“What sews nicely in one culture may cut in another.”
In our international world, there are ever increasing opportunities for cross-cultural interactions. Global organizations and international business ventures regularly have staff from around the world collaborating with each other and trying to get things done. Is it reasonable to expect people from starkly differing backgrounds to work together harmoniously? Erin Meyer’s insightful, approachable, and often amusing book ‘The Culture Map’ is a smart field-tested guide which tells us “Yes, we can!” Meyer brings to life a wealth of issues and good advice for anyone seeking to navigate cross-cultural communication and decode foreign cultures.
The author focuses on eight areas: communication, giving feedback, persuading, leading, making decisions, gaining trust, disagreeing, and scheduling events. The strategies that she suggests are practical and helpful. She gives many anecdotal examples which help to illustrate her points. “It is only when you start to identify what makes your culture different from others that you can begin to open a dialogue of sharing, learning, and ultimately understanding.” Highly recommended for professionals in the international workplace and anyone who wants to be more effective and aware in cross-cultural interactions.
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