Kosovo - Working and dealing with the Kosovars
Benefits of Attendance
The aim of this seminar is to significantly improve the participants’ effectiveness in their professional relationships with the Kosovars, enabling them to be operational right from the start.
At the end of this training, participants will have acquired insights and techniques to to:
- Be aware of their own cultural baggage
- Fully understand the context and the 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
- 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 Kosovar culture
- Historical background: a turbulent thousand-year history
- From the Ottoman empire to Yugoslavia
- The scars left by partition and ethnic warfare
- A recent micro-state which has received immense international attention
- A fragile economy with the impressive resources
3. The impact of values and behaviour patterns on professional dealings and relationships
- Origin and ethnicity: decisive factors
- National identity
- A male-dominated, family-based society
- A strong sense of community
- Hospitality and sociability
- Concept of time and space
- Ways of thinking and reasoning. Communication styles
- Attitudes to risk and uncertainty
4. The Kosovar corporate world
- The influence on business of the region’s communist past
- The role of foreign investment
- Differences in working methods and the notion of quality
- Professional relationships
Module 2 : Succeeding in work with the Kosovars
1. Effective communication with the Kosovars
- The importance of networking
- Verbal communication and pitfalls to be avoided
- Communication styles and methods
- Serbian and Albanian: identifying the right language to avoid causing offence
2. Adapting your working methods
- Identifying cultural traits and customs
- Understanding organizational structures, procedures and decision-making processes
- Anticipating possible obstacles
- Project management, the team spirit, a sense of service
- Pitfalls to be avoided
3. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Kosovars
- Forging relationships
- Identifying decision makers
- Anticipating obstacles: consultation and compromise
- Time and deadline management
- Attitudes to contracts and their implications
4. Final handy tips
- Caution, patience and humility
- Protocol and etiquette
- Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code
- Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion
- Humour: a double-edged sword
