The Mindful International Manager

The book
Unlike many successful managers working in their home
environment, mindful international managers focus in particular
on the context and process of communication and cooperation as well
as on outcomes. They work hard to create understanding when managing
and working with people from cultures different from their own.

The knowledge and competences you need to do this effectively
are what this book is about.

What does this book do?
The book not only explains cultural and individual differences in management values and behaviour. It also helps you to handle these differences.

It gives you the knowledge you need to understand but it also describes the skills and competences you need to work effectively across cultures.

Who is this book for?
If you are working internationally (or are about to do so) and you realise that things are not quite the same as they are at home but are not quite sure how to handle them, then this book is for you.

It will be useful to the business traveller, the expatriate manager, or anybody working in an international company alongside foreign colleagues, in a joint venture or in an international virtual team.

The book has been written particularly with readers of English as a foreign language in mind. It contains a glossary of difficult terms and words, and the layout – with many graphics, tables and lists – makes the book easy to read.

Who is this book not for?
The book is not intended for intercultural trainers and HR developers: they should already be dealing with these things in their training seminars! Nor is it intended for researchers or university teachers. Although the book is based on knowledge and insights developed by researchers, they will probably not find it sufficiently detailed or technical.

What makes this book different from other books
about working internationally?
This book:
• places managers and the management situations they have to handle in their daily work at the centre of the stage;
• quotes the experiences and insights of practising international managers;
• not only describes differences and difficulties but also describes what skills and competences you need to handle them effectively;
• does not suggest that the challenges facing a manager working internationally are exclusively caused by differences in national or ethnic culture but also
• deals with the influence of organisational culture and
• emphasises the importance of the personality and preferences of the individual manager;
• avoids harmful stereotypes;
• is written in a style which is easy for non-native speakers of English to understand, using short sentences and simple vocabulary;
• tries to do without jargon. Where jargon is unavoidable, it is relatively transparent and easy to understand

Who are the authors?
The Mindful International Manager was written by Jeremy Comfort and Peter Franklin. They were both brought up and educated in Great Britain but since then have both had international and intercultural careers, working outside the UK (mainly in Europe) and with people from all over the world.

Despite this international context to their lives, their book inevitably reflects their particular view of the world. It also displays the Western orientation of the knowledge and insights they possess about culture, communication and management. Readers should be aware of this ‘culture-centredness’ because members of other cultures may well see the world differently.