Lebanon - Working and dealing with the Lebanese
Benefits of Attendance
The aim of this seminar is to significantly improve the participants’ effectiveness in their professional relationships with the Lebanese, 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 Lebanese context and culture
- Analyse possible situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating
- Reduce stress and misunderstandings
- Decipher and understand Lebanese 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 Lebanese culture
- A Middle Eastern country with an impressive heritage
- A multifaceted country with no fewer than 17 religions
- An unstable state
- The legacy of French colonisation
- The impact of the war
3. The impact of values and behaviour patterns on professional dealings and relationships
- Hospitality and generosity
- The family: an important social bedrock
- The importance of one’s origins and clan
- Expressing emotions
- A sense of honour
- Rigidly ordered relationships between men and women
- An adaptable approach to time
- Religious influences
4. The Lebanese corporate world
- A paternalistic corporate model
- A great deal of importance attached to status and qualifications
- Decision-making focused on a clearly established hierarchy
- The prevalence of nepotism
Module 2 : Succeeding in work with the Lebanese
1. Effective communication with the Lebanese
- Smiles and greetings
- Understanding gestural communication
- Giving relationships that personal touch
- The French language and a few pitfalls to be avoided
2. Adapting your working methods
- Effective management: charisma, responsiveness and intuition
- Supervising, consulting and circulating information
- Understanding the importance of individual pride
- Prudence, patience and openness
3. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Lebanese
- Initiating dialogue
- Managing ambiguity and unforeseen events
- Building a climate of trust
- Time, priority and deadline management
- Understanding written contracts, their interpretation and implications
- Organising the post-negotiation phase
4. Final handy tips
- Caution, patience and humility
- Protocol and etiquette
- Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code
- Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion, Syria
- Humour: a double-edged sword
