Mind Your Manners: Managing Business Cultures in a Global Europe [Paperback]

John Mole (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1857883144 | ISBN-13: 978-1857883145 | Publication Date: February 11, 2003 | Edition: 3rd Edition

Understanding the nature of cultural diversity is one thing-managing it day-to-day is quite another! When doing business internationally, culture shock-and sometimes culture clash-is unavoidable. John Mole's Mind Your Manners: Managing Business Cultures in the New Global Europe is a comprehensive guide that explores cultural aspects of dozens of individual European countries as they relate to global business. Now in a fully expanded and updated third edition, Mind Your Manners includes every countriy-from the Baltics to the Balkans-applying for membership to the European Union, the world's biggest global market, and many others. Based on interviews, surveys, and workshops with over a thousand managers (of fifty nationalities), Mind Your Manners describes Europe's extraordinary political, economic, and social changes and their effects on the way we work together. New chapters on diversity, change, body language, and negotiation identify the key elements that shape the business and cultural environment of the continent, and Euroquizzes will test your knowledge and demonstrate the broad cultural spectrum of European nations. More than a mere catalog, Mind Your Manners is a must-read for anyone who intends to succeed in the European Union.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A very clever management book." -- John Cleese

"A wonderfully entertaining view of others as well as ourselves...invaluable." -- Business Week

"One of the best business books of the year!" -- Financial Times

"We need to increase our understanding of each other's cultures--fast. So buy this book and keep it in your briefcase." -- Gay Haskins, Director General, European Forum for Management Development

From the Publisher

Praised by Business Week as "one of the best business books of the year" and named a Financial Times Business Book of the Year as well, Mind Your Manners has become a 50,000-copy best-selling classic for managers who must succeed working across cultures in Europe. This fully expanded and updated edition now reflects the additional 12 countries likely to be admitted to the European Union—from Turkey to Estonia— previewing what then will become the largest Trading Bloc in the world. With business practice profiles of all 30 countries of Europe, Mind Your Manners examines the fundamental differences between organizational cultures and through interviews with working managers offers an insider’s view of the behaviors, values, and beliefs that affect working relationships between peers, bosses, direct reports, and business colleagues.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing; 3rd Edition edition (February 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857883144
• ISBN-13: 978-1857883145
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #867,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic insight into European cultures..., May 29, 2000

By 

Jennifer Wendt (Levallois-Perret, France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mind Your Manners: Managing Business Cultures in Europe (Paperback)

John Mole isn't one of those authors who pretend to have lived what he writes about. He truly has the insight and has understood the way each culture works in Europe. If you have a hard time understanding why an Italian will act the way he does in business, or wondering why being late 5 minutes at what you thought wasn't such an important meeting was so shocking to a German, this is the book to read. Even though Mole goes into depth about the reasons behind the way the different cultures think, the details aren't gruesome and keeps the reader entertained. It seriously made me understand in some cases why my fellow international colleagues react the way they do. And I've corrected my manners to flow on a more 'neutral' basis to accomodate them in business as well....and it works!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Full of stereotypes, June 23, 2000

By 

"kingsransom" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind Your Manners: Managing Business Cultures in Europe (Paperback)

I bought this book hoping to gain insight into the minds and customs of my foreign business associates. I was sadly disappointed. As a European who has lived in Italy my entire life, I can say with 100% certainty that all of the information and advice in this book draws on age old stereotypes. For example, the lazy Southern Europeans, the cold Scandinavians, the pub hopping British and the industrial Germans.

This book will not help anyone improve relations with Europeans. It will only enforce false stereotypes and foster misunderstandings of other cultures.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant review of cultural management, August 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mind Your Manners: Managing Business Cultures in Europe (Paperback)

A 1993 London FINANCIAL TIMES "Book of the Year", this book continues to be useful. John Mole's management seminars are familiar to us and his book sparks with his seminar wit. It is hard to fault his insightful analysis of cultural behaviour. As well, it is a valuable analysis of how to do business outside of one's culture. One need only to look at Mole's analysis of Germany and Russia to know that this fellow is on the ball, accurate and wonderfully precise with his words. I fully endorse this as a best buy book.