Module 1 : Successful personnal integration in Russia

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 Russian culture

• An immense, multi-ethnic Eurasian nation, a thousand-year history
• The Russian Federation: the central authority, republics and regions
• The transformation from a command economy to a market economy
• The Russian marketplace and consumption trends
• Education: the cult of knowledge and technical discipline

3. Russian values and behaviour patterns

• Slavic values, the Soviet heritage and new values
• The importance of the orthodox church and the influence of other belief systems
• Social classes, oligarchs, apparatchiks and chekists.
• Collectivism, individualism and hospitality
• The Russian spirit and its many enigmas
• The role and status of women in Russia
• The “nitchevo”: the art of controlling events

4. Practical day-to-day information in Russia

• Focus on the host town or city
• Transport, administration, housing, security, hygiene and healthcare
• Social life, leisure activities, a wealth of cultural treasures to be discovered
• Schools, extracurricular activities, sport

Module 2 : Successful professionnal integration in Russia

1. The Russian corporate world

• A bureaucratic, Soviet heritage: the importance of procedures
• Individual and collective responsibility
• “Tchin”: the “status table” and the cult of rank, the mafia and corruption

2. Effective communication with the Russians

• The Russian language: alphabet, pronunciation, stress, false friends, etc.
• Determining the context, collecting reliable information
• Understanding implicit messages: the hidden meanings of “Da” and “Niet” 
• Addressing the Russians: first names, last names and diminutives
• The importance of proverbs and sayings

3. Working with Russian teams

• Establishing your authority Managing individual ambitions
• Pitfalls to be avoided: suspicion and jealousy, the decision-making process
• Networking: using your networks, the challenge of achieving consensus
• Paying attention to detail: birthdays, gifts and public holidays.

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Russians

• Identifying the decision maker, developing trust and friendship
• The importance of “krisha”, Learning to compromise
• Time and deadline management
• The “bani” or business dinners

5. Final handy tips

• Protocol and etiquette: Russian formality
• The importance of alcohol and toasting as part of the Russian social scene
• Delicate subjects:  democracy, minorities and history
• Humour: a double-edged sword