INTERCULTURAL

MANAGEMENT
-Moroccan case studies-

Supervised By:

Ph.D. WAHABI Rachid

Realised By:

BOUZIANE Zakaria

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 Table of contents

International Negotiations for Economic Diplomacy: EU-Morocco’s DCFTA .................. 1

Communication in Moroccan companies ..................................................................... 2
Negotiation between Moroccan and U.S. companies ................................................... 4
Morocco cultural analysis ............................................................................................ 6
Hofstede model in Moroccan culture ........................................................................... 8
Case of SIVECO Romanian Company in Morocco ........................................................ 11
Business communication in Morocco ......................................................................... 17
Cultural Information of Morocco ............................................................................... 19
Mintzberg case of Total Morocco ............................................................................... 21
Goleman case of Total Morocco ................................................................................. 23
 International Negotiations for Economic Diplomacy: EU-Morocco’s
DCFTA
This booklet explores the EU-Morocco trade negotiations for facilitating economic diplomacy
and fostering bilateral cooperation. Focusing on the specific case of the EU-Morocco Deep and
Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement’s (DCFTA) ongoing negotiations, the text attempted to
analyze the negotiation and bargaining strategies each actor was pursuing. Two hypotheses
were set for a test. The first stipulated that both the EU and Morocco were leaning toward
integrative negotiation approaches, since both were seeking long term mutually rewarding
partnership. The second postulated that given the asymmetrical differences between the EU
and Morocco in terms of power resources, the EU was predicted to favor hard bargaining
strategies, whereas Morocco, with its limited power capabilities and faced with a powerful
counterpart, tended to lean toward soft strategies.

Source: International Negotiations for Economic Diplomacy: EU-Morocco’s DCFTA, Institute for Cultural
Diplomacy (ICD), Abdeslam Badre, Berlin Germany, July 2014.

How do you think the Moroccan negotiations would face a powerful counterpart?

Will the Moroccan negotiation change depending on countries?

How power distance will impact the negotiation between Morocco and Europe?

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 Communication in Moroccan companies
U.S. companies should not engage in discussions about religious issues or issues concerning the
Royal Family which might offend the local business person. Learning a few Arabic words and
phrases is extremely effective to help develop business relationships. “Inchallah” is a local
expression that literally means God willing but can be a polite way of saying “hopefully.” While
Morocco is considered among the most liberal and tolerant countries of the region, some
business leaders, in spite of their very westernized appearances, may be religiously
conservative. As such, when meeting Moroccans, U.S. company representatives should avoid
ordering alcohol over a business meal unless the local representative orders first or offers it.
Although Moroccans tend to be very punctual, unanticipated delays are casually attributed to
the will of God. U.S. business representatives are also expected to show up in business attire.
Women should try to dress in a relatively conservative manner. When sitting and crossing one’s
legs, one should keep his/her feet as close as possible to the ground level. When invited to a
family function, a U.S. business representative should never turn down the invitation as it is a
sign of trust that should be properly appreciated. Overly aggressive or insistent behavior may
offend the local agent and is counterproductive to reaching an agreement.

What are some of the main cultural differences U.S. companies should be aware of before
visiting or doing business in a country in this region? Morocco is usually placed on the trade
map as a part of the Middle East. However, Morocco is part of the Maghreb, North Africa,
which has a different culture and history than the rest of the Middle East countries and even
the other countries on the African continent. Among the main differences: The position of
women in the society and the economy is such that women aspire to occupy executive
positions and are usually active in the management of family businesses. French is the official
business language. In spite of the growing number of Moroccan professionals that speak
English, local distributors and agents often expect U.S. exporters interested in the Moroccan
market to provide product brochures and documentation in French - this makes it easier to
determine if the product complies with local regulations and standards. French is the standard
labeling requirement and for certain products Arabic is strongly suggested.

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What communication techniques would you share with a Moroccan companies client to
overcome communication barriers? Not all Moroccan SMEs are internet literate, so
unanswered emails should not be interpreted as lack of interest. Some respectable Moroccan
firms still rely on fax communication. When making the first contact with a potential partner, it
is recommended to inquire about his/her preferred means of communication. After sending a
fax, one should follow up with a phone call to make sure that the fax was received.

