Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Egypt 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 Egypt.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand the Egyptian 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 Egyptian mindset, work practices, decision-making processes and negotiating styles
• Strike the right balance between personal et professional lives

Programme Outline

Module 1 : Successful personnal integration in Egypt

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 Egyptian culture

• The cradle of civilisation.  An intersection of several cultures
• Modern Egyptian identity: the result of a complex heritage
• A country of great geopolitical importance.  A changing society
• The educational system

3. Egyptian values and behaviour patterns

• Religion as part of daily life
• The family: a central pillar of Egyptian society
• A tradition of tolerance and hospitality
• Dawsha, passion and emotionalism
• The Egyptian way of thinking and reasoning.  Communication styles
• A flexible and haphazard view of time
• Physical proximity and its differences between the sexes
• A sense of hierarchy

4. Practical day to day information

• Focus on the host town or city
• A unique heritage waiting to be discovered
• Transport, administration, housing, security, hygiene and healthcare
• Social life, leisure activities
• Schools, extracurricular activities, sport

Module 2 : Successful professionnal integration in Egypt

1. The Egyptian corporate world

• The dichotomy of the public sector and the private sector
• The status accorded to age and qualifications
• Pride in one's job
• The loyalty and commitment of staff

2. Effective communication with the Egyptians

• The "greetings ritual"
• Communication: the personal touch
• The impact of networking and non-verbal communication
• Working language: the role of the interpreter

3. Working with Egyptian teams

• Effective management: skills, credibility and leadership
• Decisions by superiors: a willingness to listen, respect and sincerity
• Paying careful attention to appearances.  Building trust over the long-term
• Making the most of skills and encouraging responsibility 

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Egyptians

• Past masters when it comes to trading
• Building trust and confidence
• Planning around unexpected events
• Getting fully involved over the long-term

5. Final handy tips

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