Europe Arab Bank (EAB) offers clients a unique gateway to Europe, North America and the MENA region with a branch network covering Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE and Yemen.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Arab Bank Plc, Europe Arab Bank’s deep knowledge and experience of the region, combined with our dedication to providing the solutions that help our clients achieve their goals, keeps us moving forward together.

Working with clients and colleagues from such a wide span of countries requires EAB managers to be culturally intelligent and to develop the appropriate global communication skills to build effective international partnerships.

Training Ob­jectives

The core aims of this training programme were to:

• Raise awareness of cultural differences and their impact on working practices and relationships
• Develop understanding of key differences in working and communication styles between European and MENA cultures
• Provide practical tips and strategies for working more effectively with international contacts
• Facilitate an opportunity for networking and learning more about each others’ cultures

Training Approach

Following in-depth discussions with Europe Arab Bank’s HR team, Communicaid created a highly interactive training solution that targeted the specific culture and communication skills required by the bank’s managers.

Relevant case studies, role plays, critical incidents and other practical activities were incorporated throughout the programme to ensure that learning was in line with the bank’s Behavioural Competency Framework.

Following the successful delivery of the pilot programme, a review meeting was held with the bank’s HR team to analyse feedback and fine tune the programme before delivering it to all 70 managers. Training was delivered to groups of 12 – 15 delegates to ensure maximum engagement and interaction.

Our Solution

An interactive workshop Working Successfully across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa was designed to develop the global competence of EAB managers.

Key features included:

• Extended eight hour training day to allow opportunities for networking and sharing best practice
• Detailed personal action planning throughout the programme
• In-depth country resources provided for each of the bank’s markets

Results

EAB delegates confirmed that this training formed an essential part of their personal development within the bank. Delegates commented that they gained a better understanding of cultural differences and developed strategies to manage these. Learning how to adapt their behaviour allows them to communicate better with colleagues and clients from other geographies. The training also provided an excellent platform for networking and relationship building within the bank.

Client Feedback

“Communicaid’s cultural awareness training programmes were very useful as they helped us to understand how cultural differences impact our relationships with each other. It was great to take away a practical toolkit of strategies that we could use immediately to communicate with our diverse range of contacts.” Lorenzo Aloe, Senior HR Manager,Europe Arab Bank