As French is the official language for doing business, U.S. exporters should determine whether
they want to deal only with clients that can communicate in English, or add a French speaker to
their team. Using a professional translator is usually not efficient in the long run as face- to-face
communication is essential to establish a business relationship.

Source: International Trade Administration, Doing Business In Morocco

How we can describe the communication in U.S. and in Morocco: Assertive, Aggressive or Passive?

Will this gap of communication between U.S. and Morocco impact their negotiations?

Can the U.S. companies respect Moroccan culture and all traits?

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 Negotiation between Moroccan and U.S. companies
What is the best approach to negotiating with companies in Morocco? For instance, how
important is building a relationship based on value? Value meaning taking the time to
understand and handle their new partner product or service needs or being a reliable and
caring supplier. Taking the time to build a business relationship is very important, and should
precede any bargaining. In general, it is the local firm that will initiate bargaining about prices
and benefits (services, terms of payment).

At the beginning stages of negotiations, how important is quality and pricing of products and
services? U.S. products are known for their high quality. There are industry areas where the
market is very price sensitive and pricing is of most importance. Some sectors, where the
government is the buyer, may place more importance on the quality (customer support, users
training).

What about the negotiation process, for instance, is the negotiation a slow process, fast process
and should they expect large groups of people in the meeting? The negotiation process is a
slow process. The size of the group varies, depending on the complexity of the product, and the
size of the local company. In some instance, when the general manager is also a technician,
only one person attends the meeting and discusses the agreement. In other cases, when the
product is new and the company a large one, technicians, marketing staff, and the general
manager will attend the meeting.

How soon should the U.S. Company begin discussing business with his new partner in this
region of the world? In other words, is it rude to begin negotiations immediately or should they
wait for their new partner to open negotiations first? Always begin by asking about the person’s
health and wellbeing and that of the family. The first meeting would serve to introduce the U.S.
Company and its products. It is good to have a good presentation and to be flexible about
payment terms because the Moroccans are used to obtaining credit facilities from their
European and Arab suppliers. Other meetings can follow if there is interest from the Moroccan
company. Normally the second meeting is less formal than the first one.

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How important is follow-up when conducting business in this region of the world? Follow-up is
a key action when conducting business in Morocco. We have experienced times when we
continue to follow-up with potential clients and it is until the last moment that they decide to
give an answer. U.S. companies should also not be surprised if they do not receive an answer to
their email immediately. In this case it could be good to call directly or have someone who
speaks French call the company because it is the second language after Arabic.

When is the best time of year to conduct business in this region of the world? U.S. companies
are advised to visit Morocco during the months of October and November as well as between
January and May.

When is the worst time of the year to conduct business in this region of the world (e.g.
holidays, vacation season)? U.S. Companies should avoid visiting during the summer vacations (
July through September) , the month of Ramadan and the Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha holidays,
which change every year depending on the lunar calendar.

Source: International Trade Administration, Doing Business In Morocco

Can communication differences impact negotiation negatively?

What is the best strategy for a “win-win” situation?

How level of cultures influence the negotiation process of U.S. companies in Morocco?

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 Morocco cultural analysis
Morocco has a liberal economy that is influenced by the economics of supply and demand.
Morocco’s economy has in the last decade recorded significant growth. Culture wise, Morocco
is ethnically diverse with a rich culture and civilization (Centre for Intercultural learning, 2015).
From the historic days, Morocco has been inhabited by Phoenicians, Jews and Arabs, the moors
and sub-Saharan Africans. All the settlers of Morocco have had an impact on the social
structure and culture of Morocco. Language: Morocco’s official languages are Arabic and
Berber. The Darija is the most distinctive Arabic dialect in Morocco. In 2008, statistics indicated
that Morocco has 12 million Berber speakers. The French language is widely spoken in
government quarters.

