Shuratic decision-making practice, a case of the Sultanate of Oman

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the distinctive decision-making style of Alshura (participative approach) and its role in governance of Muslim states to provide insight of this pioneering democratic approach to decision making. The paper provides further knowledge of an issue that is not so known to many readers outside the Islamic world. Design/methodology/approach – Review of literature of both Western and Muslim countries and exploration and interpretation of Quranic citation and practical life of the prophet of Islam. Findings – Alshura is an essential decision making process initiated by Islam more than 14 centuries ago. It peruses a participative approach to decision making, depending on its practice on consultation in order that more appropriate decisions are made. This system is legislative, comprehensive, flexible, and gives people opportunities to create and develop necessary laws to satisfy the specific needs of a certain period of time. Research limitations/implications – The paper can be developed further through empirical research to provide a much more focused picture about the practicality of Alshura method. Practical implications – Understanding the shuratic process to decision making is important to managers operating in Muslim countries. Muslims have a firm belief that Alshura is a more systematic approach to worldly matters that may bring about more fruitful implementation of decisions and results. Originality/value – The research is important because it extends knowledge of traditional methods of decision making in an Arab/Muslim state.