5 min read ⌚ 

How to Work Effectively Across Cultures

How often do we see preachers, who are not following their practices? That’s not the case here.

Written in an easily-understandable manner, “The Mindful International Manager” speaks to all managers worldwide.

We summarize only the most critical elements found in this fantastic classic.

Who Should Read “The Mindful International Manager”? And Why?

International managers are reluctant to comply with traditional concepts. They plunge into the heat of an argument, but with a global behavior, because operating locally is often considered an old-fashioned strategy.

With this in mind, “The Mindful International Manager” destroys all geographical boundaries, and presents a solution to the world.

It’s highly recommendable to all students, managers, economists, owners who thrive on myriad challenges.

About Jeremy Comfort and Peter Franklin

Jeremy Comfort is an author born on March 13th, 1953 in Alexandria, Egypt. He is the founder of York Associates, UK. Jeremy wrote several books including Success with BULATS, Effective Presentations, Effective Telephoning, etc.

Currently, Peter Franklin works at Konstanz University of Applied Sciences located in Germany, as a professor of international management.

“The Mindful International Manager Summary”

The “threat” of globalization exists, but even this phenomenon cannot eradicate all cultural differences. Although the world “shrinks” due to technology, the opportunities grow in numbers, each day. It would be entirely ignorant not to be aware of the changes which are followed by certain modifications.

Nowadays, there are partners who never even met in person; there are associates who don’t feel the need for having face-to-face discussions, which subtly displays the reason for the birth of these modern managers.

What are global partners?

Your global associates can recognize, whether you have the potential to surpass those traditional concepts, and enter into a world of integration. The authors of “The Mindful International Manager” Jeremy Comfort Peter Franklin guided by the same logic, present some hints on how to expand your business perspective as an International Manager.

Here’s the thing:

The today’s culture demands “mindfulness,” requires openness, if ignored that could lead to disaster – referring to the financial aspect.

Being self-aware of the situation is like having the key to the city. Make yourself ready for the grand entrance on stage, as an open-minded, insightful, and skilled individual. Actions speak louder than words, meaning that your behavior will grant you the opportunity (or not), to dive into managerial waters.

Mindful international managers possess the following traits:

• • According to them, the result is only a consequence of previously defined, managed and understood processes and activities.

• • They promote listening, as a tool for stimulating open discussions. A manager often sparks these interactions, but the real heat occurs between the employees. They refuse to be judgemental, and actually rely more on “nonverbal attitude.”

• • They endorse the fact – sometimes their personal assumptions are not correct, and leave a plenty of room for modification.

• • Certain principles and norms guide them through the decision-making process.

• • They are open to new opinions, due to the fact that every culture has its own way of interpreting a specific situation.

• • They can sense the tone in any discussion, regardless of the cultural diversity or people with whom they interact.

• • They put their emotions aside while concluding business deals.

• They draw a conclusion after everyone has presented their point of view.

First and foremost, these so-called mindful international managers don’t make any rash decisions. Unlike giving importance to cultural boundaries, their method of working is strongly related to the environment they operate.

At this very moment we highlight the essential characteristics that you should take into consideration when evaluating the skills of your associates:

• • “Religious background” – For instance, in India vast majority of people, are vegetarians, and almost all of them follow strict diets in accordance with their beliefs.

• • “Social Status” – It’s of utmost importance that you’re open to all social classes, regardless of gender, income, age, etc. Afterwards, you can make your evaluation.

• • “Dress Code” – Don’t be surprised to see that people in different countries use unique terminology while referring to the same concept, or wear clothes that you’ll find even laughable.

• • “Practical” – Educational background and experience in the industry.

• • “National or ethnical dissimilarities” – As any proficient international manager would assume, sometimes adapting to a different language, customs, tradition, or region is tough. Nonetheless, you should bear in mind all these assets.

• “Organizational” – Firms in the same industry use unique business practices which are obtained after a specified period of time.

Key Lessons from “The Mindful International Manager”

1.      The mastery of management
2.      The road to success
3.      A feasible objective

The mastery of management

Being flexible is easier said than done, that’s why many companies train their novice managers, before embarking on a “mission” in remote areas. In order to foster team cohesion and prosperity, you must be willing to accept another cultural background.

The road to success

Unfortunately, it’s no secret, that sometimes we tend to jump into conclusion without any particular reason. Cherishing stereotypes as a form or a metric for evaluation is the worst-case scenario. Not only that you’ll make a huge mistake as a person, but probably your business will suffer as well.

The best thing to do is to assimilate all cultures and help the organization overcome these social issues as a single entity. Build multicultural teams and improve the productivity.

A feasible objective

Your job is to provide guidance for the employees or associates working for you. The idea is to offer a vision, by which all members will operate. In general, this long-term strategy is prone to variations in different cultures, so you have to make sure that this idea or mission is understandable or accessible to everybody.

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“The Mindful International Manager” Quotes

Our Critical Review

Each year, our different cultures become more self-empowered when addressing the businesses. This book is sort of like an insightful overview on “backstage” info related to the underlying processes which occur in almost any company. To sum up, in a sentence, it’s a great story to tell!!

Emir Zecovic

Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.