Social Institutions: There is extensive social stratification in Morocco as evident in the

wide gap between the rich and the poor. Moroccans hardly strive to close the gap as they
believe in the concept of fatalism. Fatalism is a belief that circumstances that manifest
themselves are exactly as they should be in the society. Therefore, a poor person is so because
fate allowed him to be poor. The top of the society comprises of the elite families that comprise
of the monarch and royal family as well as the wealthy businessmen and merchants of
morocco. The middle class comprises of the workers and educated individuals. Morocco also
has a special group known as the Sherfa. The Sherfa represents a group of individuals who
believe they are the direct descendants of Prophet Muhammad. The Sherfa’s do not work and
live off the wealth of their descendants. The low class comprises of mainly Berber farmers
who reside in the countryside and engage in small-scale farming. A majority of the low-class
group have never acquired any form of education.

Social organization: Religion-wise 99% percent of Moroccans are Sunni Muslims and thus
adhere to the Muslim calendar. In a corporate environment, therefore, organization must
be respectful of Muslim celebrations such as the Ramadan. Friday is also a day of prayer
and worship for the Muslims and thus employers must give their employees time off work for
purposes of worship. On matters of health, Morocco continues to struggle in the urban and
rural areas. The country suffers from a shortage of health centers and hospitals. Additionally,

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the existing health facilities are short staffed. The Moroccans thus appreciate investors who eye
the health sector as it would boost the overall health of its citizens. The nation also holds in
high regard individuals who have advanced education and welcome them to work in Morocco.

Business in Morocco and Potential Conflicts: The Moroccan economy provides investors with
the most attractive options for investment. The nation is a symbol of stability in the face of
conflict and crisis in North Africa and the Middle East. However, corruption remains a challenge
that the Moroccan government is working towards eliminating. In 2010, the government
established an anti-corruption agency that enabled small and medium sized businesses to
report corruption. Overall, Morocco is an ideal hub of doing business due to the existence of a
diverse infrastructure. Morocco has extensive roads, banking services, telecommunication and
mining. Morocco has also managed to establish several trade agreements with different
countries. For instance, in 2006 the US established a free trade agreement with Morocco. The
agreements enabled American exporters to access the Moroccan market through the
elimination of 95% of the tariffs. Time keeping is an area where an investor may conflict with
the Moroccans. Moroccans are often late for meetings. It is essential therefore to provide a
time allowance in case a meeting is called. Moroccans have a tendency to be 15-30 minutes
late and this allowance should be provided when calling a meeting. Moroccans also take
their time when undertaking any type of work. For instance, a task that may take two hours
to complete can take the whole day. It is critical, therefore, for supervisors to set deadline
for task and ensure that the employees meet them.

Source: Adel Ismail Al-Alawi and Huda Jamil Alkhodari/ Elixir Intercultural Business Management 95
(2016)

Will the wild gap between social classes influence the foreign business decisions in Morocco?

Describe briefly Edward T.Hall’s dimensions in Morocco?

How the Moroccan culture can be a tool to attract investors all over the world?

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 Hofstede model in Moroccan culture
If we explore Moroccan culture through the lens of the 6-D Model©, we can get a good
overview of the deep drivers of Moroccan culture relative to other world cultures.

POWER DISTANCE
This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal – it expresses
the attitude of the culture towards these inequalities amongst us. Power Distance is defined
as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a
country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.

At a score of 70, Morocco is a hierarchical society. This means that people accept a hierarchical
order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification. Hierarchy in an
organization is seen as reflecting inherent inequalities, centralization is popular, subordinates
expect to be told what to do and the ideal boss is a benevolent autocrat

INDIVIDUALISM
The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a society
maintains among its members. It has to do with whether people´s self-image is defined in
terms of “I” or “We”. In Individualist societies people are supposed to look after themselves
and their direct family only. In Collectivist societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care
of them in exchange for loyalty.

Morocco, with a score of 46 is considered a collectivistic society. This is manifest in a close long-
term commitment to the member ‘group’, be that a family, extended family, or extended
relationships. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount, and over-rides most other societal
rules and regulations. The society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes
responsibility for fellow members of their group. In collectivist societies offence leads to shame
and loss of face, employer/employee relationships are perceived in moral terms (like a family
link), hiring and promotion decisions take account of the employee’s in-group, management is
the management of groups.

MASCULINITY
A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by
competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the winner/best in field –
a value system that starts in school and continues throughout organisational life.

