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Nov 03

Bonfire Night: An Essential British Experience for Anyone Living and Working in Great Britain

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture No Comments »

Every year on 5 November people in Great Britain celebrate Bonfire Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Night. Anyone living and working in Great Britain should be aware of this tradition as it can be a great opportunity to experience local culture and socialise with friends and family. Understanding British customs and traditions can also help you to more effectively integrate into British society and establish better working relationships with your British counterparts.

Fireworks ludwig wagner i Bonfire Night: An Essential British Experience for Anyone Living and Working in Great Britain

© istockphoto.com/Ludwig Wagner

So what is Bonfire Night and how is it celebrated? Bonfire Night commemorates the events of 5 November 1605 which are sometimes also referred to as the Gunpowder Plot. The protagonist of these events was a man called Guy Fawkes who was part of a group of English Catholics who were unhappy with the protestant King. Guy Fawkes, Robert Catesby and a group of other Catholics started plotting the King’s assassination.

On the night of 5 November the conspirators attempted to kill the King by placing some explosives under the House of Lords. Their aim was to kill the King as well as many other members of the monarchy and government. One of the most active participants in this murder attempt was Guy Fawkes who was responsible for guarding the explosives in a cellar under the House of Lords. The plan was foiled and Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellar. After being tortured for several days, he confessed and was then executed.

On that same night in 1605 people set bonfires alight to celebrate the King’s survival. This tradition has been respected ever since and people all over Great Britain and in some Commonwealth nations like New Zealand and Australia celebrate this day with bonfires and fireworks. In addition to bonfires and fireworks, some will make “guys” – effigies of Guy Fawkes made out of old clothes and newspapers that will then be burnt in the bonfires.

Another tradition observed on this day is the State Opening of Parliament. Ever since these events of 1605, the King or Queen will traditionally only enter Parliament once a year on 5 November. Before the event, the cellars of the Palace of Westminster are inspected by the Yeomen of the Guard to assure the monarch’s safety and commemorate and celebrate the historical event.

Being aware of traditions and customs like this can help anyone living and working in Great Britain to understand the culture. Attending a cross cultural training programme like Living and Working in Great Britain will provide you with all the information you need about British customs and traditions like Bonfire Night as well as other useful information on British social and business culture.

So if you are living and working in Great Britain be sure to take part in one of the events going on in London or other cities in Great Britain this weekend.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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Oct 03

Intercultural Management – Harnessing the Strength of Intercultural Teams

Cross Cultural Training, Culture training for Business & Management No Comments »

It is now common place to conduct projects involving culturally diverse teams, but international organisations sometimes fail to understand that working in an intercultural environment can create challenges that threaten the success of international projects. To avoid possible negative outcomes, managers leading intercultural teams need to be equipped with the relevant intercultural management skills, allowing them to avoid misunderstandings and clashes that may arise when working in an intercultural context.

Business meeting 8 track5 i Intercultural Management – Harnessing the Strength of Intercultural Teams

© istockphoto.com

The impact of culture on the workplace is usually widely underestimated. Our cultural values shape many key aspects of the way we work: our relationship with time, the way we interact with each other, how we deal with conflicts or what we expect from our manager. Individuals tend to consider their own preferences as “normal” and often see others’ preferences as strange or even irrational. This negative perception usually leads to frustration or incidents which ultimately harm the output and the effectiveness of the intercultural team.

Individuals lacking intercultural awareness often rely on stereotypes and generalisations to deal with different intercultural values. Stereotypes can often help people to understand and predict behaviours of intercultural counterparts, but too often they are inaccurate or even offensive. Stereotypes like “Italians are always late” or “Chinese are shy”, although sometimes true, can greatly hinder effective and long-term intercultural relationships.

Another common strategy people may use when managing intercultural teams is to minimise or deny the existence of cultural differences. Using concepts like “we are all the same” or “people just need to work or behave the way we do” can create severe misunderstandings or cultural clashes. Cultural values and behaviours cannot be dismissed so easily and must be recognised, correctly interpreted and then appropriately responded to.

Effective intercultural managers help the members of the team to understand their own culture and how it impacts their working style or preference. With an increased intercultural awareness and understanding, team members will be able to work more effectively with their intercultural colleagues. An intercultural management training course will equip intercultural managers with the skills and tools they need to develop and demonstrate a global mindset. This in turn will ensure that they effectively manage and harness the cultural differences within the team.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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Feb 03

Impact of Stereotypes on International Business: Cross Cultural Awareness is Key

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

Globalisation and the emergence of cross cultural business have tremendously reshaped our working environment over the last fifteen years.  People around the world are increasingly finding themselves working with colleagues and counterparts from another culture.  Dealing with such diversity is complex and requires a high level of cross cultural competence that you can develop through cross cultural awareness training.

