Kazakhstani Management Culture: Perception of French Managers

The purpose of this paper is to serve as a guide for foreign managers who want to work in Kazakhstan on major aspects of the country's business culture climate. Why should one be interested in business culture of Kazakhstan? What is Kazakhstan? Why should one study it? As one of the largest countries in the world in terms of land area with vast natural resources, Kazakhstan recently became open to the world after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Favorable geographic position (it is located on two continents, Europe and Asia) makes Kazakhstan an important Eurasian geopolitical crossroad, a bridge between West and East. The world of business is becoming global. To succeed in this highly competitive environment, one should constantly look for new markets, new relationships and partners, new sources, etc. Working in emerging markets is a risky process. In order to minimize risks, companies should be kept informed of all changes occurring in the country, but firstly they should be aware of how to deal with people: it is the Human Resource Management aspect that is often underestimated.