I encountered this book in the late 80's, and it became one of the most influential books in my life.

This book, essentially collates, combines, and compares theories of how the human mind works, finding parallels, offering interpretations, and finding intersections of ideas. From Frued to Marx, Jung to Blake, it's an amazing trip through explanations of "us," and served as my first introduction to concepts of cybernetics and feedback in mental and information systems.

If you're involved in psychology, social work, programming, writing, anything that touches on the mind and information, get it and read it. You'll be a much richer person for it.

I bought this book years ago, and now need to replace it. With a brilliant layout of a cartoon, an abstract, and then a one or two page essay, Charles describes how people have thought about mind from very early times. His summaries are absolutely brilliant, and the insights from Freud to de Bono to ... are illuminating.

Maps of the Mind is an excellent review volume that integrates and condenses many different perspectives concerning the nature of the human mind. Using the metaphor of a map, the author organizes the work of several prestigious authors and theorists into 9 different levels, from the mechanistic and physiological to the paradigmatic and mythological. Probing, entertaining, and thought provoking, Maps of the Mind will provide you with a sophisticated and breathtaking vista on the intricacies of the human psyche.

Charles Hampden-Turner and Fons Trompenaars have been collaborating for many years to develop an understanding of how different cultures approach and resolve problems and the cross-cultural issues that arise from it. In the course of this collaboration they have developed a formidable database of responses from managers around the world, and a 'dilemma methodology' which they use to demonstrate how superior results flow from the way in which dilemmas are managed and resolved.

This book is a direct successor to a series of books by one or both authors, which develop the methodology and its application. This one applies it to the question of effective leadership, and makes a valuable contribution to a generally overcrowded field. In particular, it adds to understanding of the particular skill of an effective leader and also helps to build an operational understanding of what is meant by 'managing a culture'. The book can be read and used without reference to the earlier works, but Building Cross-Cultural Competence is particularly useful in providing an extended statement of the principles and dimensions summarized in the first 2 chapters of 21 Leaders.

The nine opening pages of the Introduction provide a succinct overview of the main thesis, described as a 'metatheory of leadership'. They argue that leaders 'manage culture' by fine-tuning and reconciling dilemmas and that that culture then runs the organization. Outstanding leaders are particularly adept at reconciling dilemmas - they make the necessary distinctions yet integrate them into a viable whole. The authors conceptualise apparently opposed values (eg individualism versus communitarianism) as being the opposite ends of a continuum and the test of successful reconciliation being that both values should emerge stronger from the interaction.

The book and most of the examples are based on issues of cross-cultural in the sense of cross-national values, but the principles apply equally wherever there is a potential clash of values - for example in a merger or a major program of change.

Through expanding their methodology and showing how it applies in a wide range of complex situations the authors seek to help leaders :

"Elicit and become aware of major business dilemmas in cross-cultural environments
See dilemma resolution as a crucial ingredient of strategy
Utilize dilemmas as strategic contexts for action
Learn the art of achieving one value through another in a virtuous circle (a process known as through-through thinking)
Learn how transnational entrepreneurs take their stands (preneur) between (entre) contrasting values."

Much of the book is devoted to case studies of the 21 selected leaders. These are not all the 'usual suspects' of the management literature, but include a former Russian Prime Minister and the heads of companies in a variety of industries and from a range of nations. Each is well-written and argues its particular points in a way that gives depth to the main thesis of the book.

This book should be read by everyone from young adults to senior executives. As a lay person, not only did I understand how to be successful in the business world, but how to improve my own life. The pages provided me with a fresh insight into leadership; one is not born as a leader, rather one must use leadership skills. Although this book provides examples with well known figures, it also points towards lesser known, but amply talented, leaders. However, albeit how successful some of these people are, some stories serve to remind us that even leaders cannot escape their own humanity. I loudly applaud Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner for giving me the tools to make my way through the 21st century!