A low score (Feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values in society are caring
for others and quality of life. A Feminine society is one where quality of life is the sign of

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success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. The fundamental issue here is what
motivates people, wanting to be the best (Masculine) or liking what you do (Feminine).

Morocco gets an intermediate score of 53 on this dimension and this in inconclusive.

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE
The dimension Uncertainty Avoidance has to do with the way that a society deals with the fact
that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen?
This ambiguity brings with it anxiety and different cultures have learnt to deal with this anxiety
in different ways. The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous
or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these is
reflected in the score on Uncertainty Avoidance.

Morocco scores 68 on this dimension and thus has a very high preference for avoiding
uncertainty. Countries exhibiting high Uncertainty Avoidance maintain rigid codes of belief and
behaviour and are intolerant of unorthodox behaviour and ideas. In these cultures there is an
emotional need for rules (even if the rules never seem to work) time is money, people have an
inner urge to be busy and work hard, precision and punctuality are the norm, innovation may
be resisted, security is an important element in individual motivation.

LONG TERM ORIENTATION

This dimension describes how every society has to maintain some links with its own past while
dealing with the challenges of the present and future, and societies prioritise these two
existential goals differently. Normative societies. which score low on this dimension, for
example, prefer to maintain time-honoured traditions and norms while viewing societal change
with suspicion. Those with a culture which scores high, on the other hand, take a more
pragmatic approach: they encourage thrift and efforts in modern education as a way to prepare
for the future.

With the very low score of 14, Moroccan culture is clearly normative. People in such societies
have a strong concern with establishing the absolute Truth; they are normative in their
thinking. They exhibit great respect for traditions, a relatively small propensity to save for the
future, and a focus on achieving quick results.

INDULGENCE
One challenge that confronts humanity, now and in the past, is the degree to which small
children are socialized. Without socialization we do not become “human”. This dimension is
defined as the extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses, based on the
way they were raised. Relatively weak control is called “Indulgence” and relatively strong
control is called “Restraint”. Cultures can, therefore, be described as Indulgent or Restrained.
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Morocco’s low score on this dimension (25) indicates that is has a culture of Restraint. Societies
with a low score in this dimension have a tendency to cynicism and pessimism. Also, in contrast
to Indulgent societies, restrained societies do not put much emphasis on leisure time and
control the gratification of their desires. People with this orientation have the perception that
their actions are restrained by social norms and feel that indulging themselves is somewhat
wrong.

Source : https://www.hofstede-insig)hts.com/country/morocco/

How the Moroccan culture and Hofstede Model are related?

How can Hofstede results influence the communication of Moroccan citizen in worldwide?

What is the relation between Moroccan Hofstede results and Arabian or African culture?

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 Case of SIVECO Romanian Company in Morocco
Discovering Morocco: a Cross-Cultural Analysis

In comparing Morocco with Romania, the Organisational Culture Framework will be used, with
particular focus on the Cultural Context and the Verbal and Nonverbal Codes (discussed in part
three). This comparison will take an etic approach (“what is general in cultures”, Mooij, 2010, p.
61), and does not pretend to be exhaustive or completely free of ethnocentrism. To know more
about Moroccan people we have done an interview which takes place in Rabat, Morocco, at the
premises of the Ministry of Education Marketing Department meeting room. The board of the
interviewers has been mixed and will include:

Maria Minulescu: the Romanian HR Manager, SIVECO Romania, Romania.

Andrei Lazarescu: the Romanian Marketing Manager, SIVECO Romania, Morocco. He was
relocated 2 years ago especially for this partnership.

Touria Al Hassani: the Moroccan Marketing Director, Ministry of Education, Morocco.

Saleh Bouchtat: the Moroccan HR Manager, Ministry of Education, Morocco.

Religion: a vast majority (98%) of Moroccans is Sunni Muslims and Islam has an enormous
impact on social values and practices.

Family and Personal Relationships: According to Kabasakal and Bodur (2002, p.47) “Islam
promotes and maintains family and kinship relationships, creating a highly collectivistic
society”. Therefore, family and long-term in-group relationships are extremely important in
Moroccan social and business culture.

