Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Morocco 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 Morocco.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Moroccan 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 Moroccan 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 Morocco

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 Moroccan culture

• A many faceted kingdom
• Separate ethnic groups: Arabs and Berbers
• Religious coexistence: Islam, Christianity and Judaism
• A heritage as old as it is illustrious
• The legacy of the protectorates and Arab-Muslim nationalism
• The Moroccan monarchy: change through continuity
• Territorial points of contention: the  maghzen
• The weaknesses and opportunities of the Moroccan economic model

3. Moroccan values and behaviour patterns

• The influence of Islam on Moroccan behaviour
• An immeasurable view of time: the importance of the collective mindset
• Hospitality and courtesy.  Honour and loyalty
• Clans and networks.  Inequality of opportunity and zakat
• Moroccan women on the road to emancipation

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 Morocco

1. The Moroccan corporate world

• From small companies to world class firms
• The role of the state and the authorities: an extensive bureaucracy
• Understanding the Moroccan hierarchy: a respect for age and status
• Pragmatism and adaptability. The importance played by emotional aspects.
• A general set of rules with countless exceptions

2. Effective communication with the Moroccans

• The Arabic-speaking and French-speaking worlds
• Body language. Attention to one’s appearance: charisma and eloquence
• The verbal promise: a declaration of good intentions
• Qualifying your statements. The importance of “getting it in writing”.
• Networking and the flow of information

3. Working with Moroccan teams

• Effective management. Building confidence
• Politeness and a keen sense of service
• Decision-making processes
• Conflict avoidance and resolution: tempering criticism with euphemisms

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Moroccans

• The preparatory phase: identifying decision makers and priorities
• The importance of mediators: learning to compromise
• The joys of haggling: patience and flexibility
• Attitudes to contracts and their implications: a one-to-one commitment

5. Final handy tips

• Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code
• Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion