Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Kuwait 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 Kuwait.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Kuwaiti 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 Kuwaiti 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 Kuwait

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 Kuwaiti culture

• The Bedouin heritage.
• One of the largest oil producers in the Persian Gulf
• A region of great geopolitical interest.
• The challenge of economic diversification

3. Kuwaiti values and behaviour patterns

• A Muslim culture characterised by its openness to the rest of the world
• The importance of tribal origins
• The family unit as the bedrock of identity. 
• A duty to provide hospitality 
• Going beyond the stereotypes. Women: between tradition and modernity
• A rigid hierarchy: respect for age and status
• Flexibility where time is concerned. 
• The importance attached to appearances

4. Practical day to day information

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

Module 2 : Successful professionnal integration in Kuwait

1. The Kuwaiti corporate world

• The influence of religion on business and the pace of work
• A virtually 100% state-controlled economy
• A horizontal hierarchy subject to the authority of a leader

2. Effective communication with the Kuwaitis

• Building personal relationships
• The importance of verbal communication.  A culture making extensive use of gestures.
• Respect and courtesy: the right attitude
• Arabic for day-to-day life and English for business

3. Working with Kuwaiti teams

• Establishing your authority: posture and bearing
• The concentration of decision-making powers
• Building and maintaining trust and confidence: responsiveness and a willingness to listen 

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Kuwaitis

• The art of negotiation
• Identifying decision-makers, giving and keeping your word, providing ample documentation
• Taking care when drafting contracts
• Successful follow-up

5. Final handy tips

• Caution, patience and humility
• Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code, etc
• Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion