Managing Across Cultures, Second Edition

Rating:
Summary: Managing Across Cultures
Review: Susan C. Schneider and Jean-Louis Barsoux do an outstanding job of covering a very complex subject. Their extremely comprehensive chapters will please the researcher and manager alike. They are well written, avoiding academic jargon, while at the same time providing all the references a reader wanting more information on any topic may need.

The three sections of the book are logically laid out. Part one gives necessary background on the meaning of Culture. First, it debunks a dangerous assumption: that business is business and cultures are converging, thus reducing the need for cultural sophistication on the part of a manager. They clearly demonstrate that Cultural differences are alive and well and have a significant impact on business. Then they go on to discuss different cultural dimensions and how countries differ from, or are similar to, each other along them.

In Part 2 of the book the authors demonstrate how Culture affects the organization, its strategy and human resource management practices. This is must reading for strategists and HR managers and anyone who wants to have a big picture understanding of the interaction of culture & business.

The final Part of the book focuses on the actual management of cultural differences. It was my favorite. Particularly, the chapters devoted to the 'international manager' and the 'multicultural team'. I have read extensively on the two topics and was very impressed by the depth and breadth of the discussion and the authors' ability to address all the relevant issues of two complex topics briefly and clearly. I found these chapters an extremely valuable overview of what we know on both topics.

The book ends with an overview of organization strategies for managing cultures differences: ignore, minimize, or utilize. The material in this chapter is equally applicable to global cultural differences and to domestic management of diversity. The authors wrap up the book with a coherent discussion of business ethics and social responsibility in a global-economy.

An excellent book. I recommend it highly to anyone doing international work today. (Which is practically everyone...)