WHEN CULTURES COLLIDE: MANAGING SUCCESSFULLY ACROSS CULTURES (1996) by Richard D. Lewis.
(New edition re-titled WHEN CULTURES COLLIDE: LEADING ACROSS CULTURES)
Check out the sample figures from this book - I like them a lot, and I can confirm that the author accurately describes the "management culture" typical of my native Sweden.
WHEN CULTURES COLLIDE is a book about how management/organization culture differs in various countries, and the misunderstandings that can happen when different cultural mindsets clash in international business.
Going into a situation where we must communicate with people from other cultures, we often assume that "surely they will communicate in the same way we do."
But what if they don't? We carry a lot of unspoken assumptions -- what to say and when, how to "get to the point," what is proper/improper, etc.
The author explains and describes how different cultural/historical circumstances shape different cultural patterns of communication and delegation. Some cultures will get along just fine (Finns and Americans, for example), others will run into misunderstandings.
Written in an easy, accessible style with lots of explanatory figures and anecdotes, the book makes the subject both entertaining and insightful. I learned a lot from it!
The "communication" diagrams are often quite funny; they will make you smile, perhaps in recognition of your own experiences.
Has the book dated well since it came out? It could be that cultural differences are being gradually "smoothed out" in today's interconnected world, but even so I think it is still valid.
Recommended not only for people who travel and work internationally, but also for those who are interested in understanding other cultures (and their own) in a practical, down-to-earth context.
No comments:
Post a Comment