Equatorial Guinea - Working and dealing efficiently with the Equatorial Guineans
Benefits of Attendance
The aim of this seminar is to significantly improve the participants’ effectiveness in their professional relationships with the Equatorial Guineans, enabling them to be operational right from the start.
At the end of this training, participants will have acquired insights and techniques to:
- Be aware of their own cultural baggage
- Fully understand Equatorial Guinean context and culture
- Analyse possible situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating
- Reduce stress and misunderstandings
- Decipher and understand Equatorial Guinean decision-making and negotiation processes
Training Approach
- Exercises and case studies based on the experience of participants in the company
- Personalized action plan and cross-cultural strategies
- 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 : Understanding cultural differences
1. Intercultural awareness : the key to success in international business
- Taking stock of one's own cultural baggage
- The basics of effective intercultural management
- Identifying and going beyond cultural stereotypes
2. Key aspects of Equatorial guinean culture
- A bipartite micro-state in sub-Saharan Central Africa
- Fang and Bubi: a population drawn from different ethnic origins
- Colonisation, slavery and tribal warfare: a history steeped in conflict
- A presidential republic characterised by nepotism
- An economy chiefly based on mining and oil
- Insufficient infrastructure
3. The impact of values and behaviour patterns on professional dealings and relationships
- Importance of the tribe and the family as a social bedrock
- A patriarchal and polygamous social structure
- Equatorial Guinean women: second-class citizens
- Catholic fervour alongside the persistence of traditional belief systems
- A respect for status, age and authority*
- A restricted view of space and a flexible approach to time
- Celebrations and rituals: shared communal experiences
4. The equatorial guinean corporate world
- A paternalistic corporate structure with tightly supervised decision-making
- The impact of poverty and unemployment
- Privileges, favouritism and discrimination: political control
Module 2 : Succeeding in work with the Equatorial Guineans
1. Effective communication with the Equatorial guineans
- Networking and relationships: the many benefits of social interaction
- The importance of protocol and greetings
- The extensive use of tactile and non-verbal communication
- Spanish, French and local dialects
2. Adapting your working methods
- Effective management: charisma, experience and pragmatism
- Defining tasks and determining duties and responsibilities
- Supervising, anticipating and verifying
- Building trust and confidence: integrity and kindliness
- Pitfalls to be avoided
3. Successful meetings and negociations with the Equatorial guineans
- Identifying rank and position
- Giving relationships that personal touch
- Proposing and persevering
- Understanding written contracts, their interpretation and implications
- Organising the post-negotiation phase
4. Final handy tips
- Caution, patience and humility
- Protocol and etiquette
- Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code
- Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion
- Humour: a double-edged sword