To make sense of all these differences we tend to classify people into specific categories such as the company they work for or their own culture. This classification provides us with references about certain groups of people and helps us begin to understand their attitudes. You could say for example that Spanish people tend to speak more loudly than British do and Brazilians tend to be more affective than Finnish. While there are some relative truths to these statements, such stereotypical representations are often over-simplified and could lead to false assumptions.

Clock DNY59 i Impact of Stereotypes on International Business: Cross Cultural Awareness is Key

© istockphoto.com/ DNY59

Stereotypes, taken-for-granted beliefs about our counterparts’ habits and behaviour, can affect our own attitudes and expectations when communicating with other cultures. The main purpose of stereotypes is to help us when we are dealing with a culture we do not know and to give us the illusion of a predictable pattern we could learn and thus know how to react to any given cross cultural situation.

For instance, when doing business in Italy we might expect our Italian counterparts to be late for a meeting whereas a Swiss would always be punctual and well organised. However it would be inappropriate to assume that no Italian would ever be on time and no Swiss would ever be late. Hence, cross cultural stereotypes need to be treated carefully as they might have a negative impact on our thinking and our capacity to perceive things with discernment.

Whether stereotypes are commonly shared among society or progressively developed through our direct experience in cross cultural relations, it is crucial to keep questioning their relevance. By doing so, we would certainly prevent ourselves from judging our international counterparts on the basis of wrong assumptions leading to inappropriate cross cultural behaviour and critical incidents.

Stereotypes can however be perceived as the first stage of acknowledging the existence of cross cultural differences which is an initial step towards the development of a higher level of cross cultural awareness and competence. However stereotypes need to be questioned, mitigated and never taken for granted if they are to help us to work more effectively in a cross cultural context.

Cross cultural awareness training courses such as Developing Global Competence or Building International Teams can help you to identify and deal with cross cultural differences which will improve your capacity to develop and maintain successful cross cultural relations. By providing you with a foundation of cross cultural understanding, Communicaid’s Cross cultural awareness training courses can ensure you understand your counterparts’ behaviour without having to rely on stereotypes that could lead to cross cultural misunderstandings and negative impressions.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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Jan 07

Bribery or Generosity? How Intercultural Training Helps You Avoid the Risks of Giving Business Gifts across Cultures

Cross Cultural Training, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management No Comments »

The Bribery Act, which received the Royal Assent last year, may put an end to Christmas or other business gifts between and within companies according to an article in the Telegraph. The Bribery Act aims to create a better framework to fight bribery and limit the value of gifts and presents individuals can receive in the UK. Offering football tickets, champagne or hampers to domestic and international clients used to be commonplace but with this Bribery Act they may now be illegal and need to be returned to avoid any accusation of bribery.

Gift Artur Gabrysiak i Bribery or Generosity? How Intercultural Training Helps You Avoid the Risks of Giving Business Gifts across Cultures

© istockphoto.com/ Artur Gabrysiak

Indeed, the line between a simple gift of appreciation and a corruption attempt is sometimes thin, especially depending on the intercultural context. What is seen as a sign of appreciation or reward in one culture may be considered bribery in another and vice versa. International businesses need to ensure their employees have the right intercultural training to ensure they have the intercultural knowledge and awareness they need to gift gifts appropriately across cultures.

In the Middle East for instance, being generous is highly valued and offering a gift tends to be seen as a strong mark of friendship as well as a necessary step towards building a profitable business relationship. Generosity is also illustrated by the price and value of the gift, meaning that business presents are sometimes incredibly luxurious in the Middle East. Refusing a present is a terrible faux pas that can lead to a cultural clash or to the end of a promising contract or business partnership. A lack of intercultural awareness on gift giving in the Middle East can significantly hinder the relationship or break organisational policies around gift giving.

At the other end of the scale, some cultures are extremely cautious and even suspicious when it comes to receiving and offering gifts. The Nordic Countries are a perfect example of this trend. In 2010 Denmark was rated the “least corrupted country in the world” and countries such as Finland and Norway are also recognised internationally as models when it comes to fighting bribery and corruption. This reluctance to receive and offer presents can be difficult for anyone who is used to a gift giving etiquette. Seeing their kind gesture perceived as a bribery attempt or refused can result in frustration or offense.

