INTRODUCING 25 REAL-LIFE STORIES THAT REVEAL THE RULES FOR WORKING SUCCESSFULLY ACROSS CULTURES
There is no excuse for cultural ignorance in the 21st century. The greatest factor affecting the success or failure of a global business is understanding the cultural differences that lie hidden, like minefields, in day-to-day work. Recognize and manage these cultural differences, and you accelerate your success; ignore them and they will undermine your global performance.
Business Beyond Borders explains culture through the real-life stories of the author, resonating and bringing the cultural challenges inherent in global work to life. From negotiating with Bedouins in the Libyan Sahara, to managing a team of Brazilians in Rio de Janeiro, from out-running an earthquake during a keynote presentation in Mexico City, to losing a government “handler” in Beijing, each of the stories illustrates a critical cultural issue that global managers need to understand today.
With a summary of the “golden global rules” that everyone working in the global 21st century needs to know, Business Beyond Borders is a celebration of what makes all of us around the world-all so different- simultaneously all the same.
There is no excuse for cultural ignorance in the 21st century. The greatest factor affecting the success or failure of a global business is understanding the cultural differences that lie hidden, like minefields, in day-to-day work. Recognize and manage these cultural differences, and you accelerate your success; ignore them and they will undermine your global performance.
Business Beyond Borders explains culture through the real-life stories of the author, resonating and bringing the cultural challenges inherent in global work to life. From negotiating with Bedouins in the Libyan Sahara, to managing a team of Brazilians in Rio de Janeiro, from out-running an earthquake during a keynote presentation in Mexico City, to losing a government “handler” in Beijing, each of the stories illustrates a critical cultural issue that global managers need to understand today.
With a summary of the “golden global rules” that everyone working in the global 21st century needs to know, Business Beyond Borders is a celebration of what makes all of us around the world-all so different- simultaneously all the same.
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Reviews
"Dean Foster writes that "When culture is all around us, it's sometimes hard to see it". His intriguing new book, Business Beyond Borders, gives us a wonderful way to appreciate the world that sends us important messages that are all too often easy to miss. An immensely compelling and entertaining book that will be a prized possession for many readers."
"Reviewing Dean Foster's Business Beyond Borders was more than just reading a book-I was engrossed with his stories and insights. He begins each chapter as one might begin a real-life interaction abroad and from there, he draws out the deeper cultural dynamics that often go unnoticed... that can unlock the mindset of an entire culture. Foster gives us the tools to see beneath the surface and engage with authenticity, intention and strategic purpose."
"Through engaging and powerful personal stories, collected from decades of global experience, Foster explains how deeply ingrained cultural differences can derail any deal... and offers detailed, practical advice to avoid those mishaps. From getting birdcages through Chinese customs, to cheering on an interpreter delivering a "creative" translation of a joke, Dean Foster shares his years
of experience managing cultural differences."
Loved the book because it is a compelling and insightful exploration of global business practice through the lens of cultural intelligence. Drawing on decades of first-hand experience across more than 100 countries, Foster blends vivid storytelling with practical lessons that resonate with both seasoned executives and emerging leaders. The book goes beyond surface-level etiquette, revealing how subtle cultural cues, values, and unspoken norms shape negotiation, collaboration, and trust in international contexts. Each chapter delivers an engaging mix of personal anecdotes and actionable insights, making complex cross-cultural concepts immediately applicable. Foster's deep expertise ensures the narrative remains both accessible and authoritative. This advanced reader copy showcases a rare combination of entertainment and education, offering a rich resource for anyone seeking to navigate today's interconnected world with confidence, adaptability, and genuine cultural respect.
This is a business book written in the style of a memoir with every chapter at the end including a succinct list/description of the key takeaways. Personally, as a person from a pretty non-business background, I found this book very easy to digest and the stories quite engaging. I thought the cultural nuances were well illustrated in a kind and comedic manner. All of the stories were descriptive and vivid, but I particularly enjoyed the story about the colleague in Brussels. I think there's a story here for everyone, as they highlight aspects of culture that are the smaller details that could be taken for granted (I had never previously thought about the American attempt to strive to find commonality or pulling people into their camp).
Particularly enjoyed the commentary of one of the final chapters reaffirming the relevance of understanding different cultures even if people may have influences of more than one. Highly recommend!
This is a good book for anyone who needs to interact with people outside their own culture, and also a great way of thinking about how your own local culture fits in along each of the ranges Foster talks about. Things that seem just normal and friendly, or responsible, or chaotic may be great in the right cultural context, and stubbornly insisting on your own way in the face of a wall of cultural norms is often futile (and rude). Some chapters are better than others- the one on Belgium didn't really work- but the rude unsent letter Foster penned for the California waiter illustrated to me just how ingrained our cultural norms are. Just reading it made me bristle on the waiter's behalf, against the onslaught from such a rude guest while the waiter was just doing his job, correctly, aside from the missing fork (which might have been missed by whoever had that table before shift-change, or whatever).
If you know a lot of people from other places, or travel much, many of these insights may not be all that new, but it is still interesting to see them all in one place, laid out in a more organized manner.