Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Senegal 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 Senegal.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Senegalese 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 Senegalese 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 Senegal

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 Senegalese culture

• A west African nation with extensive resources
• The impact of French colonisation
• Senegal’s Muslim tradition
• A delicate political and economic situation

3. Values and behaviour patterns in Senegal

• A warm welcome and hospitality
• A patriarchal social structure
• Senegalese women: the backbone of society
• The impact of community ties and promiscuity
• Religion: a vital bedrock
• The importance of appearance
• An elastic view of time
• A respect for age and status

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 Senegal

1. The corporate world in Senegal

• A paternalistic and hierarchical company structure
• The weight of the Senegalese bureaucracy
• Privileges and favouritism

2. Effective communication with the  Senegalese

• The fondamental role of greetings
• The meaning and prevalence of tactile and visual contact
• The power of networks and networking
• The French language and local dialects

3. Working with Senegalese teams

• Striking the right balance between flexibility and firmness
• A willingness to listen and an open mind
• Building trust and confidence: perseverance and goodwill
• Supervision and dialogue
• Dealing with touchy or sensitive people

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Senegalese

• Setting the scene: Preparing the background information for your meeting
• Forging relationships, frankness and honesty
• Time and deadline management
• 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