Chapter 3: Relational Embeddedness and Arab Cultural Basic Values: A Contextualization Study of Entrepreneurial Networks

Using a culture lens, the aim of this chapter is to understand how communication behaviors and communication patterns affect entrepreneurial network relationships. Through insights drawn from in-depth interviews in the cultural context of the Middle East, specifically Jordan, we show how different cultural values, like collectivism, honor, hospitality, and indirectness, may affect the relationality of network ties and their embeddedness in firms’ networks. This study expands the stream of research on contextualization in entrepreneurship and builds a better understanding of how (Arab) culture can affect the development of social capital for an entrepreneur.