Respect: Dignity and self-worth are especially importance so Moroccan’s take notice of how
others perceive them. Shame is to be avoided at all costs, so Moroccans will often do as much
as possible to win the respect of others and to avoid arguments and confrontation. Moroccans
are conscious of their reputation and will do whatever it takes to ensure it is not damaged and
to avoid shaming their family.

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Language: The French language is primarily spoken in the business world in Morocco, yet it is a
secondary criterion for the current job due to the fact that the two parties maintain their
relationship using English (i.e. at the “eduVision 2020”, Bucharest, September 2011; and at the
“The African Education Summit”, Rabat, Morocco, July 2011). Furthermore, “the demand for
English is growing as Moroccans realize that while French will enable them to study in France,
English will present them with increased opportunities” (British Council, 2007). Thus, the
interview will be held in English.

During the interview, it can be observed that the Moroccan representatives prefer closeness
and are sitting next to each other. They are known to be oral people and therefore are not
noticed to take many notes during the interview. On the other hand, the two Romanian
delegates are very carefully taking notes, not only to equally evaluate each candidate, but also
to prepare reports for their superior as Romania is far more hierarchical than Morocco.
Everyone is served tea or coffee as an expression of friendship or esteem.

Dress Code: Although as a woman in an Arab country it is important to cover up, the business
fashion of men and women in Moroccan urban areas are extremely influenced by western style
of dressing (Kabasakal and Bodur, 2002; Carte and Fox, 2010). However, if visiting rural areas it
is recommended to comply with more reserved traditional style and cover “from the knee
(shorts or skirt) to the elbow (short-sleeved T-shirts)” (Morocco Explored, 2012).

Time: In the Arab world the relationships prevail over time and agendas (Carte and Fox, 2010;
Usunier and Lee, 2009; and Schmidt et al., 2007), and Al-Omari adds that “it is timing rather
than the time that is important”, in other words, “you follow the mood rather than the
schedule” (in Carte and Fox, 2010, p.15).

In Morocco the time is polychronic and it is seen as flexible and cyclical, and often people
“attempt to perform multiple task simultaneously” (Liu et al., p.110). It appears that the religion
impacted on the perception of time as Moroccans are not worried about delays using habitually
the phrase: “if God wills it” (Schmidt et al., 2007, p.251) or inshallah.

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Relationships: According to Carte and Fox (2010, p. 177) Morocco is a “relative truth culture”
which indicates that “the circumstances indicates the way you behave”. The authors continue
“your loyalty is more to your group (eg family, clan, friends and company) than to a set of
abstract rules”

Schwartz’s values approach describes on one hand the Eastern European nations are “high in
harmony, conservatism, and intermediate in hierarchy/egalitarianism” and other hand, Islamic
countries are “high in hierarchy, conservatism, intermediate in mastery/harmony” (Guirdham,
2005, pp. 57-58).

Source: SIVECO Romania Website (2012). The largest project of introducing IT into the education system
in Morocco will be developed by Romanians.

What is the impact of the difference between Moroccan and Romanian culture on business issues?

How we can describe the Schwartz Model in the Moroccan culture?

Knowing that Morocco is very close to the Europe, we can say that the Schwartz Model of our country
is similar to the European one?

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 Case of the Japanese MNC subsidiary in Morocco
The Japanese MNC, studied in this research, is considered the leader in wire harness industry in
terms of market share, with clients in more than 40 countries. In early 2000s, the MNC opened
its first subsidiary in Morocco in Tangier’s Free Zone. Currently, the company is present in three
Moroccan cities with a total workforce of more than 8,000 employees that is to reach 11,000 by
the end of 2015. In addition, the three production sites are fully run by Moroccan management
teams with very small presence of Portuguese managers in Tangier’s plant.

