Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Burma 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 Burma.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Burmese 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 Burmese 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 Burma

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 Burmese culture

• Myanmar and Burma: historical background
• Colonisation, civil wars and dictatorship
• A multi-ethnic population living under the yoke of a military junta
• A proud history and heritage
• A depleted economy

3. Burmese values and behaviour patterns

• The Buddhist tradition: spirituality as part of day-to-day life
• Family and community values
• The high profile of Burmese women
• Child worship
• Affability, discretion and self-control
• Discipline and perseverance
• Human and eternal time: the two faces of a single whole

4. Practical day to day information

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

Module 2 : Successful professionnal integration in Burma

1. The Burmese corporate world

• The prevalence of small, family businesses
• A hierarchical company structure
• A cooperative and meticulous workforce operating in difficult conditions
• State control and the power of the administration

2. Effective communication with the Burmese

• The use of implicit communication
• Networking and reputation
• A multilingual environment with English used for business

3. Working with Burmese teams

• Building trust and confidence: patience, perspective and an open mind
• Effective management: supervising, teaching and building
• Centralized decision-making
• Recognising and encouraging performance 
• Conflict avoidance

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Burmese

• Defining the right framework for your meeting
• Identifying decision-makers
• The art of negotiation: understanding the true meaning behind the smiles
• 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