Mauritania - Working and dealing with the Mauritanians
Benefits of Attendance
The aim of this seminar is to significantly improve the participants’ effectiveness in their professional relationships with the Mauritanians, enabling them to be operational right from the start.
At the end of this training, participants will have acquired insights and techniques to to:
- Be aware of their own cultural baggage
- Fully understand Mauritanian context and culture
- Analyse possible situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating
- Reduce stress and misunderstandings
- Decipher and understand Mauritanian 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 Mauritanian culture
- A country of the Maghreb region, an Islamic civilisation, the impact of colonisation
- A multifaceted society: black Africans, Moors and Tuaregs
- An outstanding cultural heritage
- A country experiencing major difficulties despite its massive resources
- The challenges of development and the fight against poverty
3. The impact of values and behaviour patterns on professional dealings and relationships
- The values of Sunni Islam and the sharia system
- The influence of primitive beliefs
- The family and the community: cornerstones of society
- Ethnic origin, tribes and castes: community influences
- A reverence for religion and spiritual guides
- Meals and tea: a sign of integration. Respect for age and status
- Women in Mauritania: wives, mothers and men’s “other halves”.
- Attitudes to risk and uncertainty
4. The Mauritanian corporate world
- Sunni Islam and the business world
- Hierarchical and collective decision making
- The influence of the state, of the army and of foreign investment
- Professional relationships
Module 2 : Succeeding in work with the Mauritanians
1. Effective communication with the Mauritanians
- Paying care and attention to protocol and greetings
- Hassaniya Arabic, dialects and the French language
- Understanding spoken language
- Successfully joining networks
2. Adapting your working methods
- Effective management: giving, listening and observing
- Operational skills: patience, respect and empathy
- Building trust and confidence
- Motivating, delegating, providing feedback, boosting self-esteem and handling conflicts
- Pitfalls to be avoided
3. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Mauritanians
- Identifying decision makers and showing respect for rank
- Time, priority and deadline management
- 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, etc
- Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion
- Humour: a double-edged sword