The human resources manager stated that the company has 1.5 to 2% employee turnover rate,
which reflects the employees’ high level of commitment and loyalty, and which is generally
healthy. This information was confirmed by the two other middle-level managers. The latter
added that they witnessed several cases of underperforming employees who received
additional training and have been reoriented to other production lines instead of laying them
off. Thus, the Japanese concept of lifetime employment is present in this Japanese MNC
subsidiary which matches the Moroccan employees’ need for long-term job security.
Interviewees confirmed that the evaluation system criteria included seniority, performance,
‘dicipline’, and respect. The French term ‘discipline’ refers to the employee’s courtesy in the
workplace toward his/her colleagues and the company’s rules. Whereas, respect, underlines
the necessity to show respect for higher status employees. These concepts are highly grounded
in the Moroccan society through obedience and respect for elders and higher authority people.
Furthermore, it is similar to the Japanese notion of respect enforced by the hierarchical status.
As a result, the Moroccan environment supports the hierarchical nature of the Japanese
organizations. The similarities between Moroccan and Japanese cultures such as following
orders, respecting superiors, staying with one company, needing group-belongingness,
hardworking and idealistic beliefs. This is of utmost importance because the more resemblance
there is between the two countries’ social environments, the greater chance of a successful
implementation of the new HRM system.

The conducted research revealed the presence of commitment and loyalty behaviors among
the studied Japanese MNC subsidiary employees. Besides, the case study results highlighted the

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importance of the company’s Japanese HRM practices in creating higher level of commitment
and loyalty amongst its employees. The research results are, also, aligned with the previous
literature findings about the Moroccan socio-cultural traits supporting and strengthening
employees’ loyalty behavior.

From a managerial perspective, the study represents an initial ground for Moroccan HRM to
benefit from Japanese best practices in creating a more favorable work environment. The
general tendency to negatively view the Moroccan socio-cultural environment as a major
obstacle for development and success can be refuted as a result of this research. The Moroccan
social, cultural, and religious values can be combined to create a supportive work environment
that benefits both companies and employees. By offering an interesting incentives’ package,
along with a strong community based environment, the company can gain its employees’ trust
and increases their motivation.

Empowerment and involvement in the company’s decision-making process are highly regarded
among middle management as well as lower level employees. Moreover, role models represent
a fundamental driver for employees’ commitment and loyalty towards the studied company.
Managers should, therefore, provide concrete employees’ success stories that can reinforce
other employees’ loyalty. The current exploratory research confirms the persistence of loyalty
amongst Moroccan employees of the Japanese MNC subsidiary analyzed. It also reveals the
supportive facet of the Moroccan environment enabling high degree of transferability of the
Japanese HRM practices and values to the Moroccan context. The high degree of similarity
between the Moroccan and Japanese socio-cultural values can drive future research targeting
other topics from different fields to take advantage from the Japanese success experiences.

Source : Yassine Aljayi et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 230 (2016)

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How Japanese HRM can communicate and manage Moroccan employees?

What are the similarities between the Moroccan Schwartz Model and the Japan one?

What are the characteristics of Moroccan and Japan direction (Trompenaars Model)?

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 Business communication in Morocco
Business Style: Moroccans are very careful and indirect in their communication style. Any direct
confrontation with a Moroccan could cause a loss of face and hence shame for their family,
thereby potentially dooming your future relationship. It is considered better to express a
criticism through a colleague or friend, rather than face to face. Also, a Moroccan may say one
thing in public to avoid awkwardness or shame, but sing a different tune when no longer in the
public spotlight. A Moroccan adage reminds one to “Praise your friend in public but reprimand
him in private.” (Business Style Morocco, Culture Crossing, August 23, 2011.)

Intercultural Management: The business set up in Morocco is conservative and hierarchical and
to ensure successful cross cultural management it is important to remember that strictly
defined roles exist. Always err on the side of conservative behaviour through your dress code
and general conduct. Intercultural adaptability relies on an understanding of this hierarchical
system. This belief means that people believe their supervisors have been chosen because of
their greater experience.” (Kwintessential) Here also was mentioned that “Morocco’s
intercultural competence and readiness for change is low. Its’ conservatism means that change
can often be seen as a threat to society. Managers are therefore likely to be averse to change
and it is essential that any changes are viewed as positive for the ‘whole’ and not just an
individual. Intercultural sensitivity is essential; introductions are imperative in this relationship
driven culture. The social side of business is very important. Moroccans must know and like you
to conduct business.”

