International management – SAUDI ARABIA (1 day)

 

professional environment and values

1.    Economic and social environment
•    Who are you working with? Diversity of people in business: Saudis, Arabs, Indians, etc.
•    Wealth concentrated on oil, banking and service activities
•    Operation of the Saudi companies
•    The importance of an alliance with a Saudi “sponsor” partner

2.    Saudi cultural tendencies
•    Social life rules are organised around Islam
•    Behaviour standards in public, rules, and codes
•    Separation of men and women and control of proper behaviour in society

 

Communicating effectively

3.    Saudi relational methods
•    Reservation and little expression of emotion in public.
•    Dualism of the social image
•    An implicit culture that is often difficult to decipher
•    Unsaid, implicit and non expression of refusal. How does it work?

4.    At the workplace
•    Establishing and building the relationship
•    Businessmen are very familiar with Western culture
•    The importance of non-verbal communication, gestural mistakes

 

Managing teams and projects

 

5.    Management practices and tools
•    The strategic role of the manager: combining a Muslim context with Western management
•    The relative importance of the written contract: “words seal the deal”
•    Respect for the hierarchy: speaking to the right people
•    Managing a meeting, lateness and interruptions
•    Decision-making: who and how?
•    Collective action dynamic: managing the group

6.    Operational applications
•    Advice when starting a job
•    Action plan