Synopses & Reviews
I wrote this book because I believe that there is a serious gap in what has been written and communicated about cross-cultural management and what people actually struggle with on the ground.”From the IntroductionWhat does it mean to be a global worker and a true citizen of the world” today? It goes beyond merely acknowledging cultural differences. In reality, it means you are able to adapt your behavior to conform to new cultural contexts without losing your authentic self in the process. Not only is this difficult, its a frightening prospect for most people and something completely outside their comfort zone.
But managing and communicating with people from other cultures is an essential skill today. Most of us collaborate with teams across borders and cultures on a regular basis, whether we spend our time in the office or out on the road. Whats needed now is a critical new skill, something author Andy Molinsky calls global dexterity.
In this book Molinsky offers the tools needed to simultaneously adapt behavior to new cultural contexts while staying authentic and grounded in your own natural style. Based on more than a decade of research, teaching, and consulting with managers and executives around the world, this book reveals an approach to adapting while feeling comfortablean essential skill that enables you to switch behaviors and overcome the emotional and psychological challenges of doing so.
From identifying and overcoming challenges to integrating what you learn into your everyday environment, Molinsky provides a guidebookand mentoringto raise your confidence and your profile. Practical, engaging, and refreshing, Global Dexterity will help you reach across culturesand succeed in todays global business environment.
Review
A resolutely practical approach, supported by numerous examples that make this book lively, useful and interesting to read.”
ManagerisIt's a book I recommend highly, particularly to people who are put in non-U.S. cultural situations but have not yet put much thought into the implications.” Federal Computer Week
an important book with wide application to the field of international education.” NAFSAs International Educator
When it comes to cultural competence, there are some big gaps between knowing about, knowing how to, and actually developing and applying the skills to manage self in real situations. Andy Molinsky has provided us with a methodology for bridging into the third and most critical of these steps, and his choice of the word "dexterity" in the title of the book is well chosen... The book is well written and an easy read.” George SimonsSIETAR France (Society of Intercultural Education Training and Research)
This book is a quick and easy-to-understand resource for anyone who might find himself in a remotely foreign culture. It might simply save you some unneeded embarrassment, or it might go as far as saving your job.” 800 CEO READ
Molinsky presents a succinct method for figuring out how to adapt to new cultural events, such as delivering feedback to Japanese colleagues, interviewing for a job in an overseas country, or participating more successfully in a meeting with foreign executives.” Global Business and Organizational Excellence
a very readable and enjoyable primer with helpful tips for cross cultural behavior.” The International Admissions Officer Bookshelf - Summer 2013, Intead (International Education Advantage)
This is a one-of-a-kind book on developing cross-cultural insight. Like most subjects, you cannot learn it in one reading. Practice is essential. But Andy Molinsky provides you an excellent start.” BIZ INDIA
ADVANCE PRAISE for Global Dexterity:
Ted Manley, VP, Total Rewards and HR Operations, Dunkin Brands Inc.
Global Dexterity truly resonates. As an HR executive with over thirty years of experience in global companies, I can see a real advantage in using the books tips and techniques to help manage and communicate with people from around the world!”
Steven A. Rochlin, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Global Advisory Services, AccountAbility; coauthor, Beyond Good Company and Untapped
Andy Molinsky shows us that successful leaders crack the code of foreign cultures and adjust their behavior accordingly. Then he explains how its done. Global Dexterity is an indispensable guide for managing a globalizing world.”
Adam Weinberg, President and CEO, World Learning
The future will be shaped by people who can effectively live and work across cultural differences. Andy Molinsky provides a series of simple and effective tools for helping people understand where cultural differences come from and for helping us, as individuals, develop our own capacity to bridge those differences effectively. Global dexterity is an important concept, and this is an important book.”
Mansi Madan Tripathy, Chief Marketing Officer, Shell India
Global Dexterity provides a clear road map to conquer the quest for cultural diversity, which is critical in todays flat world. The self-assessments on identifying cultural gaps and working on a personal mind-set to overcome them will prove handy to anyone working in a new cultural environment.”
Matthias Kempf, Director, HR Talent Europe, adidas Group
Andy Molinsky does a masterful job of demystifying the challenges one faces working in or with other cultures. His book is as insightful as it is practical. In a world in which you need to both understand and adapt to cultural differences, this is the book to read.”
Synopsis
What does it mean to be a global worker or citizen of the world today? It goes beyond mere acknowledgment of cultural differences. In truth, it often takes the actual adaptation of your behavior to fit into new cultural contextssomething frightening for most people, and completely out of their comfort zone.
But managing and communicating with people from other cultures is an essential skill today. Most people are working on a regular basis with international colleagues, or are part of a diverse team where members have different backgrounds and styles. Whats needed is a new skill: global dexterity.
In Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior Across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process, Andy Molinsky gives you the tools needed to adapt your behavior to new cultural contextswhat he calls cultural code-switching.” He teaches us to switch behaviors and overcome the emotional and psychological challenges of doing so, relaying his findings from more than 15 years of research, teaching, and consulting with managers and executives around the world.
Practical, engaging, and refreshing, Global Dexterity will help you reach across culturesto help your team, your productivity, and your career.
About the Author
Andy Molinsky is an associate professor at Brandeis Universitys International Business School. He specializes in cross-cultural interaction in business settings and has created a popular MBA course focused on cross-cultural adaptation. He has published widely on the topic of cultural adaptation; his work has been featured by a range of media outlets including the
Financial Times, the
Boston Globe, NPR, and Voice of America.