Cambodia - Working and dealing with the Cambodians
Objectives
The aim of this seminar is to significantly improve the participants’ effectiveness in their professional relationships with the Cambodians, enabling them to be operational right from the start.
At the end of this training, participants will have acquired insights and techniques to:
- Be aware of their own cultural baggage
- Fully understand Cambodian context and culture
- Analyse possible situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating
- Reduce stress and misunderstandings
- Decipher and understand Cambodian decision-making and negotiation processes
Programme Outline
Module 1 : Understanding cultural differences
1. Intercultural awareness : The key to success in international business
- Taking stock of one's own cultural baggage
- The basics of effective intercultural management
- Identifying and going beyond Chinese stereotypes
2. Key aspects of Cambodian culture :
- A kingdom in Southeast Asia, located in the Gulf of Thailand
- Khmers, Thais, Chinese and Vietnamese: a multi-ethnic population
- An ancient, unique and proud civilisation
- The painful scars of a turbulent past
- A fragile agrarian economy
3. The impact of values and behaviour patterns on professional dealings and relationships
- Royalist devotion and Buddhist fervour
- A highly stratified society with gender-specific differences
- Respect for age, status and authority
- Attachment to the land and to one's origins
- Consistency, discipline, reservation and affability
- The importance attached to appearances
- A relatively adaptable approach to time
4. The Cambodian corporate world
- A formal and extremely hierarchical corporate structure
- A tight, vertical decision-making process
- The glorification of the work ethic
- Bureaucracy and formalities
Module 2 : Succeeding in your work and dealings with the Cambodians
1. Effective communication with the Cambodians
- A formal and extremely hierarchical corporate structure
- A tight, vertical decision-making process
- The glorification of the work ethic
- Bureaucracy and formalities
2. Adapting your working methods
- The key qualities of a manager: experience, qualifications and leadership
- Effective management: a willingness to listen, guidance and support
- Building trust and confidence: socialising outside working hours
- Encouraging dialogue and feedback: questioning, requesting and reformulating
3. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Cambodians
- Successful dialogue: sociability, respect and sincerity
- Small-talk and attentiveness: building and maintaining relationships
- Proposing, suggesting and reacting: negotiation as an art and as a game
- Understanding written contracts, their interpretation and implications
- Organising the post-negotiation phase
4. Final handy tips
- Caution, patience and humility
- Protocol and etiquette
- Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code
- Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion
- Humour: a double-edged sword
