Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Iraq 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 Iraq.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Iraqi 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 Iraqi 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 Iraq

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 Iraqi culture

• An ancient and impressive cultural heritage
• The impact of the invasions and of the British mandate
• A multi-confessional and multiethnic society
•  Independence, the Baath dictatorship and the war with Iran
• A critical situation: a nation of immense strategic importance internationally

3. Iraqi values and behaviour patterns

• A warm welcome, hospitality and curiosity
• The family and the community: both vital aspects of Iraqi life
• The separation of men and women
•  Propriety, detachment and a sense of honour
• A class-based society
• Religion as part of day-to-day life
• A mindset based on implicit messages and suggestibility

4. Practical day to day information

• Focus on the host town
•  Transport, administration, housing, hygiene and healthcare
• A delicate security situation: precautions are vital
• Social life, leisure, schools, extracurricular activities, sport

Module 2 : Successful professionnal integration in Iraq

1. The Iraqi corporate world

•  A paternalistic and hierarchical organisational structure
• A willingness to embrace western management methods
• Precision, discipline and efficiency
• The influence of the political authorities and pressure groups

2. Effective communication with the Iraqis

• The importance of body language and the oral tradition
• The important role played by networking
• Arabic and English for business
• The vital role of the interpreter: a mediator more than a linguist

3. Working with Iraqi teams

• Effective management: temperance, availability and expertise
• Building trust and confidence: honesty, sincerity and an open mind
• Supervising and showing a willingness to listen
• Guaranteeing a secure working environment in order to encourage loyalty

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Iraqis

• Giving relationships that personal touch: social activities outside work time
• Keeping your word: The importance attached to promises
• Carrying out activities over the long term
• Time and deadline management

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