Description
Develop deeper cultural intelligence to thrive in a globalized world. Cultural DNA is a thought provoking book for successful engagement with cultures around the world. Written by Gurnek Bains, founder and chairman of a global business psychology consultancy, this book guides leaders through the essential soft skills required to get under the skin and engage an increasingly connected world. Presenting ground breaking original research and the latest evidence from neuroscience, behavioral genetics, and psychology, the deepest instincts of eight key global cultures are dissected. Readers will understand the psychological themes at play in regions such as the U.S., Latin America, Europe, China, India, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa and Australia. Additionally, an extensive database of 30,000 leaders provides insights to inform the reader. The book addresses questions such as: * What are the challenges for leaders from different regions as they move into onto the global stage? * Why are Americans so positive? * Why is China a world leader in manufacturing and India in IT? * Why do overseas firms struggle in the U.S. market place? * What are the emotional forces driving current events in the Middle East? Each culture has attributes that developed over thousands of years to address unique environmental challenges. This DNA drumbeat from the past reverberates through each society affecting everything. As globalization marches on we can also learn important lessons from the world’s distinct societies. Globalization demands that cultures learn to work within each other’s needs and expectations, and the right mix of people skills, business acumen, and cultural awareness is key. Business and Political leaders will understand how each regions’ cultural DNA influences: * Its economic and political institutions. * People’s underlying consumer psychology. * The soft skills needed to lead in that environment. * How to best release people’s potential. * The issues that need to be managed to anticipate and solve problems before they arise Every now and again a new book comes along, that is a must read: Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point or a Seth Godin’s Tribes. Cultural DNA by Gurnek Bains, by virtue of its depth, originality and ambition, is that very book for all global leaders. GURNEK BAINS is the co-founder and Chairman of Young Samuel Chambers (YSC), a premier global business psychology consultancy, with 19 offices around the globe, including four in the US, two in Latin America, eight in Asia Pac and the Middle East, two in Africa, and three in Europe. At YSC, Bains works at the most senior levels in international business, coaching CEOs and helping companies create the organizational culture to drive their long-term success. He has a doctorate in psychology from Oxford University. He is also author of Meaning, Inc.: The Blueprint for Business Success in the 21st Century. Acknowledgments vii Introduction ix The Psychology of the Eurozone Crisis x We Are Not All the Same and That Is Good xiv Unconscious Bias xvii Greater Similarity and Difference at the Same Time xix The Globalization Challenge for Business xxiii Defining Cultural DNA xxv A Word About the Evidence xxviii Why Bother with Differences? xxxi Chapter 1 America–The Change Makers 1 Founder Effects 3 The Peopling of America 4 Positivity 11 Embracing the New 17 Assimilation over Accommodation 20 Mammon: Tamed and Untamed 26 The Triumph of Functionality 32 Increasing Plurality 35 Looking Ahead 37 Chapter 2 Sub-Saharan Africa: Under Nature’s Shadow 41 How Modern Humans Populated Africa 43 Nature’s Crucible: The Forces Shaping Africa’s Cultural DNA 45 Community and Beyond 51 Naturalness: Expressed and Denied 55 In the Moment 60 Metaphor, Analogy, and the Connectedness of Things 67 The Big Man and His Alter Ego 72 Looking Ahead 78 Chapter 3 India: Beyond This World 81 The Peopling of India 82 The Toba Event 83 The Forces That Have Shaped India’s Cultural DNA 85 Ahimsa 87 Individual Paths 95 Inner Directedness 100 Horizontal Stratification 104 Mathematics: The Art of the Hindus 110 Ritualistic Thinking 114 Looking Ahead 119 Chapter 4 The Middle East: Ambivalence and Uncertainty in the Modern Age 121 How Modern Humans Populated the Middle East 122 Deserts and Civilization: The Twin Drivers of Middle Eastern Cultural DNA 124 The Rules of Life 128 The Commercial Instinct 134 The Best Ideas in the World 138 The Honor-Modesty System 143 The Other Sex 148 Concentric Circles of Belonging 151 Managing Contradictions and Tensions 153 Chapter 5 China: The Seekers of Harmony 157 The Peopling of China 159 The Forces That Shaped China’s DNA 161 The Drive for Harmony 165 The Authoritarian Compact 173 Concrete and Practical Inventiveness 177 Fast Slow 181 Bounded Sociability and Empathy 185 The Art of Copying 189 Future Considerations 193 Chapter 6 Europe: The Equal Society 195 The Forces that have Shaped European Cultural DNA 196 Equality and Elitism 203 Bounded Individualism 212 Analyisis and Structured Planning 218 Reserved Sociability 222 The Diminishing Drive for Mastery 225 The Opportunities and Challenges for European Culture 231 Chapter 7 The Far Continents 235 Latin America–The Ever-Changing Melting Pot 235 Australia: Mateship in a Far-Off Land 244 Conclusions 255 Notes 259 Index 271
