Americans at Work: A Cultural Guide to the Can-Do People [Paperback]

Craig Storti (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2004 | ISBN-10: 1931930058 | ISBN-13: 978-1931930055

Restless and driven, casual and direct-Americans are a challenge! Learn how Americans behave at work and how to deal with them. Whether you work with Americans face-to-face, communicate with them by telephone or e-mail or interact together in a virtual team, Americans at Work: A Guide to the Can-Do People reveals the subtle and the not-so-subtle aspects of American culture in the workplace. Best-selling author Craig Storti provides historical perspectives and explanations of the six most important American cultural themes and their relevance to the workplace: Land of Opportunity (a driven people), Go-for-It Mentality (ready, aim, fire: new is better), Equality for All (but don't forget who's boss), The Drive to Achieve (nice guys finish last), Live and Let Live (do your own thing) and Time Matters (obsession with efficiency). Learn about straight talk-American style-and how Americans aren't always as direct as they say they are. Find out why Americans are deeply conflicted about power: they crave it but hate to be caught craving it. See how Americans view outsiders. Gain tips for succeeding in the American environment. Finally, get the basics of work-related etiquette: conducting meetings, giving feedback, nonverbal communication, e-mail rules, gifts, taboo topics and so on. Knowing how Americans work with each other will help you predict their reactions and, more important, their expectations of you. And if you are American, you will better understand your own behavior and be able to work more effectively with colleagues from other cultures. Americans at Work is an interesting book examining the behavioral norms and perceptions of the American workplace from dual perspectives: Americans of others and vice versa. Whilst Americans at Work targets a non-American audience seeking to better understand the idiosyncrasies of the American workplace, it also provides Americans with a revealing 'big picture' view that may help them work more effectively with people from other cultures. The book is well suited for readers across a wide spectrum of interests from business, communications, linguistics, and sociology to foreign travel. The information is presented in an easily accessible manner, containing rich descriptions and examples punctuated by relevant quotations from notable authors. A bibliography is provided to help readers interested in furthering their exploration of 'can-do people.' The overreaching goal of Americans at Work is to help readers work more effectively with people from the USA..This information will help readers acquire a better understanding of white-collar American workers in general. More importantly, Storti posits, it will change 'how you see the world.'-Judy Bullock, University of PhoenixWith its clear language and its emphasis on highly practical workplace issues, Americans at Work is a useful addition to the intercultural canon, in that anyone can pick it up and read it on their way to work (or even on the plane bound to the United States). In addition, it will almost certainly be of interest to any American who would like to discover more about how their own culture and behavior are percieved by their non-American counterparts.-Robert Johnson, www.dialogin.com ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart 1: The Big Pictures1 Americans and Foreigners2 The Land of Opportunity3 The Can-Do People4 Equality for All5 You Are What You've Done6 On Your Own7 Time Matters8 Communication, American Style9 Bosses and SubordinatesPart 2: The DetailsEpilogueBibliographyIndexAbout the Author

Editorial Reviews

Review

Americans at Work is a superb resource and a must read ... for readers from another country striving to adapt.... -- Library Bookwatch, November 2004

Entertaining, informative and insightful, this is a valuable work that will help you succeed in your dealings with [Americans]. -- Reading Journal, Sept 2004 (U.K.)

Invaluable for those working virtually from abroad. Thorough and well organized; a pleasant read. -- Dr. George F. Simons

About the Author

Criag Storti is founder and director of Communicating Across Cultures, a Washington DC-based intercultural communication training and consulting firm. With work appearing in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune, he is the author of six books, he is the author of six books, including Speaking of India: Bridging the Communication Gap When Working with Indians and the bestselling Cross-Cultural Dialogues, The Art of Crossing Cultures, and The Art of Coming Home. After living nearly a quarter of his life abroad, he now lives in Maryland. For more information, please visit his website: www.craigstorti.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 209 pages
• Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing (July 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931930058
• ISBN-13: 978-1931930055
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Guide to the Generalized Work Place, January 18, 2005

By 

Craig L. Howe "The Pointed Pundit" (Darien, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Americans at Work: A Cultural Guide to the Can-Do People (Paperback)

Generally, I do not like sweeping generalizations.

This book proves there is an exception to every rule. Intended for while-collar managers, Craig Storti provides non-Americans with cultural observations about office workers. his goal, he says, is to provide useful generalizations of Americans at work. In the process, he provides them with enough background to take the guesswork and surprise out of dealing with them.

Storti examines six values he believes account for American workplace attitudes and behaviors. Among them:

1. American is the land of opportunity. The author suggests sounding positive. Merely being realistic or objective may brand you as a pessimist.

2. Can-do people. Don't be afraid of trial and error. Americans admire trying as much as succeeding.

3. Equality for all. Playing favorites is a recipe for failure.

4. You are what you have done. Eliminate elaborate procedures that obstruct action.

5. You are on your own. As a boss, paint the big picture. Then get out of the way and let your subordinates get it done.

6. Punctuality matters. Be on time for appointments and meetings.

Storti's generalizations are clear, telling and accurate. While a must for outsiders attempting to do business in the United States, this book is probably not a bad idea for locals to read and practice.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, November 21, 2004

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Americans at Work: A Cultural Guide to the Can-Do People (Paperback)

In a global economy, you inevitably will work with people from other cultures. But since culture determines behavior, how can people from outside the United States best adapt to working in the American workplace? And, how do they perceive American workplace behavior? Author Craig Storti examines American culture and extracts six key themes that drive the U.S. workplace. In the process, he teaches his fellow Americans about their unexamined workplace behavior. That's refreshing. Looking at yourself from the outside helps you re-examine how you work with others. The process opens doors to a whole new evaluation process that could revitalize many businesses. Unfortunately, while Storti makes interesting cultural points, his book is repetitive and belabors obvious ideas. His practical advice on such topics as table manners, fashion, gift giving, eye contact, touching and even sending e-mail is valuable, but could have been presented better in succinct bullet point summaries. However, we appreciate his introduction to behavior, manners and morés in the cross-cultural workplace.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some good insights, August 20, 2004

By 

Cheryl Bernside (Paris) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Americans at Work: A Cultural Guide to the Can-Do People (Paperback)

As an avid reader of cross-cultural books, this one has some good nuggets that will help me and my team to figure out why Americans at work are sometimes not as straightforward as I first thought. There's another book on the subject that's better at the in-depth study and explanation of Americans in the workplace called "Working with Americans" (Denslow and Stewart-Allen) which I think is more helpful.