For example, when do you respect rules over relationships? In Germany rules rule, in South Korea, relationships overshadow the law.

Fascinating reading, incredible insights - you won't be disappointed in the usefulness of this work.

18 of 19 found the following review helpful:

A very informative and insightful book  Sep 21, 1998

Having read a number of books on intercultural management, I can only say that in my opinion, "Riding the Waves of Culture" is by far the best book on this subject. Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner present the results of their research on cultural differences in a most engaging way. Their book is a quick read that is full of wonderful anecdotes about cross-cultural business dilemmas. The stories are presented in a way that demonstrates great awareness of and respect for very diverse approaches to business. The authors also offer a methodology for reconciling value differences that incorporates the best of both worlds.

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:

Exceptionally useful and data based  May 21, 1998

I work in a large international ag company. I've been working on a project on how to approach the challenges of language and culture in fully integrated cross-hemisphere teams. I've done a lot of reading of articles and books. This book is the best resource I have found. Trompenaars gives you a framework to begin to think about and understand the differences between cultures. What makes this really valuable is that the information on how specific cultures operate within this framework is based on a database of reponses from more than 30,000 managers around the world. The book is full of specific examples and data to support conclusions.

14 of 16 found the following review helpful:

Highly Recommended!  Jul 24, 2001
By Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract"
The results are in: All of those stereotypes that we've been told to forget are, in fact, true. At least, that's what a survey of 30,000 people from 31 nations suggests. The data paints some familiar pictures: the inflexible German, the vacillating Frenchman and the pushy American. The statistics from the survey support the conclusions reached by authors Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner in the earlier, first edition of this book: Don't base business decisions on the rhetoric that people are the same regardless of race, color or creed. They aren't! Academically organized, dense with anecdotes and, this time, thoroughly documented, Riding the Waves of Culture is entertaining at least, and possibly essential in this global age. We [...] recommend this book to any professional approaching an international management task, or overseeing a business that stretches across regional boundaries.


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