Management in Morocco: Intercultural adaptability relies on an understanding of this

hierarchical system. This belief means that people believe their supervisors have been chosen
because of their greater experience. In addition, Moroccans do not require as much personal
space as many other cultures. As such, they will stand close to you while conversing and you
may feel as if your personal space has been violated. Since Moroccans judge people on
appearances, stay in a high standard international hotel. Likewise, wear good quality
conservative clothes since they mark you as a person of status.”

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Cross Cultural Communication: will be more effective when you are working in Morocco, if you
remember that honor and reputation play an important role. When holding meetings, it is
important to ensure that any ideas raised do not expose or embarrass the individual. Managers
should avoid praising individuals as all projects are to be undertaken collectively. The social side
of business is very important. Moroccans must know and like you to conduct business.
Companies are hierarchical with the highest ranking person making decisions, but only after
obtaining a group consensus. If the government is involved, discussions will take even longer
since the ministers of several departments may be consulted.

Source: Intercultural Management Morocco. Kwintessential. August 23, 2011.

What is the communication style adopted in Morocco?

What is the relation between cross culture communication and management in Morocco?

What are the important traits of Moroccan Trompenaar Model?

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 Cultural Information of Morocco
Display of Emotion: In the business world, some people tend to make a lot of promises to
convince you that they are telling the truth and that you should believe what they are saying.
For example, they will say: "I swear to you that it is the correct price" or "I give my word that
the price you propose is too low." Seldom do you meet someone who will swear or use off-
colour language as this is a sign of disrespect.

Dress, Punctuality & Formality: Business people always dress well, very chic and in the latest
styles. They pay a lot of attention to the brand names that they wear (i.e. Armani). Women
wear a lot of makeup.

There are never exact times for meetings. If a meeting is set for sometime between 2:00–2:30
pm, people will likely arrive around 2:30–3:00 pm or later. Moroccans are often late for
meetings. Do not hesitate to call your meeting 30 minutes before the actual time and insist that
people come on time. This way everyone will arrive only 15 minutes late. In general, Moroccans
respect foreigners a lot (and Canadians even more so) and are impressed by you, particularly if
you have a degree. Therefore, try to maintain this impression and try not to succumb to
Moroccan charm and kindness as they may take advantage of you and be difficult to deal with.

Moroccans like to take their time at work and a file that should require three hours of work
may easily take up an entire day. Thus, if you are a supervisor, do not hesitate to set deadlines
and follow up with people as much as possible. Generally, women work more than men do.

Preferred Managerial Qualities: Moroccans greatly value education as well as people’s status in
society and in their company (i.e., if you are a vice president, the son of the director of a certain
bank, or the wife of the president of a certain company). This type of status alone will help you
gain respect and will be reinforced by leadership, the ability to make people do what you want
them to and do it well and on time. You should analyse your employees’ and colleagues’
excuses for handing in work late or asking for a sick day or salary advance because they will not
always be telling the truth. You should indirectly consult a third person in order to know what
your staff thinks of you.

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Hierarchy and Decision-making: Normally, the person in charge makes decisions and tells
people what to do. Giving your opinion or talking about a decision is also acceptable and may
be well viewed by your colleagues. Do not let your superior know that he is not right and his
decision is not a good one, but do justify your point of view. Should you need a response, it is
perfectly acceptable to go to your direct supervisor, but first ask your colleagues.

Conflicts in the Workplace: Confront the individual in a café in private or during a religious
festival as people will want to keep the peace and enjoy the good times, which will help you
settle everything in a friendly manner. However, you may need to be more assertive if you
expect the person to be somewhat hostile as he/she may deny that the problem really does
exist. However, generally, women are easier to approach than men. If the situation becomes
serious, do not hesitate to talk to your supervisor.

Cultural Information - Motivating Local Colleagues: Money is the primary motivation for
producing good work while recognition and good working conditions play secondary roles. Do
not hesitate to tell your employee in front of the entire office that he/she is doing good work.

Source: https://www.international.gc.ca/cil-cai/country_insights-apercus_pays/ci-ic_ma
(Government Of Canada)

What is the impact of emotions on the communication and the intercultural management in Morocco?

What the time adopted in Morocco: Sequential or Synchronous (Trompenaar Model)?