International organisations doing business across cultures need to be prepared and equipped with the relevant intercultural awareness to create and apply adapted strategies around gift giving across the globe. Intercultural awareness training courses such as Doing Business in the Middle East can help organisations to do business across cultures more effectively. Through the analysis of different cultural traits and their impact on business practices, individuals and organisations will be able to handle all aspect of doing business across cultures.

Equipped with this important intercultural knowledge, companies and their employees doing business abroad will be able to adapt to the business etiquette of their counterparts. By adopting the appropriate behaviour and business policies according to the cultures they work with, organisations will be able to avoid fines and suspicions of bribery when giving presents. In accordance with new Bribery Act, it’s important to not only consider how to give gifts to international clients but to also consider what you can receive from them in return. Knowing the gift etiquette of your international clients will also help you to avoid causing offense and build a stronger and more profitable working relationship.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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Oct 28

2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi – Indian Culture Under the Microscope

Cross Cultural Training, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources No Comments »

Although there was much speculation about whether the Commonwealth Games would run this year, they took place in October for two weeks. After several delays and corruption New Delhi finally managed to get ready for the games. The Commonwealth Games were an excellent opportunity for India to establish itself as an emerging global power, but the path to delivering them wasn’t an easy one.

Track Running Race Sven Hoppe i1 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi Indian Culture Under the Microscope

© istockphoto.com/ Sven Hoppe

The Commonwealth Games are held by the Commonwealth, an association of independent states from all over the world. Its members represent about 30% of the world’s population. The Commonwealth Games feature many different sports and take place every four years in a different country. Often called “The Friendly Games”, the Commonwealth Games are a great opportunity to improve society and general well-being of the members of the Commonwealth. To ensure their success, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) focuses on three core values: humanity, equality and destiny.

For the first time since its existence the Commonwealth Games took place in India. The Delhi Games Village was located in the centre of the city and had a capacity for 8,500 athletes and officials. Sports like aquatics, badminton, and table tennis are just some of the sports that were played in existing and newly built stadiums.

Despite careful planning, the games in New Delhi had several setbacks. Experts were prevented from going from the venues to work because too many passes had been issued. In the meantime, a significant number of tickets for the opening ceremony went missing and many other passes had been issued without performing the required security checks. Is this reflective of a casual attitude towards deadlines from Indian officials or are they just stereotypes?

Some people think that CGF Chief Executive Mike Hooper is partly to blame. Others believe that Indians are generally not very time conscious and therefore have the tendency to miss deadlines and be late with projects. India is traditionally known as a polychronic culture. In other words, people in India tend to prefer to do many tasks at the same time and will often re-prioritise tasks based on what else is happening. Instead of sticking to fixed deadlines, Indians stress the importance of establishing relationships with their business counterparts.

Indians also tend to have a high context communication style and will be more indirect and implicit. Anyone working with Indians should therefore pay special attention to what is not said in conversations. Naturally, this can lead to misunderstandings and confusion and is perhaps another reason why there were so many delays and challenges leading up to the start of the Commonwealth Games.

The success of the Commonwealth Games relied not only on the ability of the Indian government and organisations involved to deliver the required facilities and services on time, but it required successful working with Swiss Timing, a company that deals with sporting events and advertising management systems. Based in Switzerland, Swiss Timing won the tender to ensure that all required systems were in place for a successful event.

The significant differences in the way that Indians and the Swiss work and approach projects made preparing the Commonwealth Games successfully all the more challenging. For one, their attitudes to the concept of time are significantly different. While India tends to be high context, the Swiss are much more traditional in their approach and appreciate a low-context communication style. They are also very monochromic, the opposite of polychronic, and have a fairly strict attitude to deadlines and time.

Although the Swiss are very good at managing time and meeting deadlines, there were some serious problems working with the Indians on the Games. Throughout the delays, problems with facilities and issues with tickets, India risked losing face in front of the entire world. With face being one of the key Indian values and a prominent part of daily interactions, this was a huge concern for the whole country. In the end, the games turned out to be successful despite all of the problems. The head of the organisation, Thomas Fennel, said that the world got a very positive image of India.

The challenges the Swiss and Indians faced in working with each other are just one example of where cross-cultural difference can play a huge role in hindering projects and creating conflict. Different perceptions of time and approaches to completing a task can create serious problems.

