Who Should Attend

Employees preparing for an assignment in Argentina 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 Argentina.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Argentinian 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 Argentinian 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 Argentina

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 to Argentinian culture

• The rich biodiversity of this extremely varied country. A multi-racial nation
• “Chaco”, “Sierras”, “Pampa”, “Patagonia” and Buenos Aires
• Colonisation and migration
• Peronism, dictatorship and the road to democracy
• Catholicism and religious minorities.  The educational system
• The Mercosur and foreign capital.  The challenges of a fragile economy.

3. Argentinian values and behaviour patterns

• Family traditions: “cariño” and “asado”
• A macho tradition combined with the notion of a powerful female figure
• The importance of appearances.  The quest for identity
• “El argentine”: Individualism and pride.  The ritual of “mate”
• A polychromic and elastic view of time
• “Armar un negocio”: Argentinian resourcefulness
• Football and the tango: more than just clichés

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 Argentina

1. The Argentinian corporate world

• The PYMES, major companies and the mass retail sector
• The workplace: a social environment
• The influence of networks and politics
• A clear hierarchy
• The marketplace, employment and staff turnover

2. Effective communication with the Argentinians

• Addressing others:  Understanding the correct use of the familiar form
• The importance of networking
• “Franqueza” direct communication
• Non-verbal and implied communication
• Argentinian and business Spanish: some pitfalls to be avoided

3. Working with local teams

• Empathy, courtesy and professionalism
• “Confianza”: performance through agreement and harmony
• Paying attention to personal ambitions, avoiding misunderstandings

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with Argentinians

• Giving relationships that personal touch
• Attention to protocol, learning to be patient.
• Identifying executive staff, creating reliable long-term partnerships

5. Final handy tips

• Caution, patience and humility
• Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code, etc
• Sensitive subjects: the Falklands war, dictatorship, Chile
• Humour: a double-edged sword