Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Ukraine 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 Ukraine.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Ukrainian context and the culture
• Analyse situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating more effectively
• Reduce and manage the symptoms of culture shock
• Understand Ukrainian 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 Ukraine

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 Ukrainian culture

• A Slavic nation on Europe’s border
• The Soviet heritage
• A multiethnic population
• A fragile political status quo
• The Bread Basket of Europe, today in the throes of reconstruction

3. Ukrainian values and behaviour patterns

• Family and relationships: the importance of private and home life
• The Ukrainian woman as a social heroine
• Individual and national pride
• The importance attached to appearances
• A flexible and adaptable approach to time
• The importance of education and status

4. Practical day-to-day information in Ukraine

• 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 Ukraine

1. The Ukrainian corporate world

• The persistence of Soviet traditions
• Centralised decision making
• An urgent quest for productivity
• The role of national and local authorities

2. Effective communication with the Ukrainians

• A reserved communication style, formality and politeness
• The importance of non-verbal communication
• The circulation of information. Networking
• Ukrainian, Russian and language for business

3. Working with Ukrainian teams

• Effective management: flexibility, charisma and adaptability
• Building loyalty by socialising
• Establishing your credibility by asserting your leadership
• Taking decisions, explaining them and carrying out supervision
• Dealing with touchy or sensitive people

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Ukrainians

• Giving relationships that personal touch
• Building trust and confidence
• Identifying decision-makers
• Anticipating unforeseen events

5. Final handy tips

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