Anyone doing business globally should consider cross-cultural differences like these in order to anticipate misunderstandings and ensure successful working. Participating in a cultural awareness training programme like Doing Business in India is just one way to prepare yourself for cultural differences and idiosyncrasies like these. By going through a tailored intercultural training course on the country or countries you work in, you can be more confident that you will be able to avoid cultural clash and conflict which can lead to loss of money, time and credibility.

Craig Hunter, Team England Chef de Mission, said ‘It is like an Indian wedding, we are in Dehli and it will come together at the last minute’. Luckily, he has proven to be right and the games were a success. Showing the world that India is capable of hosting an event of this size and impact was a great opportunity to defend its position as one of the fastest growing economies in the world and will be remembered.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Oct 21

‘The New Mainstream’ – A Multicultural Consumer Population

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

“Numbers are the way we make decisions now” said Census Bureau Director Robert Grove in a recent interview with Guy Garcia, multicultural consumerism expert. The two speakers commented on the American census data in a conference at the ARF, an open forum for discussions on marketing and advertising. The outcome was an interesting new vision of the American social construct.

‘The New Mainstream’ A Multicultural Consumer Population ‘The New Mainstream’ A Multicultural Consumer Population

© istockimages.com/Sean Locke

If we are still thinking of Americans as loud, open and boastful people, perhaps it is time to reconsider our stereotypes. The census results are significant because they show major shifts in the cultural make-up of American citizens, from their age to their ethnical background. The record 14.6% of marriages between people of different ethnicities or race is just one example of how the population is changing a rapid pace.

The workplace is a mirror of such demographic change and will experience different approaches to meetings, negotiating, building trust and closing sales as a result, all of which will impact the success of doing business and selling across cultures. The ever changing lifestyle trends of an average American means that marketing and advertising initiatives also need to change. For instance, if Americans are increasingly marrying later in life, having pictures of a young couple advertising a home insurance policy might feel out of place.

International organisations are slowly beginning to recognise that a multicultural population like that of the US has a strong impact on marketing and business. A more diverse cultural background means that consumers’ preferences and habits are more varied and marketing campaigns must pay a lot of attention to the new social expectations and attitudes. However many organisations don’t realise that increasing immigration and the inevitable transformation of society means that cultural differences are present not only abroad but at home so they often fail to adapt their marketing campaigns accordingly.

Increased awareness of your potential clients’ requirements and expectations across cultures is the new way forward when doing business both abroad and at home. Adapting your sales and marketing techniques effectively to a multicultural consumer base requires a unique set of cultural skills and understanding.

Being culturally inclusive and aware is more than choosing a set of images that include a range of ethnically diverse people. Cultural awareness for marketing means being able to identify consumers’ unique cultural values, attitudes and preferences and being able to adapt the product or advert accordingly. Cross cultural awareness training courses such as Selling across Cultures will help you develop the cultural skills required for an effective marketing campaign aimed at a multicultural population.

The US is not the only country seeing such changes to the cultural composition of their population and workforce. Migration on a global scale affects most nations. Some countries such as the UK have a long history of dealing with multicultural differences with many waves of different nationalities migrating to the country over the years. Others, such as Italy, are new to the diverse and bulky flux of migrants and are facing new challenges in industries like clothing retail which is struggling against a strong Chinese competition.

These cultural differences can easily lead to miscommunication and tensions, ultimately causing loss of time, money and revenue to an organisation. An intercultural training course such as Developing Global Competence can help you to reduce the dangers and pitfalls that a multicultural working environment presents. A global economy requires marketing initiatives to be informed by cultural awareness the world over. Ultimately, capitalism is driven by diversity so successful business will be led by the ability to effectively adapt to such changes and cultures.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Oct 18

Creating the Right Impression When Greeting Your Global Business Counterparts

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

Whether we meet someone for three seconds or thirty minutes, studies show that our first impressions do not change very easily. In a Western context, one of the first things we do when meeting someone is shake their hand. As a result, the handshake has acquired special significance in revealing certain traits of our personality.

Creating the Right Impression when Greeting your Global Business Counterparts1 Creating the Right Impression When Greeting Your Global Business Counterparts

© istockimages.com/Neustockimages

Some people worry whether their handshake is making the right impression but now they can be comforted by the results of a research project conducted by a group of scientists working for Chevrolet. They claim to have found the formula for the perfect handshake: a firm grip and three vigorous shakes. But is this the best handshake for every context, whether formal or informal or between men or women? Does this hold true for people around the world?Knowing how to shake someone’s hand in just the right way requires the ability to observe, adapt and understand the other person. Are they in a position of authority? Do they appreciate more masculine values such as competition or individualism? Have you ever met them before? Are they a man or a woman? What culture do they come from?