E. Hampden Cook does a great job in presenting the case for covenant eschatology. After being out of print for about 100 years, this book will bring a fresh perspective to the landscape of eschatology, which is today litered with the dispensationalism's left behind trash. With numerous references to James Stuart Russell's excellent book The Parousia, Cook brings even more arguments to the table, and acknowledges in his prefaces to the second and third editions that he adjusted his position on several issues related to eschatology, and emphasizes how important it is for a believer to understand eschatology properly. A proper understanding of covenant eschatology will dictate a christian's decisions regarding politics, society, culture, family...etc. While I do not agree with all his conclusions, this book is an excellent primer for everyone interested in what the Bible actually says about "end times" and the so-called "end of the world."

"Radical Man" has had more impact on my life than any other secular work. It taught me the value of nonconformity in a nation of sheep. Certain situations call for an independant act to counter the dictatorship of tradition or personal influence, power or popularity. Did you ever feel disappointed in yourself after letting a bully or a blowhard run roughshod over others? "Radical Man" authorized me to object, question, stand up, reject. Independance, I learned, is more than merely a democratic abstraction. The book taught me the importance of reaching out to others outside of my sphere of influence, of taking chances, of the value of vulnerability and how these experiences can teach me more about myself and others. I initially read this book as part of a class assignment in college. Since then I've tried to re-read it every decade or so and have bought extra copies to pass on to people of sufficient depth. That may sound elitest but it's not a simple read. Several graphs, no pictures and it's not easy to dance to. The message is:we can stand up when creepiness seems to be carrying the day. or

The authors used questionnaire-based research to study twelve countries through the lens of seven oppositional pairs (the cultures from the title).

These pairs are:
Universalism vs. Particularism
Analyzing vs. Integrating
Individualism vs. Communitarianism
Inner-Directed vs. Outer-directed Orientation
Time as Sequence vs. Time as Synchronization
Achieved Status vs. Ascribed Status
Equality vs. Hierarchy

They make the point that capitalism is not a choice for or against but a range of behaviours made up of a multiplicity of choices. Using their grid and research data, they position various countries on this range.

As someone who works and lives in a country where I was not born, I found the book a very useful frame for looking at my adopted work environment.

I really call this 4.5 stars, the -.5 is because sections of it are much more dated than others and there are places where I think the tone of the book is lessened by the authors' temptation to give in and make value judgements.

Though this book was first published in 1993, it is still every bit as relevant and interesting today. In this book, the authors examine the values and cultural habits of seven major capitalist countries (the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands), and examines how their cultural differences has given to each an entirely different capitalist system. After first explaining how the differences were quantified, the authors then examine these cultures, giving the reader an in-depth understanding of how each country's culture (and as such, capitalist system) works, and how it produces wealth.

I found this to be an absolutely fascinating book. I was always aware of the cultural differences between various countries, but this book did an excellent job of defining those differences, and showing how they affect the way that the country does business. If you are interested in any of these seven countries, or interested in international business, then I highly recommend this book to you.

This book examines a number of different countries and the priorities that shape them. While different cultures may all share the same values - be honest, treat your friends well, etc - what is telling is how different cultures *prioritize*.

For example, if you are in a situation where you see your friend at fault in a car accident, and you are called upon to testify, what do you do? While Americans tend to value truth-telling over loyalty to friends, Asians tend to value loyalty to friends over truth-telling. Both choices are shocking to the opposite: "How can you lie like that?" vs. "How can you let your friend down like that?"

This book looks at a number of cultures and how they differ. It's a fascinating read, and has changed how I look at the world.

Did you ever wonder why your international counterparts or customers are so hard to deal with?

If your work involves people from multiple countries and multiple cultures, this book is required reading. If your work involves understanding culture at all, it is definitely worth a quick read.

Authors Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner share their cultural insights based on broad research - 30,000 interviews and questionnaires so far - which puts this work on solid ground. They distinguish culture along a number of interesting axes, including relationships and rules, group versus individual, feelings, personal Involvement, status, time, inner directed versus outer directed, and national versus corporate culture.

The writing, while not exciting, is clear. And the statistical graphics further clarify and simplify many of the authors' points.

