Working GlobeSmart: 12 People Skills for Doing Business Across Borders

While the idea of a global village where people and markets seamlessly commingle is attractive, actually doing business across borders can be tricky. Gundling, an Asia specialist at the management consulting firm Meridian Resources Associates, sets out to light the way for those venturing into international waters. Gundling knows his stuff: the book is dense and detailed, with anecdotes on handling all manner of situations, from dealing with a Turkish subordinate to evaluating a Russian executive. It lacks literary flair, proceeding in an exceedingly workmanlike fashion instead of pulling readers in with rich narratives. It's an invaluable primer, though, in reminding executives that doing business abroad is more about people skills than anything else. Nuanced issues of culture and tradition are often what's behind communication breakdowns, so knowing how to behave and interact in foreign climes is what will launch readers beyond what the author derides as""cruise ship globalism"" and help them arrive at a truly global understanding.