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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 offering 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
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.
”Another winner by the Halls. They really understand cultural differences and offer imaginative ways to overcome them.”—Henry G. Meye-Oertel, Gruner + Jahn International Marketing and Media Services, Inc.
”This book offers penetrating insight into the business cultures of the United States, France, and Germany.”—Robert T. Moran, Ph.D., American Graduate School of International Management; co-author, Managing Cultural Differences
”I find Understanding Cultural Differences to be a must read (again and again)!”—David C. Wigglesworth, President, D.C.W. Research Associates International
