Uruguay - Working and dealing efficiently with Uruguayans
Benefits of Attendance
The aim of this seminar is to significantly improve the participants’ effectiveness in their professional relationships with the Uruguayans, 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 Uruguayan context and culture
- Analyse possible situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating
- Reduce stress and misunderstandings
- Decipher and understand Uruguayan 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 Uruguayan culture
- A uniform population derived from migration and assimilation
- An Amerindian country characterised by its plains and rivers.
- High urban density levels
- Colonial rivalry, the war of independence and the military dictatorship
- An economy chiefly based on agriculture and tourism
- Free education and the limits of the welfare state
3. The impact of values and behaviour patterns on professional dealings and relationships
- Hospitality and curiosity
- A patriarchal and family-centric society
- Pride in one's identity. Symbols and patriotism: the Gaucho figure
- Clearly defined social classes
- The importance of status and authority
- A collective and communal tradition: football and sociability
- The importance of appearances
4. The Uruguayan corporate world
- A hierarchical structure with supervised decision-making
- The prestige attached to studies and qualifications
- Clubs and interest groups: privileges and nepotism
Module 2 : Succeeding in work with the Uruguayans
1. Effective communication with the Uruguayans
- The importance of etiquette and greetings
- The decisive influence of networks
- A communication style making extensive use of gestures, hints and insinuation
- Rioplatense, business English and gauschesco: the benefits to be gained from making an effort to learn the language
2. Adapting your working methods
- Effective management: leadership, a willingness to listen and responsiveness
- Building trust and confidence: praising and enhancing skills and initiative
- Encouraging feedback: brainstorming and joint decision-making
- Planning, supervision and verification
- Pitfalls to be avoided
3. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Uruguayans
- Forging and strengthening relationships: giving relationships that personal touch by devoting time to them outside working hours
- Encouraging and building upon similarities
- Establishing your credibility: Basic expertise and rectitude in formal situations
- Attitudes to contracts and their 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
