How to achieve successful work synergies with Africans
Designed for:
Non-profit: Experts on short and long term assignment in Africa.
Humanitarian employees.
Trainers and faculty dealing with African trainees, students and researchers.
Profit: Managers, key decision-makers in export department, negotiators, sales directors, project managers, representatives of Chambers of Commerce.
Competence development:
- Acquire the knowledge of the area where cultural differences will impact on their activities whilst working and socializing with Africans
- Be able to identify the area where they will have to adjust their behaviour, communication style and their work habits
- Be able to identify the area where there are conflicting values and beliefs that need to be managed
- Acquire the tools to develop an action plan that will integrate the human component into the technical activities and tasks.
- Be ready to open a cross-cultural dialogue in order to handle conflicting values effectively.
"African “social intelligence” is often contrasted with Western “technical intelligence”. A person with a high level of social intelligence is one who knows and is always conscious of the values, norms, proper language (including proverbs) and customary practices to be applied in dealing with specific social issues, in conformity with the culture of his people. Such people are normally accorded very high regard in African societies". Nadine MENDELEK THEIMANN, Connecting through Culture, Celebrating Diversity. The African Management Context, in Convergence, Vol.6n°1 (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania).