The International Manager A Guide for Communicating, Cooperating, and Negotiating with Worldwide Colleagues

Currently, internationally dispersed teams are commonplace among global companies. Managers are often aware conceptually of the different dimensions of culture, yet struggle to translate these concepts into their daily activities. This book gives managers insight into specific techniques they can use to better manage their intercultural teams and deal with partners, suppliers, and customers from other countries. It gives practical strategies for how to apply popular management models in other cultures.

All intercultural problems initially manifest as communication problems. For this reason, The International Manager starts with practical insight into interpersonal (verbal and non-verbal) communication against a cross-cultural background. The element of culture is added with the introduction of the Hofstede model of culture. The book then applies these frameworks to four key aspects of the manager?s responsibilities: managing performance, managing teams, managing change, and managing negotiations. Along the way, the book provides 100 practical tips for successful intercultural cooperation that the manager can start using immediately.

This book targets managers in companies whose business takes place in a global context. It should benefit globally operating product and marketing managers, engineers, project leaders, program managers, change managers, and specialists. Two specific groups that can benefit are managers who steer intercultural teams and managers who manage their company?s interaction with suppliers, customers, and partners from other cultures. With its vast amount of new practical tips, this book provides managers with an extremely useful reference they can rely on in their daily business lives.

Interpersonal Communication: Taking, Giving, and Sharing Space. When Communication Fails, Break the Pattern. What We Do Not Say: Nonverbal Communication and Emotions. Personal Preferences in Communication. Culture and Its Impact on Communication. Country Cultures: A Classification. Business Culture in Various Countries. Managing Performance. Managing Teams. Managing Change. Managing Negotiations.

Frank Garten is an independent business consultant, specializing in cross-cultural communication and cooperation. He advises and helps companies improve their cooperation with people from other cultures, and gives workshops, lectures, and training courses (both open and in-company) on this topic. Before publishing this book, Frank published the Dutch book Werken met Andere Culturen (Working with Other Cultures), and he frequently publishes blogs and articles on intercultural cooperation. Frank is based in the Netherlands, but facilitates personal development programs across the world in the areas of leadership development, communication, influencing, conflict management, and negotiation.