Building Cross-Cultural Competence

"What does crossing cultures and being diverse have to do with wealth creation?" ask Hampden-Turner and Tromenaars. More than you might think, they answer: "Immigrants, refugees, outsiders, and diverse religious and ethnic groups within cultures have so often been spectacularly successful at wealth creation that it cannot be a coincidence." In fact, they say, the very act of reconciling contrasting values can make organizations "healthier, wealthier, and wiser." They draw on 14 years of research involving nearly 50,000 managers (and extensive international business experience) to identify six universal dilemmas, or dimensions of cultural diversity, and how they can be resolved to create wealth. Don't be put off by either the heavy terminology (i.e., universalism-particularism, achieved status-ascribed status) or the cartoons sprinkled throughout the book. The authors apply what they call "serious humor" in their insightful and entertaining multidisciplinary approach to deriving benefit from conflicting values in business.