On a personal note, whenever the book authors ascribed a particular cultural aspect to Americans, I naturally tried to locate myself on the USA part of the graph. The surprising part was that although I was often squarely in the "right" place, this was not the case a good amount of the time.

I work in a large international ag company. I've been working on a project on how to approach the challenges of language and culture in fully integrated cross-hemisphere teams. I've done a lot of reading of articles and books. This book is the best resource I have found. Trompenaars gives you a framework to begin to think about and understand the differences between cultures. What makes this really valuable is that the information on how specific cultures operate within this framework is based on a database of reponses from more than 30,000 managers around the world. The book is full of specific examples and data to support conclusions.

Having read a number of books on intercultural management, I can only say that in my opinion, "Riding the Waves of Culture" is by far the best book on this subject. Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner present the results of their research on cultural differences in a most engaging way. Their book is a quick read that is full of wonderful anecdotes about cross-cultural business dilemmas. The stories are presented in a way that demonstrates great awareness of and respect for very diverse approaches to business. The authors also offer a methodology for reconciling value differences that incorporates the best of both worlds.

Don't be put off by this book's daunting terminology. Beneath the author's unrestrained use of labels like universalism, particularism, individualism, communitarianism, specificity and diffuseness, lies an insightful analysis of cultural differences. After defining various nationalities under a host of polysyllabic headings, authors Charles M. Hampden-Turner and Fons Trompenaars illustrate the differences between them using engaging and easy-to-understand scenarios and stories from popular culture. The end goal of each of these sections is to explain to international business managers how cultural dilemmas can be reconciled.

I have read this book 3 times only to find that the book is rich of information on how we can do business internationally. I am impressed by the comprehensiveness of the writers' survey which covers more than 40 thousand respondents from 50 different countries. The book also gives me new insights on how people of different values, norms and belief can reconcile the inherent cultural differences to build a dynamic relationship whithin a culturally diversed organisation. I recommend this book for managers and everybody who work in multinational business.

This is a highly unusual book as it places a soccer story in it's true social context. While the book has it's focus on a famous footballing victory and the characters who made that possible, the real heroes for me were the supporters and ordinary Glaswegians, both Tim and Hun, who created a fascinating landscape for this story.The book is full of ancedotes, memories and typical Clydeside humour. The story of the new white trousers on the way to the game is worth the price of the book itself.Well done Peter & Pat.

This is a book about Celtic in the late 1950s, highlighting their 7-1 victory over Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final in 1957. I was not alive then but reading the supporters recollections of that day I felt as if I was there. Every tim should have this book.

There is little here that is new, but a couple of metaphors; however, the compilation is quite original. Of the two metaphors, the snake and double helix, after finding them on almost every page and certainly in every chapter, I found the continuous references at first a slight novelty, than overdone and irritating. I also the found the book inundated with make-believe examples, and "statistics" on the phenomenal growth of the Tiger economies -- a nostalgic hearkening back to the good old days of "Asian values" touted by Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew. Do not avoid this book -- but do read it with another that marries the concept of East Asian values to real-life managerial strategies such as Haley's "New Asian Emperors: the Overseas Chinese, their Strategies and Competitive Advanatges."

I found Mastering the Infinite Game to be a very helpful resource while writing an organizational behavior research paper about Asian cultures. The studies and research included in the book are both useful and insightful to gaining an understanding how Asian cultural values pertain to the field of business manangement.

A must-read for those interested in doing business with Asian firms!

With a stunning display of verbal pyrotechnics and sheer force of personality, ex-con John Maher of the Delancy Street Foundation confronted his criminally inclined subjects on their most troublesome personal habit-- heroin addiction.

This book is intense. It may force you to revisit some sticky questions.

At what point is it no longer ethical to force your viewpoint on someone else for the sake of their own good? Is emotional abuse acceptable in certain circumstances? At what point is silence condoning heroin chic?

Not exactly a pleasant read, but well worth the time.

Charles lived at the Delancey Street Foundation for a year. He applied his prize winning Ph.D. formulations of psycho-social development and regression to the principles and practice there. Brilliant analytical tools written about with precision and panache. I need to replace my original copy! help.