Talking Teams, Performing People

• Autores: Muna Ibrahim Abdulla Almulla
• Directores de la Tesis: Esther Cuadrado (dir. tes.), Harith Al Bayati (dir. tes.)
• Lectura: En la Universidad de Córdoba (ESP) ( España ) en 2026
• Idioma: inglés
• Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Alicia Arenas Moreno (presid.), Miguel Ángel Maldonado Herves (secret.), Donatella Di Marco (voc.)
• Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Sociales y Jurídicas por la Universidad de Córdoba
• Calificación: Sobresaliente Cum Laude
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• Resumen

  • In today’s context of rapid globalization and organizational transformation, companies worldwide are increasingly recognizing the pivotal role of human resources in achieving sustainable competitive advantage. In particular, despite substantial investments in human capital, many organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continue to struggle with reaching optimal levels of employee motivation and performance. This raises critical questions about the internal organizational factors that influence employee behavior and productivity.

    This research focuses on corporate culture as a primary determinant of employee performance, specifically examining two of its key components: supervisor communication and team collaboration. These elements are hypothesized to influence motivation and performance through sequential mediation, offering a more nuanced understanding of organizational functioning. While both aspects have been discussed in the literature, few studies have tested them within a single empirical framework — particularly in the UAE context. To frame the research, a scientific article published in a peer-reviewed journal provided a comprehensive review of the literature on the relationship between corporate culture and employee performance, laying the theoretical foundation for the empirical work presented in this thesis.

    After the theoretical framework, the thesis provides a study that adopts a quantitative, cross-sectional design, using validated scales and survey data collected from 200 employees (53% male) in private-sector organizations in the UAE. Most participants were aged between 30 and 45 years, with varied educational backgrounds, although the majority held at least a bachelor’s degree — reflecting a highly educated workforce.

    The findings highlight that both supervisor communication and team collaboration are critical components of corporate culture that significantly impact employee motivation and performance. Crucially, the study confirms a sequential mediation model: effective communication with supervisors fosters team collaboration, which subsequently enhances motivation and ultimately improves performance.

    These results support the relevance of Theory Z, emphasizing the importance of cooperative dynamics in shaping organizational outcomes. The study concludes that fostering a supportive and communicative corporate culture is essential for optimizing motivation and achieving high performance. For organizations operating in the UAE — especially in multicultural environments — the findings underscore the value of inclusive communication, encouragement of teamwork, and alignment of organizational practices with employee interests. Finally, the research opens avenues for future studies, suggesting the inclusion of additional organizational variables and the application of the model in different industries and regional contexts.