Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Norway 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 Norway.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Norwegian 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 Norwegian 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 Norway

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 Norwegian culture

• A Scandinavian nation with extensive resources
• A uniform population with significant regional differences
• A national history characterised by trade and conflict
• An exemplary social democratic model
• A successful economy

3. Values and behaviour patterns in Norway

• Respect for people’s private lives
• Reserve and restraint
• The concept of Irenism and a distaste for confrontation
• An egalitarian and liberal society
• The value of physical education
• An organized approach to time

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 Norway

1. The corporate world in Norway

• An organisational structure mid-way between a hierarchy and a collegial system
• An informal but extremely productive working environment
• Working hours and “Flexitid”
• Strict labour laws providing extensive protection for employees

2. Effective communication with the  Norwegians

• Communication based on implicit messages and nuances
• Understanding non-verbal communication
• English for business and the advantages of learning Norwegian

3. Working with Norwegian teams

• Building trust and confidence: discipline and professionalism
• Flexibility, perseverance and performance
• Encouraging joint decision-making and feedback
• Promoting a genuine group culture and an ideal working atmosphere

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Norwegians

• Encouraging reliability and frankness
• Identifying processes and objectives
• Keeping to deadlines and honouring commitments
• 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