These are just some of the questions you need to answer to determine what kind of handshake the other person expects. In the end, you might find they don’t expect a handshake at all! All of these factors are extremely important to consider if you want to make the right impression. If you are working globally, you could argue that the most important factor is their cultural origin.

When doing business both in your own country and abroad, being able to correctly interpret and appropriately use the right non-verbal communication is vital. Whether it’s a handshake or eye contact, using the most appropriate behaviour will make a positive first impression with your international counterparts. A simple gesture like the Ronald McDonald statue in Thailand that welcomes Thai customers with the typical local greeting the wai can make all the difference in the world.

Where the greeting gesture is apparently the same from one culture to another, it’s important you understand whether it is used in the same way. Many cultures will shake hands when greeting, but the way this is done can vary dramatically. In most Western cultures, for example, a strong handshake conveys trustworthiness and confidence but in most African countries the same message is conveyed with a weaker handshake.

Intercultural training courses such as Doing Business in the UK will give you the knowledge and skills you need to identify when a handshake is appropriate or not, and if it is, how it should be performed. Intercultural training courses can also give you the confidence and awareness you need to make the right first impression which will lead you to a long-term profitable cross-cultural relationship.

Body language and gestures such as handshakes can tell you a lot about a person so being able to interpret them correctly and having a disciplined and yet flexible demenour can make a significant difference to your success. A greeting like a handshake is often the first bridge you create towards your future business counterparts so you must make sure you consider how it should be done in that context.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Sep 21

The Shifting Leadership – How to Harness the Benefits of a Multicultural Workforce

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

The appearance of international leaders coming from what Westerners usually call the “emerging countries” is creating new trends in the globalisation phenomenon. Once dominant companies are now being bought by Chinese, Brazilian or Indian companies and managers are increasingly recruited from these and other countries, creating new intercultural challenges.

Business People walking urbancow i1 The Shifting Leadership – How to Harness the Benefits of a Multicultural Workforce

© istockphoto.com/ Urban Cow

 

The merger between Arcelor and Mittal in 2006 is perhaps one of the best examples of this new trend. Arcelor, a powerful western steel company was bought by Mittal, an Indian steel manufacturing consortium owned by the Indian businessman Lakshi Mittal. This transaction faced heavy resistance and the French, Spanish and Belgian governments expressed their opposition alongside most of the Arcelor board members. Guy Dollé, the Chief Executive of Arcelor at the time, even described Mittal as a mere “company of Indians”.

This international merger shows us the difficulty many westerners have in accepting the fact that tomorrow’s decisions makers, managers and leaders will not only be German, British and North American but also increasingly Chinese or Indian. As these new international managers come onto the scene, they will bring with them their own unique cultural values and working practices which can be quite different to what most westerners are used to.

Perceptions of time, orientations toward hierarchy, approaches to decision-making or styles of communication are all elements of business which will be different. For employees of global organisations, having managers from different cultures means they could face intercultural challenges they may not have experienced before. Providing them with intercultural training courses before the new manager takes the role will help them to understand their managers’ style and expectations while it will also improve their ability to adapt to these new working styles. Failure to understand or adapt to another intercultural style may result in misunderstandings, conflict or poor performance.

Managers from countries like China or India coming to manage employees in the UK or Germany will face similar intercultural challenges. Understanding what their teams expect of them and knowing how to motivate, lead and manage them effectively requires a high level of cultural understanding and knowledge. Intercultural training provides managers with specific intercultural strategies and appropriate management tools that will help them achieve success in their different global projects.

Providing international employees and managers access to specific intercultural training programmes like Working Effectively across Cultures or Effective Global Leadership is crucial for global organisations employing multicultural teams or managers from other cultures. Enhancing the intercultural awareness and understanding of employees and their managers will not only reduce cultural misunderstandings and conflict but it will create a good working atmosphere allowing organisations to harness the benefits that their multicultural population brings.