What is the common leadership style and how is the process of decision making?

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 Mintzberg case of Total Morocco
In the point of view of Mintzberg, Moroccan managers can be described (with the results we
have) as having, a leader role. Moroccan managers are the ones in charge to get the work done,
he has to motivate the employees and they mentor them. Managers also have a liaison role
because they give important information to their employees, they spend time with the client to
keep them feel valued, and they have a long-term orientation so they need to assure the
survival of the company in the future. Informational roles are affected by the lack of
communication; we can say that the big majority of the Moroccan leaders don’t have an
informational role.

According to Mintzberg, the entrepreneur role needs the manager to always be the person who
makes the improvements. Adapting the business practices to a changing environment is a
responsibility of the manager. They have an important role model to the other employees of
the company (Mintzberg, 2007). The Moroccan leader is the one in charge of that. They are the
one who know what to do, to quote one of the participant’s answer “the manager takes the
good decision at the good moment” The resource allocator role means exactly what it is labeled
as (Mintzberg, 2007). The Moroccan manager is the chief and his subordinates work individually
and report to them. He is the one who say who make what. We can say that the Moroccan
leader is a Western leader with many improvements to make. To avoid the problem, companies
like Total have installed a top-management in these foreign filial composed by foreigners and
not with local mangers and these top managers are switching every 3 years to develop
corporate values that every manager has to follow which are: solidarity, cross-sectional
listening and team spirit.

Source : Intercultural management : Morocco and India, Deven Desai and Franck Garozzo,
Business Administration, Bachelor Thesis, Linkoping University, Spring Semester 2011

21
What is the importance of communication for managers in MNC?

Are the Moroccan managers influenced by the culture of MNC?

How Trompenaar Model impact the Moroccan management in MNC?

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 Goleman case of Total Morocco
If we focus on Goleman’s style of leadership and the roles of a manager by Mintzberg, we can
say that Moroccan managers are using all the types of leadership except the affiliative. They are
coercive in a certain manner. Bouamrani told us; people do what the boss says even if they
think that the idea is not good, ergo they are more authoritative. The boss states the end
objective, but gives people their own means to complete the task. They also easily give their
truth to the workers who can work on their mission, the flexibility traits of character that come
up the survey is an important factor to make this leadership style work. The democratic style is
not really democratic in Morocco due to the fact that men and women are not the same in
Moroccan companies. Not everybody can talk, a women even if she has a good idea will not be
listen, “only” men subordinates can give their ideas about the problem or topic launch by the
manager. The Moroccan managers require also high performance, they want to have results
immediately, but they also want to have results in the long-term, so if we look like, it seems
that employees has to give high performance work during all the time. Whereas the managers
want their employees to be efficient all the time, they also know that it’s good to help someone
to improve his weaknesses, there is the coaching style. Mangers in Morocco use internal
formation, as the answer of the survey reveal and also through the interview with Ms.
Bouamrani when she says that every new employee in Total has to participate, within their 2
first years in the company, at an integration conference in Paris.

According to Goleman, “leaders who have mastered four or more— especially the
authoritative, democratic, affiliative, and coaching styles— have the best climate and business
performance” (Goleman, 2000), Moroccan managers combine several styles of leadership,
unfortunately they have a lack of gratitude, a lack of communication and they require too much
from their subordinates. With these qualities lacking in their management style, three of the six
more important factors of leadership can be affected, the clarity because if there is not enough
communication the subordinates can have trouble to understand what the manager want from
them. The rewards factor is also affected, because of the lack of gratitude from the managers
and finally the standards, the standards are high and if an employee has difficulties to reach

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these standards, another factor can affect the commitment of this employee to the mission,
because they know that whatever they do, they will never beat the expectation of the manager.

Source : Intercultural management : Morocco and India, Deven Desai and Franck Garozzo,
Business Administration, Bachelor Thesis, Linkoping University, Spring Semester 2011

How the Moroccan style of communication can impact the role of managers?

How Moroccan managers manage the difference between their culture (either of their subordinates -
Moroccan culture-) and the culture of company?

What is best way in communication that Moroccan managers prefer in MNC: deductive or inductive?

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