In Working Across Cultures, Carnegie Mellon professor John Hooker argues that the only way that professionals in Western cultures can truly begin to accept differences across cultures is to understand them.
Hooker eloquently mixes academic scholarship in cultural anthropology with practical business applications to illustrate his points. The first half of the book addresses fundamental concepts associated with the study of culture such as space, time, and context. Since Hooker contends that economic development depends on culture, it is not surprising that he devotes an entire chapter to the relationship between culture and prosperity.
The book also addresses the meaning of culture distinguishing it from human nature, personality, and ethnic groups. While Hooker focuses several chapters on cultures in particular countries—Mexico, Germany, Denmark, China, India, Zimbabwe, and Turkey, the chapter called "Classification of Cultures" provides a framework that highlights cultural differences based on the structural properties.
Professionals working abroad will find this book insightful for its translation of abstract ideas to real business applications. They will also realize that intercultural communication involves more than issues of etiquette across cultures.