Synopses & Reviews
As todays business world becomes ever-more global and virtual, executives and managers are expected to work harmoniously together with counterparts from a broad array dramatically different cultures and backgrounds, often without leaving their desks. But when you throw people together who come from starkly different backgrounds and cultures from Americans who precede anything negative with three nice comments to French, Dutch, Israelis and Germans who get straight to the point (your presentation was simply awful”); from Latin Americans and Asians who are steeped in hierarchy to the Scandinavians who think the best boss is just one of the crowd the result can sometimes be disastrous. Even with English as a global language, its easy to fall into cultural traps that endanger careers and sink deals.
In The Culture Map, renowned expert Erin Meyer offers highly practical and timely perspective on one of today's most pressing business issues: how do different cultures influence the way to do business when working globally? And she explains how to dramatically increase business success by improving one's ability to understand the cultural drivers of colleagues, clients, and suppliers from different countries.
With the rapid increase in global call centers, outsourcing, supply chains, and project teams, cultural diversity touches almost everyone. Globalization has led to the rapid connection of internationally based employees from all levels of multinational companies. The advent of information and communication technology means that work itself has globalized. Where once you might have been expected to collaborate with colleagues from one or two foreign territories, today many people are part of global networks connected with people scattered around the world. Yet most managers have little understanding of how local culture impacts global interaction. Even those who are culturally informed, travel extensively, and have lived abroad often have few strategies for dealing with the cross-cultural complexity that affects their team's day-to-day effectiveness. The Culture Map provides a new way forward, with vital insights for working effectively and sensitively with one's counterparts in the new global marketplace.
Review
and#147;The book abounds with well-chosen anecdotes to illustrate the misunderstandings that can arise from clashing cultural assumptions, making this enlightening book a pleasure to read.and#8221; and#151;
Foreign Affairsand#147;Whether you're a corporate or traditional diplomat, global traveler, government official, or passionate world citizen, this is the one book you should not miss. Chock-full of real-world examples and a simple framework that can be utilized in any cross-cultural context, Meyer's work is characterized by a fresh and relevant voice, distilling down the essentials of communicating, persuading and working effectively around the globe. It is rare that I pick up a cross-cultural book and can't put it down.and#8221;and#151;Cari Guittard, Huffington Post
and#147;This readable book explains how to dramatically increase organisational success by improving our ability to understand the behaviour of colleagues, clients, and suppliers from different countries.and#8221; and#151;Professional Manager (UK)
and#147;A helpful guide to working effectively with people from other culturesand#133;Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.and#8221; and#151;Kirkus Reviews
and#147;With business becoming ever global, there are a raft of books available on dealing with cultural differences. If you only read one, make it INSEAD professor Erin Meyerand#8217;sand#133;Skillfully blend[s] real-life examples.. with an analytical frameworkand#133; What brings this book to life are the numerous examples Meyer has encountered, both in her own life as an American living in Paris, and in her experience as running the Managing Virtual Teams module at INSEAD."and#151;HR Magazine, 5 star review
"Amusing"and#151;Financial Times
and#147;In a relaxed, entertaining, but always knowledgeable style, Meyer draws on numerous examples from her experiences to explain how to detect the invisible barriers in the global business world and#150; and how to get past them."and#151;Siemens Industry Journal, issue 2
"Although we live in an increasingly digitally connected and virtual business world, this book reminds us that understanding cultural differences in human interactions still matters. Global leaders know that blending cultural and individual diversity in teams is a sure recipe for better business outcomes. But this diversity needs to be first understood and then proactively managed. Meyer presents a brave, research-based, analysis of how to do just that. With clear and practical frameworks, The Culture Map will help business leaders become and#147;cultural bridge buildersand#8221; to the benefit of their teams and organizations."and#151;Dr. Didier CL Bonnet, Global Head of Practices, Capgemini Consulting
and#147;I highly recommend this book to both the professional and leisure reader. Erin has shown to be one of the main representatives of the next generation scholars who combine deep conceptual models with very practical applications. A must-read!and#8221;and#151;Fons Trompenaars, Author of Riding the Waves of Culture
and#147;Whether you are sitting at a desk in Boston or eating at a restaurant in Beijing, communicating across cultures is the great challenge of the global economy. Getting it right will be the the difference between success and failure. Erin Meyer shows you how to get it right in this very important book. Managers everywhere should read it.and#8221;and#151;Des Dearlove and Stuart Crainer, Founders of the Thinkers50
Synopsis
An international business expert helps you understand and navigate cultural differences in this insightful and practical guide, perfect for both your work and personal life. Americans precede anything negative with three nice comments; French, Dutch, Israelis, and Germans get straight to the point; Latin Americans and Asians are steeped in hierarchy; Scandinavians think the best boss is just one of the crowd. It's no surprise that when they try and talk to each other, chaos breaks out.
In The Culture Map, INSEAD professor Erin Meyer is your guide through this subtle, sometimes treacherous terrain in which people from starkly different backgrounds are expected to work harmoniously together. She provides a field-tested model for decoding how cultural differences impact international business, and combines a smart analytical framework with practical, actionable advice.
Synopsis
Success in business requires navigating through wildly different cultural realities, and we become vulnerable without any knowledge of how to decode cultures foreign to our own. For todays ever-more-globalized audience, international culture expert Erin Meyer writes a fun and instructive guide to the tactics and strategies well need to overcome cultural obstacles and obtain success.
Synopsis
Whether you work in a home office or abroad, business success in our ever more globalized and virtual world requires the skills to navigate through cultural differences and decode cultures foreign to your own. Renowned expert Erin Meyer is your guide through this subtle, sometimes treacherous terrain where people from starkly different backgrounds are expected to work harmoniously together.
When you have Americans who precede anything negative with three nice comments; French, Dutch, Israelis, and Germans who get straight to the point (and#147;your presentation was simply awfuland#8221;); Latin Americans and Asians who are steeped in hierarchy; Scandinavians who think the best boss is just one of the crowdand#151;the result can be, well, sometimes interesting, even funny, but often disastrous.
Even with English as a global language, itand#8217;s easy to fall into cultural traps that endanger careers and sink deals when, say, a Brazilian manager tries to fathom how his Chinese suppliers really get things done, or an American team leader tries to get a handle on the intra-team dynamics between his Russian and Indian team members.
In The Culture Map, Erin Meyer provides a field-tested model for decoding how cultural differences impact international business. She combines a smart analytical framework with practical, actionable advice for succeeding in a global world.
About the Author
Erin Meyer is a professor at INSEAD, one of the worldand#8217;s leading international business schools. Her work focuses on how the worldand#8217;s most successful global leaders navigate the complexities of cultural differences in a multicultural environment. Living and working in Africa, Europe, and the United States prompted Meyerand#8217;s study of the communication patterns and business systems of different parts of the world. Her framework allows international executives to pinpoint their leadership preferences, and compare their methods to the management styles of other cultures. Her work has appeared in
Harvard Business Review, Singapore Business Times, and
Forbes.com. In 2013 Erin was selected by the Thinkers50 Radar list as one of the worldand#8217;s up-and-coming business thinkers. Follow her on Twitter: @ErinMeyerINSEAD