[ID:8895] Management styles vary throughout the world. That's one of the first things you will notice when you work abroad, according to one United Nations employee based in a regional office in Africa:

"The most important thing to remember is that it does not function like a North American office. The management style is top-down and almost anti-participatory, stemming in part from its isolation from North American management theory... For another, shortages in office supplies such as paper for photocopying or printer cartridges, and local staff who suffer from low levels of training, make office efficiency a fraction of what it is in North America."

You will have to adapt to the workplace conditions you find. One volunteer taught in Ghana despite major problems:

"The school often runs out of money so we close it down for one or two weeks and contract out the students' labor. We dug out a fish pond for a good profit three months ago. Then we made cement blocks and built walls for a local...