Foreigners recruited to working in an African country often assume that their experienced and competent working spouse will easily get a job locally. The image of the continent in many foreigners’ eyes is still one of poor and uneducated Africans. In search for information, some foreigners contact me with detailed questions such as these: ‘ Is [...]
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Africa is on the move: foreign investors and businesses alike are flocking to the most promising African markets as well as to the countries endowed with rich natural resources. But to succeed in their endeavors, they need local human resources…more precisely local qualified human resources. For decades, structural adjustment programs have forced African governments to [...]
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Few days ago, an American vendor expressed his frustration on a forum of the LinkedIn virtual professional community over his foreign prospective clients’ unexpected attitudes. In his US homeland, it is so easy to meet with the senior executives who are open to new solutions and products. Based on his experience, the vendor has assumed [...]
Monday, May 23, 2011
Most African societies feature a large number of indigenous ethnic groups as well as minorities of Africans from foreign descent. Such diversity brings about numerous challenges not only at the level of the society but also at the level of the organizations and of the businesses. The situation varies from place to place: in some [...]
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Visiting the largest bookshops in Nairobi gives a broad overview of what Kenyans read and how they get prepared for their working life. In the Business section, piles of imported books feature the golden rules paving the way to successfully doing business… Titles such as How to get what you want in the workplace? …Marketing [...]
Thursday, May 5, 2011
During the time I have been living and working in different African countries, I have always sought to understand how foreigners were adjusting to the local cultural context. I have therefore not missed an opportunity to ask questions especially to the foreigners who had a long and diversified career in different African countries. While these [...]
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
For decades, Africans’ capacity building has been occupying a considerable place on the budget of foreign development agencies. So far huge amounts of money have been poured into public servants’ technical and managerial skills development. In addition to that, cohorts of Africans have been enrolled in foreign universities in order to become the efficient and [...]
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The integration of African countries in the global economy is operated through a vast array of macro and micro economic measures. At the micro economic level, efforts are devoted to develop African human resources capacities in order to enhance their productivity and subsequently the competitiveness of their organizations. The prospective need for capacity building is appealing [...]
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
I grew up in a society where learning does not start with hands-on activities such as ice-breaking exercises. On the contrary, at the beginning of a training session, learners are expected to be attentive to what the trainer/teacher says. The introduction sets the context and presents the structure of the session. Setting the context helps [...]
Monday, February 14, 2011
In the frame of their HRD policies, firms and organizations involved in international operations globalize the use of their HRD techniques in their foreign subsidiaries and offices. Among the arsenal of tools and techniques, ‘coaching’ is more and more used to unlock employees’ potential and to achieve performance. The transfer of coaching beyond its original [...]
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Monday, December 5, 2011
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