third edition of the bestselling classic
MIND YOUR MANNERS
MANAGING BUSINESS CULTURES IN THE NEW GLOBAL EUROPE
John Mole
A FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR
"One of the best business books of the year! ... A perceptive and entertaining guide through the corporate minefield ... Pithily summarizes national psychologies without ever lapsing into tired stereotypes ... Mole is particularly astute at stripping away ritual myth to reveal where power really resides in European companies, and how it is wielded."
Business Week
Working together requires a deeper understanding of why people from different backgrounds behave the way they do. Mind Your Manners gives you the necessary tools. Named a Financial Times Business Book of the Year, this book has become a 50,000 copy bestseller and has been the standard guide to European business cultures for over a decade. Now it covers 33 different business cultures, including the 13 countries - from Bulgaria to Turkey - joining the new and enlarged EU as well as non-EU countries such as Norway, Switzerland, Russia and America.
The new edition of this bestselling practical guide is in two parts: the first examines the fundamental differences between European organizational cultures from the point of view of individual managers working within them. It looks at those behaviours, values and beliefs which have most influence on our working relationships with colleagues, bosses, subordinates and the outside world, within the framework of the Culture Triangle of communication, leadership and organisation. It suggests a simple tool, The Mole Map, for examining different ways in which organisations work.
The second part consists of brief portraits of the 30 countries of Europe - now organised in new country clusters from the Baltics to the Balkans, from the Low Countries to the Latins - concentrating on aspects which most affect the national way of doing business. Scattered throughout the book are quiz questions - with surprising answers!
Our culture is changing ever faster with globalisation and technological development. For working people, the challenge is to manage diversity and change simultaneously. The EU fosters partnerships and joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions within its territory and across its borders, prompting multinationals to convert national subsidiaries into product groups managed by multinational teams. Their effectiveness depends on how well managers of different nationalities work together. Global markets demand a global corporate culture that does not impose uniformity but capitalises on diversity.
"We do need to increase our understanding of each others' cultures - fast. So buy this book and keep it in your briefcase."
Gay Haskins, Director General, European Forum for Management Development
"It offers a wonderfully entertaining view of others as well as ourselves . . . invaluable!"
Business Week
John Mole was educated at Oxford University and INSEAD. After a 15 year career with an American bank in the USA, Middle East and Europe, he now divides his time between entrepreneurship and consulting in international management. Visit his website at http://www.johnmole.com, and if you are intersted in cross-cultural books you may like to visit the website of our sister company, The Intercultural Press: http://www.interculturalpress.com.