Sweden's Electrolux wondered why its vacuum cleaners did not sell in the United States. Whensomeone realized its slogan "Nothing sucks like Electrolux" did not sell,it was too late...
Don'tknow how to enter a strategic market? Can't get global alliances aligned? Flyingblind in international meetings? Facing cross-border conflicts? Lost intranslation?
Few areprepared for managing across cultures, and blind-spotscan be costly--from lawsuits to lost opportunities. Forged inthe fire of clashing cultures and living on four continents, Dr. Zweifel, former CEO, Columbiaprofessor and award-winning author of bestsellers like Strategy-In-Actionand The Rabbi and the CEO, unpacks the toolbox he developed over three decades of helpingmanagers in 100+ countries produce breakthroughs --a fool-proof system forsuccess across borders. And post-9/11, BRICS and e-commerce have made this expandededition of Culture Clash indispensible.
CultureClash 2 is not another "Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands." Suchprotocol-laden books on whether to bring wine to a dinner in Singapore mighthave their uses, but non-compliance with local etiquette is not the deal-breaker.What has derailed deals is the inability of managers to readbetween the lines, decode the mind-set of the other side, and see the worldfrom their counterparts' point of view.
Inthis action-packed, quick and fun read (cross-cultural fiascos can behilarious! Some cross-culturaljokes are so risqué that thepublisher at first refused them), Dr. Zweifel shows you:
·   Howa tiny investment in your cross-cultural skillset can yield enormous ROI--andmight well have prevented calamities like 9/11, which Dr. Zweifel witnessed upclose, or the failure of the DaimlerChrysler merger,pp.xix.
·   Howto avoid the 10 Most Costly Sins When Cultures Clash. Sin #10: Youforget that your advice is noise in their ears.) With cases and a worksheet, p13.
·   Thesecrets of new rising giants in China, India or Brazil, (e.g. training theirstaff to adopt "American" identities), with cases, p39.
·   Howto prepare for one-third of your board members coming from BRICS countries, andhow to adapt your website, videos or social media to other cultures so youdon't lose global customers ,p45.
·   Howdifferent cultures talk (or don't talk) about difficult topics like--forexample--sex, p52.
·   Thesubtle clues in language to tell if you can count on promises of internationalcolleagues (remember: The word for "Leader" in German, "Führer," istaboo), p54.
·   Amini-briefing and labs that test your cross-cultural IQ and boost your globalcitizenship, p60.
·   Thehidden differences between US, Asian and European mindsets that trip up cross-bordernegotiations, p64.
·   The 13 Do's and Taboos in dealing withother value-systems, and the 27 secrets of the legendary Lawrence of Arabia,p73.
·   The 8 dimensions to quickly decode andprep for any culture anywhere in the world--even if you've never been there, withthe example US vs. India, p101.
·   The most powerful troubleshooting toolon the market to prevent culture clashes--that saved Dr. Zweifel's clientsmillions in sunk costs, with cases, p105.
·   From multinational to metanational--a cross-culturalstrategy for boosting innovation and building a truly global culture and brand,with cases from BMW to Coke, p116.
·   The 7 best practices for cross-culturalmergers and minimizing post-merger pains, with cases from GM to GECapital, p128.
·   How to orchestrate global meetings andteleconferences for aligning and mobilizing your teams worldwide, with a case of a $40m value-add,p138.
Buildyour cross-cultural savvy. Get the job done in any culture. Culture Clash is your one-stop shop forglobal results and power.