With intercultural training, organisations such as ArcelorMittal can look towards joint ventures or M&As with other cultures more favourably so that Guy Dollé’s quote about the ‘company of Indians’ would instead be seen as a positive force rather than a negative one.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Sep 17

Cultural Awareness Training: Ensuring a Successful Cultural Adaptation

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

An international assignment is always a challenge from both a professional and personal perspective as coping with the differences within the workplace and the personal environment can be difficult.

Statistics show that failed international assignments are mainly related to a lack of adaptation either from the expatriate or his/her family. A failed expatriation can have severe consequences for an organisation and result in a significant loss of money as expatriates can be expensive.

Globe Kasia i Cultural Awareness Training: Ensuring a Successful Cultural Adaptation

© istockphoto.com/ Kasia

 

Studies suggest that a failed international assignment can cost between$100,000 and $300,000. Failed business or project objectives also indirectly harm the brand image and limit the future business perspectives of the company. Finally, the damage on the expatriates’ morale and performance can also be disastrous, depression and a long lasting loss of confidence can affect them even after they return.

Working habits are one of the main problems encountered by expatriates as they can be fairly different from one country to another. The way people deal with risk, hierarchy, time and decision making processes are different and these differences can hinder an expatriate’s performance. Expatriate cultural programs can increase the understanding of the impact of these differences which will help them to adapt more easily to his/her new environment. Cultural awareness training will also provide expatriates with key insights and practical information about business and social practices in the country.

It is also crucial to assess and understand the expatriates’ main concerns in order to help them to succeed. According to the HSBC Expats Survey results, expatriates are mainly preoccupied with their ability to make friends abroad, socialise and adapt to the local community. They are also concerned about ensuring their partner and family have an enjoyable experience.

All of these challenges can be difficult to overcome without the appropriate and relevant cultural awareness training. Deciphering Chinese or Indian social and business practices and customs is almost impossible without the proper guidance. During an expatriate cultural program, delegates can also benefit from the experience of their trainer who will share anecdotes and first hand testimonies that can help expatriates to foresee what await them in their host culture. Cultural awareness training also helps to break down myths and stereotypes which sometimes lead to false assumptions and cultural insensitivity.

Providing expatriate cultural programs such as Living and Working in India or Living and Working in China can help future expatriates to adapt quickly to their new environment and reduce the risks of failure. The relevant and appropriate strategies and tools they will receive on expatriate cultural program will give them the confidence they need to work effectively in another culture and cope with the specific challenges of their expatriation.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Sep 15

Challenges of Doing Business in Morocco

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

Morocco’s strategic position on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea makes it a key gateway to Southern Europe and North Africa. Morocco’s location, fast growing economy and increasingly modern infrastructures are attracting more and more foreign investment. Understanding Morocco’s unique set of cultural values and attitudes and how they impact business and social culture is extremely important for any organisation doing business in Morocco. The following are some of the key challenges of doing business in Morocco.

Morocco steet scene narvikk i3 Challenges of Doing Business in Morocco

© istockphoto.com/ Narvikk

 

Collectivism
Morocco is known as a highly collectivistic country. When doing business in Morocco this is something that may present a challenge. A traditional Moroccan family is very extended and includes children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. The father tends to work the most to support the whole family and each member of the family has its own specific task to support the families well being.

Importance of Relationships
Directly linked with Moroccan collectivist attitudes, relationships and connections are vital for anyone doing business in Morocco. Suppliers and potential customers are more likely to sign contracts with people they already know and being introduced by agents or third parties can be a shortcut to success. Doing business in Morocco can as a result be more time consuming and frustrating for people coming from a culture which emphasises performance over relationship.

Islam
Islam is practised by an overwhelming majority of Moroccans and has an impact on every aspect of life in Morocco. Foreigners doing business in Morocco should be aware of the dedicated time to prayers or other religious events such as Ramadan when the country’s economic activity and business slows down. Islam also impacts relationships between men and women so female entrepreneurs should be aware of the appropriate behaviour and dress code when doing business in Morocco.

The Concept of Face
The concept of face is really important in Arabic countries and Morocco is no exception. Damaging your counterpart’s dignity or honour and causing him or her to lose face will seriously harm your business opportunities in Morocco. Harsh criticisms, negative feedback or direct confrontation should be avoided at all costs when doing business in Morocco.

Communicaid’s cultural awareness training programmes such as Doing Business in Morocco or Living and Working in Morocco can help you and your organisation to avoid cultural faux pas and key challenges of doing business in Morocco. Tailored cross cultural tools and strategies provided in cross cultural training will ensure more successful communication and interactions when doing business in Morocco.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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