Understanding Cultural Differences: Germans, French and Americans (Hall) [Paperback]

Edward T. Hall (Author), Mildred Reed Hall (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1877864072 | ISBN-13: 978-1877864070 | Publication Date: January 1, 1990

Human resource management, at home and abroad, means assisting the corporation's most valuable asset-its people.Understanding Cultural Differences: Germans, French and Americans contributes to this effort by explaining the cultural context in which corporations in Germany, France and the U.S. operate and how misunderstandings arise among employees from each country. Based on interviews with top German, French, and American executives and on extensive research in intercultural relations, Edward T. Hall and Mildred Reed Hall offer insights to each country's unique approach to business and practical advice on day-to-day transactions in international business exchanges.Designed for Americans, Germans, and French alike, this book examines all three countries both individually and in relation to each other, covering topics like concepts of time, communication styles, cultural values, psychological mindsets, stereotypes, business etiquette, and the physical distances between individuals when they interact. The Halls emphasize behavior you can expect in the social and business culture of each country, pointing out possible pitfalls in understanding and communication, and offer insightful advice for coping. A model for cross-cultural analysis, Understanding Cultural Differences is a valuable guide for American, German, and French business executives. Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1: Key Concepts: Underlying Structures of Culture 1 Culture is Communication 2 Fast and Slow Messages 3 High and Low Context 4 Space 5 Time 6 Time as Communication 7 Information Flow: Is it Fast or Slow and Where Does it Go? 8 Action Chains: The Importance of Completion 9 Interfacing: Creating the Proper Fit 10 Releasing the Right Responses Summary Part 2: The Germans 11 German Culture 12 German Psychology 13 German Business Part 3: The French 14 French Culture 15 French Psychology 16 French Business Part 4: The Americans 17 American Culture 18 American Psychology 19 American Business Summary Glossary Reading List Index

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edward T. Hall is a respected anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher who has taught at various universities across the U.S., including Harvard Business School, Northwestern University, the University of Denver, and others. With extensive experience in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, Hall worked for the U.S. State Department teaching intercultural communication skills to Foreign Service personnel and wrote several groundbreaking works in culture, communication, and the study of proxemics, including The Silent Language, The Hidden Dimension, The Dance of Life, and Beyond Culture. Hall currently lives in Sante Fe, New Mexico.

Product Details

• Paperback: 217 pages
• Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing (January 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1877864072
• ISBN-13: 978-1877864070
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #572,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very useful and intriguing book, February 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding Cultural Differences: Germans, French and Americans (Hall) (Paperback)

The authors try hard not to generalize, and use specific examples to illustrate cultural differences. I read this book while working for a company in the US that was jointly owned by a French company and a German company. Our 'bosses' were very much typical of that described in the book. I found this to be fascinating and used the information in the book to improve communications and information flow between the different groups. I would highly recommend this book to anyone working with any of these 3 cultures!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must for anybody dealing with one of these three cultures, July 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding Cultural Differences: Germans, French and Americans (Hall) (Paperback)

Anybody dealing with any of those three cultures in business should read this book. It is simple, handy and quite accurate. I am myself French and have been living and working in Germany for ten years now in an international environment. I also spent three years of my life in the US. The book - already ten years old - does need some up-dating as far as the political and economic situations in each of these three countries are concerned and I found a few inaccuracies in the French part (probably due to the fact that the French culture is more difficult to grasp for an American than the German one), but all in all it is a highly recommendable book. The key notions of "monochronic" and "polychronic", of "high context" and "low context" cultures are extremely useful. This is not only a book for Americans doing business with Europeans : as far as I am concerned it helped me understanding and being more patient with my American colleagues.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Useful Book, March 29, 2006

By 

Adam T. Himmel (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Understanding Cultural Differences: Germans, French and Americans (Hall) (Paperback)

I read this book several years ago, in large part due to the fact that I had married a French woman and was having quite a bit of difficulty understanding the culture during my visits to France. Granted, this book largely focuses on the business aspects of the cultural divide, but I found it incredibly accurate as it relates to the culture as a whole. Especially useful was the description of a "polychronic" culture as opposed to a "monochronic" one like the U.S.
If you want to get to the root of the differences and gain an ability to work with others of France, Germany, or Japan, I highly recommend this book.