Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Finland 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 Finland.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Finnish 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 Finnish 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 Finland

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 Finnish culture

• A European northern nation
• A uniform population
• A unique ancestral heritage
• A secular state with a Lutheran heritage
• An excellent educational system

3. Finnish values and behaviour patterns

• Sisu: endurance, courage and determination
• The importance attached to privacy
• A sense of proportion and humility
• Equality of the sexes and parity
• The national pride of the suomalainen 
• Social integration and participation through sport

4. Practical day-to-day information

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

Module 2 : Successful professionnal integration in Finland

1. The Finnish corporate world

• The differences between the public and private sectors
• A work ethic based on productivity and fairness
• A collaborative decision-making process
• The important role played by the trade unions

2. Effective communication with the Finns

• Frankness and moderation
• Silence, physical distance and the limited use of gestures
• The challenges and benefits of learning Finnish

3. Working with Finnish teams

• Effective management: skill, discipline and perseverance
• An ability to qualify, listen and compromise
• Proving your worth to win the trust and confidence of others
• Encouraging initiative and proposals
• The sauna test

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Finns

• Honesty and precision
• The importance of facts and presentation
• The qualities of accuracy and punctuality
• The importance of contracts

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