In the Zulu language, there are 39 words for the colour green. A green leaf in the sun has a different word from a green leaf in the shade; a moist green leaf is different from a wet green which is different from a bone dry green which is different from green at a distance of 10 feet which is different from green at 10 feet with one eye closed...in English, there's just "green" with a few adjectives to describe its different shades. An Englishman therefore can never understand or experience "green" in the same way that a Zulu can. Our language defines our understanding of the world in more ways than we can consciously acknowledge because human beings think in their language. If people from different cultures cannot experience "green" in the same way, is it any wonder that so many nations of the world are at loggerheads? Wars - on battlefields, on sports fields, and in boardrooms - happen when cultures collide.
"When Cultures Collide" written by Richard D Lewis is a fascinating and absorbing read about the peoples of our world. In dynamically crafted language that is clever, fast-paced, and witty, Lewis documents how people dress, think, talk, act, and react to one another in different parts of the world. Spanning Latin America, the Arab countries, East and West Europe, the Balkans, the Nordic countries, America, Africa, Asia, and Australia, "When Cultures Collide" details in breathtaking richness and brevity, the customs, manners, morals, taboos, food habits, body language, values, thinking, listening, and communication patterns of this multi-cultural world. Its gripping pace makes "When Cultures Collide," the best non-fiction page-turner that I've ever read. Lewis subtitles his book 'Managing Successfully Across Cultures,' and his book is written mainly from a business perspective but it couldn't be more relevant in today's strife-ridden world where the closer we're thrown together, the further we seem to pull away from one another.
Throughout the book, cultures collide in delightfully comic ways with hyperbolic Americans, diplomatic Japanese, self-effacing Englishmen, no-nonense Germans, proud Arabs, and the self-absorbed French trying to get along inside and outside the boardroom.
How do the Germans and the Japanese, the Finns and the British, or the Chinese and the Italians strike a business deal when "for a German and a Finn, the truth is the truth. In Japan and Britain, it's alright if it doesn't rock the boat. In China, there is no absolute truth. In Italy, it is negotiable"? For the Japanese, honour is supreme - they should not lose face (and they shouldn't be seen to make you lose yours) - and that's more important than "truth" as a German sees it; a German will call a spade a spade but if an American uses that expression on him, he'll take it quite literally and probably look around the room for a gardening tool. An Italian thinks truth depends on the situation - if a lie serves your purpose, then that is the truth: it's better to be practical and get what you want than be "truthful" and stupid.
Different cultures respect different values. A punctual Swiss or a German will not be amused by the laid back, impulsive, improvising-by-the-minute Brazilian or Spaniard who will arrive at a cocktail party 2 hours after the appointed hour (with a friend, trying to conclude a deal they began last week). This wrecks the carefully planned Swiss or German timetable. The opportunistic, fast-talking American likes to cut a deal at the first meeting; Arabs, Russians, Japanese, and Chinese like to build personal trust before they build a business and will find Americans "who will forget your name the day after the deal is made" extremely rude and insulting.
The fatalistic Indian's karmic concept of time (if things don't happen at the appointed time, they eventually will...some time...maybe in another reincarnation), the "no-manual-for-correct-behaviour" Aussies, the Mexican's loquacious rhetoric, Danish congeniality, and the low-key Canadians - all jostle for space when cultures collide.
Richard Lewis' riveting study of human behaviour across the globe is recommended reading for anyone interested in being a global citizen; if you're not interested, you will be once you pick up this book.
