Working with Benin

View inter-company dates View inter-company dates

Summary

Target audience

Company managers and staff working and dealing with the Beninese

Prerequisite

No prerequisite

Objectives

The aim of this seminar is to significantly improve the participants’ effectiveness in their professional relationships with the Beninese, enabling them to be operational right from the start.

At the end of this training, participants will have acquired the necessary skills to:

  • Be aware of their own cultural baggage
  • Fully understand Beninese context and culture
  • Analyze possible situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating
  • Reduce stress and misunderstandings
  • Decipher and understand Beninese decision-making and negotiation processes

Added value

ACCESSIBILITY

All our training courses are accessible to people with disabilities. Each training project will be the subject of a case study by our teams, in order to adapt the training program.

Program

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 Beninese culture

  • From Dahomey to Benin: a proud history
  • The heritage of French colonization
  • A patchwork quilt of tribes and ethnic groups
  • Christianity, Islam, voodoo and mysticism
  • A developing economy

3. The impact of values and behaviour patterns on professional dealings and relationships

  • Family life is sacrosanct
  • Significant inequality of the sexes
  • A time management based on nature
  • The socialization of the hinterland
  • A respect for the elders and for status
  • An emphasis on hospitality and personal relationships.
  • Avoiding conflicts through peaceful and harmonious relationships

4. The Beninese corporate world

  • Paternalistic company structure
  • Decision-making centered on the company hierarchy
  • The pitfalls of nepotism
  • Professional relationships

Module 2 : Succeeding in work with the Beninese

1. Effective communication with the Beninese

  • A reserved and implicit communication style
  • The importance of visual and gestural communication
  • The deceptive simplicity of using the French language

2. Adapting your working methods

  • Effective management: expertise, charisma and diplomacy
  • Building trust and confidence: kindness and an open mind
  • Prudence and restraint
  • Avoiding frustration and anticipating resistance
  • Pitfalls to be avoided

3. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Beninese

  • Initiating dialogue
  • Persevering, waiting and confirming
  • The benefits and pitfalls of personal relationships
  • Understanding written contracts, their interpretation and implications
  • Organizing the post-negotiation phase

4. Final handy tips

  • Caution, patience and humility
  • Protocol and etiquette
  • Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code, etc
  • Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion
  • Humour: a double-edged sword

Intra-company coursesDuration: to define
Interested in customizing this training to your needs ? Contact us.

To check that you are not a robot, this form uses reCAPTCHA and is submit to the Google Inc. Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Akteos website uses cookies to offer you a personalized browsing experience.

We have also published our data protection policy.

More information

ACCEPT