Building Cross-Cultural Competence: How to Create Wealth from Conflicting Values
Management-trend-watcher Stuart Crainer (author ofThe 75 Greatest ManagementDecisions Ever Made, 1999) has called Trompenaars one of the "new gurus." Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, a British management researcher, are partners in an Amsterdam-based consulting firm that specializes in cross-cultural management and training. They are also authors ofThe SevenCultures of Capitalism (1993) andRiding theWaves of Culture (1994). These two books were among the first to detail how different national cultures affect corporate culture and organizational behavior. The authors' research database has now grown to 50,000^Brespondents, and as business becomes increasingly globalized, they look anew at the multicultural workplace. They suggest that various national groups often hold values that are mirror images of one another. When confronted with opposing values, cultures develop survival strategies that often foster wealth building. Organizations can use these strategies to their advantage. Hampden-Turner and Trompenaars identify seven "opposing" value dimensions, pose the dilemma these contrasts create, and suggest ways to reconcile differences.David RouseCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved