Pakistan - Working and dealing with the Pakistanis
Benefits of Attendance
The aim of this seminar is to significantly improve the participants’ effectiveness in their professional relationships with the Pakistanis, 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 Pakistani context and culture
- Analyse possible situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating
- Reduce stress and misunderstandings
- Decipher and understand Pakistani 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 Pakistani culture
- A young country with a rich and complex history
- The impact of British colonisation
- A multiethnic society
- A delicate political situation
3. The impact of values and behaviour patterns on professional dealings and relationships
- Curiosity and hospitality
- The country’s Islamic roots
- A male-oriented environment
- A flexible view of time
- Respect for authority and status
- A society comprised of economic and political classes
- Cricket: an important social phenomenon
4. The Pakistani corporate world
- A formal, well-structured and hierarchical organization
- A focus on productivity
- The role played by government offices and departments
- Working methods and the notion of quality
- Professional relationships
Module 2 : Succeeding in work with the Pakistanis
1. Effective communication with the Pakistanis
- Politeness and greetings
- Communication styles ranging from implicit to limited gestural forms of communication
- The importance of networking
- Pakistani English used for business
2. Adapting your working methods
- Management material: leadership, professionalism and experience
- Building trust and confidence: the advantage of strong interpersonal relationships
- Making the most of opportunities: responsiveness and rapidity
- Encouraging team input
- Effective decision-making: listening, supervising and verifying
- Pitfalls to be avoided
3. Succcessful meetings and negotiations with the Pakistanis
- Patience and diplomacy
- Discipline and precision
- Making the most of networks in order to forge relationships
- 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, India, Afghanistan
- Humour: a double-edged sword
