr. John Oluseyi Kuforiji. It is also noteworthy to mention my appreciation to Dr. John D. Theodore and editor Andrew Melnic, who have read my work, provided me with positive feedback, and gave me the courage to start writing my first book.

PREFACE

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What Is a Tribe?

A tribe consists of numerous families, extended families, clans, generations together with dependents, or adopted strangers. Tribe members are linked by blood and genes due to intergroup marriages. Tribe members usually get married to their cousins, extended family members, or members that share the same blood—this how tribe members keep their identity among other tribes. Tribes live in a specific land that belongs to them, and no one else will be allowed to share that land. Tribe members are incredibly loyal to their extended family members and, therefore, to their tribes. Loyalty to a tribe spans anywhere from supporting tribal members financially, socially, and emotionally to defending each other when the time comes. Loyalty to a tribe pays off when a tribal member needs help and support, regardless of the chaos created by tribalism in several tribal countries, including Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Rwanda. Tribal groups in many countries band together and establish rules to create a sense of safety, identity, and belonging; fight a common enemy; or accomplish something meaningful. In business, tribes are often social groups linked by a leader, shared purpose or goal, common culture, or organizational boundary.

The Historical Background of Tribes

The Origin of the Word Tribe

The concept of tribe is obtained from the Latin name Tribus, the organizational divisions and polling units of ancient Rome (Cornell 1995, 117). It began to be used in biblical books for the thirteen districts of the early Israelites, which included the Tribe of Ephraim. The tribe was named after one of the younger sons of Joseph, himself a son of Jacob. With this meaning in Middle English in the thirteenth century, anthropologists who study the norms and values of societies and all aspects of humans within past and present societies have agreed that the history of tribes goes back to ancient Rome, the Torah, and the Holy Quran.

Quraysh is one of the tribes that has been mentioned in the Holy Quran several times. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashemite clan of the tribe. Sociologists also believe that tribes are essential when many parts of the world either have no government or weak government. In both cases, tribal leaders serve as peacekeepers, judges, and community organizers to keep the society living in order and harmony.

In general, understanding the concept of tribe is a cultural division inside a traditional society comprising a group of interlinked communities or families sharing a general dialect and culture. In the modern Western understanding, the contemporary tribe is typically correlated with a seat of ancestral authority (tribal chief) with whom the delegates of external powers (the occupying government or the governing state) interact.

The Ancient Tribes

By ancient tribes, the author refers to societies from ancient history that are distinguished not only by their distinct cultures, languages, and histories but also by their distinct DNA profiles. Those lineages show the diverse populations that took part in the ethnogenesis of that ancient tribe.

The Structure of Tribes

The top of a tribal structure of self-government is usually identified as a tribal chief. The most popular kinds of tribal leadership are the chairman of a cabinet (elders) or a typical assembly in parliamentary cultures. The conflicted leader can be an option or added to a post in combat time, the traditional chief, or the politically powerful medicine man (in theocratic cultures). In some circumstances, this role hardly leads a conventional consultative entity inside a more extended polity. In different instances, tribal sovereignty becomes closer to statehood. The phrase tribal leader is ordinarily different from chiefs at lower levels, such as community headmen (geographically defined) or clan rulers (an essentially genealogical notion).

How Did Tribes Make a Living?

Tribes like Dinka of South Sudan live in the forest and move from one place to another; they get raw material or food from the forest for their living. Other tribes, such as the Bedouin tribes in North Africa and the Arab Peninsula, get their living materials or food from domestic and wild animals in the desert in addition to limited plants they grow wherever there is