Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in the Philippines 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 the Philippines.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Filipino 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 Filipino 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 the Philippines

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 Filipino culture

• An archipelago in the Pacific with a typically tropical climate
• A dense and heavily interbred population
• A well rooted catholic tradition
• A political scene dominated by the middle classes and the army
• An ambiguous relationship with the Muslim community
• The balikbayans:  the impact of the Filipino diaspora

3. Filipino values and behaviour patterns

• A matriarchal society, the Child King
• Hospitality, modesty and discretion
• Respect for hierarchies and for status, a flexible view of time
• The overlapping of the public and private spheres
• Collective identity and a regional sense of belonging: the role of communities
• An extroverted yet diplomatic people, Pakikisama: a fear of conflict

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 the Philippines

1. The corporate world

• Major companies and the banking sector: the American model
• Local small businesses: a family-based hierarchy and traditions
• A committed, well disciplined labour force, intermediaries and the unions
• Fraud and the black market

2. Effective communication

• Communication in an implicit and roundabout manner
• Paying careful attention to greetings, the importance of networking
• Understanding the meanings behind smiles and verbal communication
• Visayan, tagalog, “taglish”, English and dialects: useful tips

3. Working with local teams

• Paternalism and delegation: striking the right balance as a manager
• Establishing your credibility: reliability, leadership and experience
• Padrino and bayanihan or encouraging cooperation
• Katiawalas, mediation, consultation
• Avoiding sources of resentment and of hiya

4. Successful meetings and negotiations

• Giving your professional relationships that personal touch
• Clearly explaining goals and methods
• Time and deadline management
• Written contracts, their interpretation and implications

5. Final handy tips

• Prudence, patience and humility
• Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code, etc
• Delicate subjects: politics, history, religion