Die Culture Map
Ihr Kompass für das internationale Business
Erin Meyer
Why make cultural differences in international teams visible?
I came across the book "Die Culture Map" by Erin Meyer through the Netflix book (Keine Regeln). Netflix had the problem that the culture it had established in the US led to problems in team collaboration in other countries.
With "Die Culture Map", Erin Meyer has written a very accessible, if at times long-winded, guide that sheds light on the cultural web of international teams. In this review, you'll find out why I recommend the book to international managers.
Which topic and problem does the book “Die Culture Map” address?
It is about understanding that differences in behavior in international teams are more often rooted in the culture of the respective country than in people's individual personalities.
“Millions of people work in a global environment, yet view everything from their own cultural perspective and assume that differences, controversies and misunderstandings are always rooted only in personality.”
We all know the situation of being amused by the customs and habits of other countries while on vacation. In a professional environment, misunderstandings about decision-making paths, punctuality or other things quickly lead to frustration and a negative spirit in the team.
Erin Meyer has managed to depict the differences in a culture map. To do this, she lists the eight most important areas for visualizing cultural differences quickly and easily:
- Communicating
- Evaluating
- Persuading
- Leading
- Deciding
- Trusting
- Disagreeing
- Scheduling
Surveys are then carried out on the basis of these areas, and the results are displayed (as shown above).
Who is the book "Culture Map" for?
Clearly for managers and leaders working internationally. But I would also recommend the framework to international teams that want to get to know each other better, for example during a workshop. The Culture Map can be a great help in getting to know the cultural backgrounds of the individual team members better. In the end, it is about a better understanding of one another.
My personal opinion
The framework is really great! It is simple, self-explanatory and quick to carry out. The book itself goes into more depth about why certain cultural differences exist in individual countries. So you get more context, which some people may find too much. You don't necessarily have to have read the book to understand the framework. Still, it is well written, and you get really interesting insights into the customs and habits of foreign cultures.
More tools
I also found a good video about Erin Meyer's Culture Map that explains the eight dimensions well:
Culture Map method by Alexander Osterwalder
I once published an article on Medium about Alexander Osterwalder's Culture Map. Here the focus is more on making visible which behavior in the team shapes a certain culture. So it works well as a complement: first, I start by mapping out the key behavioral traits of the international team members according to Erin Meyer. Then I use Alexander Osterwalder's method to agree within the team which behavior you want to push (enablers) and which you want to reduce (blockers).