When Cultures Collide: Managing Successfully Across Cultures (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: reactive cultures, listening habits, Motivating Factors, Cultural Factors, Hong Kong (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Instructive and highly entertaining, an invaluable insight for the global business manager... highly recommended. As indispensable as your passport. -- Chartered Secretary

Nobody knows better than Richard Lewis, Chairman of a company with offices in more than 30 countries, that people have different cultural characteristics that affect the way they do business... An authoritative roadmap to navigating the world's economy. -- Wall Street Journal

Richard Lewis has been crossing cultures for 30 years and knows the secret of success when East and West do business. -- Asia Magazine

Simply the finest book on the market to date. -- Dr John L Keifer, Director, Centre for International Business Education & Development, Ohio University

Product Description

Richard Lewis provides a truly global and practical guide to working and communicating across cultures, with penetrating insights into how different business cultures accord status, structure their organizations, and view their role of leaders.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing (February 23, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857880862
• ISBN-13: 978-1857880861
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #923,157 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most helpful book I have seen on the subject!, August 31, 1999

By	Andrew Mayo [e-mail] (UK, Europe) - See all my reviews

Richard Lewis is a speaker of 12 languages and herein lie some clues to his understanding of intercultural communication.His book avoids the complex academic distinctions seen elsewhere and concentrates on practical understanding of each nation's "collective programming". It has helped me to understand how to deal and work with people of other nations with much increased effectiveness. Lewis explains why there are differences, and how we should approach them, using many simple diagrams and patterns. A must for anyone interacting internationally, or indeed with different ethnic groups within their own country.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, July 30, 2005

By	Rory Morty "Rory Morty" (Giessen, Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an excellent book. From its marketing, I thought that "When Cultures Collide: Managing Successfully Across Cultures" pertained specifically to dealing with people of different nationalities in the business place. And indeed, it is a most useful book for that purpose. However, I was struck by how much one could apply Lewis' analyses to other situations, for example, dealing with people of other nationalities on a social level. Indeed, I have many aquaintances, and some close friends, from diverse backgrounds, and this book sometimes occupies us for entire evenings, discussing our experiences with one another. The chapter on Hungarians I found particularly accurate, and entertaining. I believe that Lewis would have enjoyed hearing some of these discussions (and arguments). My point is: don't dismiss this book thinking it is a businessman's tool. It's a good read for anybody who encounters people of other nationalities and cultures, irrespective of the context.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, March 14, 2001

By	Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract.com" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: When Cultures Collide (Paperback)

Richard D. Lewis, an expert on cross-cultural and language training who has tutored clients from Swedish corporate executives to the Japanese Imperial Family, discusses the need to consider cross-cultural differences in managing any company in today's global world. He suggests a broad model you can use to characterize different national characteristics as linear-active, multi-active, and reactive. These traits shape attitudes toward time, leadership, team building, and affect a range of organizational behaviors. Lewis includes brief national profiles you can refer to when doing business away from home. This in-depth book covers common patterns in different cultures, and offers many examples of how different groups act under different situations. We at getAbstract recommend this book to top executives, managers and anyone who works in a multicultural business environment, as well as to general readers with a yen for informed people watching.