Riding the Waves of Culture

An international manager has a tough job, coping with three different cultures: the culture of origin, the culture in which he or she is working and the culture of the organization. Fons Trompenaars has been studying the effects of culture on management for many years, and he profoundly disagrees with the widely held theory that internationalization will create a common, worldwide culture. In this book, he claims that there is not, and can never be "one best way of managing and organizing", regardless of where the company is located. This study provides cultural insights into the global versus local dilemma, and most importantly, gives readers a better understanding of their own culture and cultural differences in general. Containing case histories and anecdotes, the book is based on the author's own experience, plus field studies in 30 companies in a total of 50 countries, including Royal Dutch Airlines, KLM, Volvo, Lotus, Kodak, AT&T, Royal Dutch Shell, ICI, Heineken, Mars and Glaxo. Fons Trompenaars runs 900 cross-cultural programmes in 18 countries.