Who Should Attend ?

Company managers and staff working and dealing with the Filipinos

Benefits of Attendance

The aim of this seminar is to significantly improve the participants’ effectiveness in their professional relationships with the Filipinos, enabling them to be operational right from the start.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Fully understand Filipino context and culture
• Analyse possible situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating
• Reduce stress and misunderstandings
• Decipher and understand decision-making and negotiation processes

Training Approach

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 Filipino culture

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

3. The impact of values and behaviour patterns on professional dealings and relationships

• 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. 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

Module 2 : Succeeding in work with the Filipinos

1. 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

2. Adapting your working methods

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

3. Successful meetings and negotiations

• Giving your professional relationships that personal touch
• Clearly explaining goals and methods
• Time, priority and deadline management
• Understanding written contracts, their interpretation and implications
• Organising the post-negotiation phase

4. Final handy tips

• Prudence, patience and humility
• Protocol and etiquette
• Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code, etc
• Delicate subjects: politics, history, religion
• Humour: a double-edged sword