Who Should Attend ?

Employees preparing for an assignment in Guadeloupe 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 in Guadeloupe. The objective is to enable them to identify the stumbling blocks that lie ahead and to be able to adapt and integrate in Guadeloupe.

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

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Understand Guadeloupian 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 Guadeloupian 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 Guadeloupe

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 Guadeloupian culture

• The Ile aux belles eaux : a Caribbean archipelago in the French West Indies
• A young and racially mixed population
• A rich and diverse heritage thanks to Guadeloupe's long history
• Creole roots with a republican administration
• An economy chiefly based on agriculture and tourism

3.  Guadeloupian values and behaviour patterns

• A flair for hospitality
• Matriarchal values handed down from one generation to the next
• Social behaviour
• Community ties and the importance of festivities
• A polychronic view of time
• Pride in one's identity, touchiness and a sense of honour
• The importance attached to status and education

4. Practical day-to-day information

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

Module 2 : Successful professionnal integration in Guadeloupe

1. The Guadeloupian corporate world

• A hierarchical corporate structure
• A work ethic which places the emphasis on performance
• Privilege, favouritism and nepotism
• The prevalence of public sector employment and the cruel reality of unemployment

2. Effective communication with the Guadeloupians

• A communication style heavily characterised by ambivalence
• Politeness, protocol and etiquette
• The importance of networking

3. Working with Guadeloupian teams

• Effective management : a willingness to listen, discretion and leadership
• Listening, deciding and acting
• Showing respect and carefully cultivating your reputation
• Encouraging a team spirit and feedback

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Guadeloupians

• Preparing your arguments and your action plan
• Proposals, compromises, follow-up and perseverance
• The comparative advantage to be gained from networking
• 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