When Cultures Collide (ISBN 1857880870)

Excellent:
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.

The definitive textbook for navigating the global economy...:
Amidst the plethora of business books out there, here's one that is likely to remain in print for many years without ending up in the $1.98 bargain table at your local Borders Books. Lewis's tract covers over 60 different countries and virtually every major region in the world. New chapters in this Third Edition include information on doing business in Iraq, Pakistan, Serbia, Columbia and Venezuela. "When Cultures Collide" is more than just a book on doing business internationally; it is guide to communicating effectively with the individuals of these diverse and emerging markets across the global marketplace. Divided among the "Lewis Model," the author examines and divides cultural types through what he calls "linear-active, multi-active, and reactive variations." For example, the Germans and the Swiss are considered "linear-actives" as they thoughtfully plan, schedule, organize, doing one thing at a time; in contrast, the Chinese, Japanese, and Finns tend to be "reactives" since they value and priortize courtesy and respect, as they listen quietly and react carefully to another's proposal. The book has been tremendeously helpful to me in negotiating deals foreign clients allowing me to avoid the faux pas we Americans erroneously commit while doing business with our international customers. In a nutshell, the author examines how the mind--any mind is conditioned even at an early age. As a result, the irreversible nature of this childhood training establishes a relationship between langauge, action and thought. For anyone who does business internationally, or simply wishes to find out more about the other cultures on this ever-shrinking planet we share and inhabit, Lewis's book is a must read.

Long but very interesting:
Well written and articulated, the book is very interesting to read. however, the amount of information provided is sometimes more than what you would really need. the book is divided in a general part, dedicated to the subject of cross cultural issues, and a specific presentation of each country peculiarities. The latter, unless you are supposed to expatriate in a particular country (but in that case you buy additional books)is a little hard to stay focused on. however, this book is a comprehensive manual on cross cultural communication, management and leadership. I recommend it to whomever likes the subject.

Great resource for international business:
Great resource to help you understand the cultures you'll encounter when working abroad. The first half provides an overview of cultures and how they are formed, etc. The second half is full of short 5 page overviews of cultures by country. A great combination of background (1st half) and country specifics (2nd ahlf) that you can reference as necessary depending on where business takes you. Working only in the USA? Well this is a good resource to understand some of the folks you'll manage or work with from other cultures.

Everybody is foreign to somebody but we can all work together:
If you're managing a project outside of your cultural home country, this book is worthwhile reading, or at least skimming (as I did) to get ideas on how to work more effectively with your "foreign" partners. If nothing else, it'll remind you that for them, you're the foreign person. Also good to remember that even if you yourself immigrated, your cultural outlook is likely still from your country of birth, especially if you lived there through adulthood and first job. The first half of the book covers different concepts (e.g. time, communication, life outlook) for a variety of countries. The second half is an encyclopedia of short chapters on different specific countries. While being expert at working in another culture comes only with time, it's certainly worth reading parts of this book (the general chapters plus a specific country's chapter) before your first working meeting on a multi-cultural project.