Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior Across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process

One sign of a good business "self-help" book is that you are able to apply the information right away, which I did with Global Dexterity. The day after I finished the book, I was able to use the advice in the section "Getting Others to Forgive Your Cultural Mistakes" to turn an awkward situation with a new Iranian business acquaintance into a humorous one by "blaming" something I said on my American culture.While this book would not be a substitute for the country-specific tactics that a book that specialized in a particular country would, it does provide an over-arching strategy for approaching cultural differences in the framework of the 6-dimensions of cultural behavior expectations (Directness, Enthusiasm, Formality, Assertiveness, and Self-promotion). The points are well-illustrated with interesting anecdotes and scenarios which make the book an enjoyable read.

There's so much I like about Andy Molinsky's new book, Global Dexterity, including the title. He clearly identifies and honors the struggle that people face in not knowing how to apply their knowledge of cross-cultural communications in everyday situations, supported by specific examples and anecdotes. The author explains why the inability to adapt culturally matters to companies and individuals and what to do about it. His practical, easy to implement tools empower individuals to make small changes for maximum positive results.With his six-dimensional framework for diagnosing the cultural code in foreign settings, Molinsky helps individuals identify their own personal comfort zone while gently suggesting ways to stretch that comfort zone appropriately.As a cross-cultural communications coach and consultant, I found the section on how to "Overcome Challenges by Customizing Your Cultural Behavior" especially relevant and useful.Global Dexterity belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who wants help in learning how to adapt across cultures effectively.

Molinksy's work offers front-line managers and staffers some solid, actionable advice on working with colleagues and partners from another culture. His 6 dimensions are insightful and comprehensive -- he has devised a very practical framework for taking concrete action to improve one's cross-cultural communication skills. He supplies plenty of practical examples and scenarios to bring the lessons to life.Molinsky's aim is to facilitate communication, and that is both the book's strength and limitation. His advice helps Americans to analyze and accommodate cultural differences. It contains a wealth of excellent information for those who want to be liked by colleagues, staffers and supervisors from other countries. He has little to say about influencing, persuading, negotiating, or managing differences of opinions across cultural boundaries, however. It's a great resource for building solid working relationships, but stops there.

Andy Molinsky's book is a must read if your work (or even life) takes you across cultural boundaries. What makes this book so great is that it not only provides a set of tools for navigating through working with other cultures, but also on how to find your comfort zone within that challenging environment.Andy Molinsky's writing style makes for great flow and his use of concrete, real-life examples are very helpful. You can apply the lessons learned from this book regardless of your own culture and which culture you are trying to mesh with.My immediate thought upon reading this book was that every corporation or organization that has offices in multiple countries or works with companies, organizations or people from other counties should provide this book to all their employees who work in those situations.

It was not mentioned in the book description that there is hardly a page that is not marked all over with different highlighters. This is very annoying and since it cost a lot of money to ship, I had to keep the book, but I think it's really mean to sell it that way.The book's content is good thought, that's why it is not 1 star

Global Dexterity accomplishes a great deal in ten short chapters. It helps the reader understand cultural challenges through the experiences of Russians, Indians and Chinese professionals that struggled with the complexities of American culture. It also shows the flip side by offering examples of Americans who faced similar challenges managing operations abroad. The book then guides readers to understand the psychological challenges of bridging cultures, as well as to diagnose their own cultural mindset, customize their behavior and hone the results into effective solutions. Of critical importance is Dr. Molinsky's recognition that success cannot be based on the individual losing himself in the effort; in fact, preserving authenticity of self is an important underlying theme. The result is an eminently useful and practical book that effectively translates formal academic research into practical solutions for anyone doing business abroad, hiring foreign talent or just navigating the increasingly complex cultural environments at the heart of global governance, commerce and trade. To summarize, Global Dexterity is a must have for anyone working abroad or managing a multicultural workforce at home.