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February 07, 2007
R.D. Lewis: When Cultures Collide
Whether you work for an international business law boutique or IBM, "products" or "goods" are still with us but increasingly have become part of the overall mix of providing solutions to clients and customers. (See, e.g., IBM's website if you don't believe me; they are no longer a hardware, equipment or products giant--but a "services company", and perhaps the world's largest. IBM sells solutions. )
As the services sectors grow globally, cross-border trade will mean that there's a new and tough wrinkle in your service and how it's delivered: complex, critical cultural differences internationally which can make or break a deal or ongoing trade relationships.
What happens when the Japanese negotiate or trade with Germans? Or the English with Americans, or the French? Put simply, you need to know the people, dude. So buy and read R.D. Lewis's 1996 standard When Cultures Collide: Managing Successfully Across Cultures and do it before the price goes back up. WAC? has listed it as a must-read client service book on the lower right of this site since starting in 2005.
Posted by JD Hull at February 7, 2007 11:19 PM