Who Should Attend?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Austria 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 Austria.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Austrian context and the culture
• Analyse situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating more effectively
• Reduce and manage the symptoms of culture shock
• Understand Austrian mindset, different 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 Austria

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 Austrian culture

• A uniform population despite the country’s multi-ethnic past
• The impressive heritage of Austria’s glorious yet turbulent history
• A well-rooted catholic tradition
• Federalism and politics
• The educational system

3. Austrian values and behaviour

• A strong attachment to regional origins
• Private life: a jealously guarded sphere
• A traditional society with a commitment to equality 
• Reserve and self-control
• The importance attached to status
• A forward-looking and forward-planning mindset

4. Practical day to day information

• Focus on the host town
• Transport, administration, housing, security, hygiene and healthcare
• Social life, leisure activities
• Learning the language
• Schools, extracurricular activities, sport

Module 2 : Successful professionnal integration in Austria

1. The Austrian corporate world

• A hierarchical company structure with clearly identified posts and roles
• An emphasis on productivity and efficiency
• The importance and special characteristics of the trade unions
• The role of national and local authorities

2. Effective communication with the Austrians

• "Vitamine B(eziehung)" or the hidden power of networks
• Greetings, protocol and formality
• Direct and gestural communication
• The advantage of speaking German in professional situations

3. Working with Austrian teams

• Effective management: experience, discipline and leadership
• Building trust and confidence by maintaining a respectful distance
• Decision-making supervised by key staff
• Setting tasks and carefully respecting job titles and descriptions

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Austrians

• Understanding titles and job descriptions
• Making the most of common interests
• Proposing and persevering: showing yourself to be responsive
• Written contracts, their interpretation and implications

5. Final handy tips

• Caution, patience and humility
• Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code
• Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion
• Humour: a double-edged sword