Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and their partners

Benefits of Attendance

This seminar aims at significantly improving the ability of the participants to meet the challenges of living and working abroad. The objective is to enable them to identify the stumbling blocks that lie ahead and to be able to adapt and integrate in the Congo.

At the end of this training, participants will have acquired insights and techniques to:

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Congolese context and culture
• Analyse situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating more effectively
• Reduce and manage the symptoms of culture shock
• Understand Congolese mindset, work practices, decision-making processes and negotiating styles
• Strike the right balance between personal et professional lives

Training Approach

• A cross-cultural approach of International Mobility
• Country specific trainers
• Personalized and familiy focused action plan
• Access to the Nomad’ Network, an exclusive online tool for Akteos’ clients and experts:  find resources, exchange experiences, knowledge and insights

Programme Outline

Module 1 : Successful personnal integration in the Congo

1. Cross-cultural awareness : the key to a successful expatriation

• Taking stock of one's own cultural baggage
• Culture shock and the integration process
• Identifying and going beyond cultural stereotypes

2. Key aspects of Congolese culture

• A multi-ethnic and extremely religious population in a secular state
• Impressive resources attracting intense international attention
• The Congo, Zaire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo: historical timeline
• The impact and scars of Belgian colonisation
• A fragile but encouraging political situation

3. Congolese values and behaviour patterns

• Hospitality and curiosity
• A society organised into separate clans and communities
• The many faces of Congolese women
• The importance attached to appearances and propriety
• The inspiration and influence of Christianity in day-to-day life
• A variable view of time according to the situation
• Humour, laughter and jokes

4. Practical day-to-day information

• Focus on the host town
• Transport, administration, housing, security, hygiene and healthcare
• Social life, leisure activities
• Schools, extracurricular activities, sport

Module 2 : Successful professionnal integration in the Congo

1. The Congolese corporate world

• A paternalistic and hierarchical corporate culture
• The high status of labour
• Key differences between the private and public sectors

2. Effective communication with the Congolese

• Tactile and non-verbal communication
• Courtesy, banter and politeness
• Deciphering hints and unspoken messages
• The French language and local dialects

3. Working with Congolese teams

• Effective management: experience, skills and productivity
• The benefits of adopting an open, firm and good-natured stance
• Encouraging commitment by giving praise and responsibility where it's due
• Creating a fair and neutral professional environment
• Giving relationships that personal touch

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Congolese

• The importance attached to meeting others
• Deciphering hierarchical relationships
• Patience and perseverance
• Written contracts, their interpretation and implications

5. Final handy tips

• Caution, patience and humility
• Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code
• Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion
• Humour: a double-edged sword