France – Egypt Intercultural communicationIndustry
Improving understanding and communication between French and Egyptians.
Context
Our client was selected as a provider of tunnel boring machines for the extension of two metro lines in Cairo.
Our client’s directors had been marked by cultural differences during previous negotiations. The client therefore wanted to train its managers and technical and logistical staff to communicate effectively with the authorities and with their counterparts.
solution
• Interview between project managers and the expert in the culture of the country to determine their needs and knowledge of Egypt.
• Cultural Profiling: a tool used before training to help French team members to become aware of their cultural preferences and orientations compared to those of the Egyptians.
• A one-and-a-half day program on Egyptian society, the values and behavior to adopt in the workplace.
• Half a day’s debriefing after the first stay in the country for each team to share their experiences and help them to improve the way they communicate with their Egyptian counterparts.
At stake for
the company
• Project management in a complex environment
• Communication and coordination of multicultural teams
• Compliance with milestones and deadlines
Benefits
• Proper management of project roll-out conducted by both teams
• A good level of understanding and consideration of the communication needs of Egyptians by the French team