Cultural DNA: The Psychology of Globalization

Cultural DNA: The Psychology of Globalization

by Gurnek Bains
Released March 2015
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781118928912

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Book description

Develop deeper cultural intelligence to thrive in a globalized world.

Cultural DNA is a thought provoking book for successful engagement with cultures around the world. Written by Gurnek Bains, founder and chairman of a global business psychology consultancy, this book guides leaders through the essential soft skills required to get under the skin and engage an increasingly connected world.

Presenting ground breaking original research and the latest evidence from neuroscience, behavioral genetics, and psychology, the deepest instincts of eight key global cultures are dissected. Readers will understand the psychological themes at play in regions such as the U.S., Latin America, Europe, China, India, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa and Australia. Additionally, an extensive database of 30,000 leaders provides insights to inform the reader.

The book addresses questions such as:

  • What are the challenges for leaders from different regions as they move into onto the global stage?

  • Why are Americans so positive?

  • Why is China a world leader in manufacturing and India in IT?

  • Why do overseas firms struggle in the U.S. market place?

  • What are the emotional forces driving current events in the Middle East?

    • Each culture has attributes that developed over thousands of years to address unique environmental challenges. This DNA drumbeat from the past reverberates through each society affecting everything. As globalization marches on we can also learn important lessons from the world's distinct societies.

    Globalization demands that cultures learn to work within each other's needs and expectations, and the right mix of people skills, business acumen, and cultural awareness is key. Business and Political leaders will understand how each regions' cultural DNA influences:

  • Its economic and political institutions.

  • People's underlying consumer psychology.

  • The soft skills needed to lead in that environment.

  • How to best release people's potential.

  • The issues that need to be managed to anticipate and solve problems before they arise

    • Every now and again a new book comes along, that is a must read: Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point or a Seth Godin's Tribes. Cultural DNA by Gurnek Bains, by virtue of its depth, originality and ambition, is that very book for all global leaders.

    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Copyright
    3. Acknowledgments
    4. Introduction
      1. The Psychology of the Eurozone Crisis
      2. We Are Not All the Same and That Is Good
      3. Unconscious Bias
      4. Greater Similarity and Difference at the Same Time
      5. The Globalization Challenge for Business
      6. Defining Cultural DNA
      7. A Word About the Evidence
      8. Why Bother with Differences?
      9. Notes
    5. Chapter 1: America—The Change Makers
      1. Founder Effects
      2. The Peopling of America
      3. Positivity
      4. Embracing the New
      5. Assimilation over Accommodation
      6. Mammon: Tamed and Untamed
      7. The Triumph of Functionality
      8. Increasing Plurality
      9. Looking Ahead
      10. Notes
    6. Chapter 2: Sub-Saharan Africa: Under Nature's Shadow
      1. How Modern Humans Populated Africa
      2. Nature's Crucible: The Forces Shaping Africa's Cultural DNA
      3. Community and Beyond
      4. Naturalness: Expressed and Denied
      5. In the Moment
      6. Metaphor, Analogy, and the Connectedness of Things
      7. The Big Man and His Alter Ego
      8. Looking Ahead
      9. Notes
    7. Chapter 3: India: Beyond This World
      1. The Peopling of India
      2. The Toba Event
      3. The Forces That Have Shaped India's Cultural DNA
      4. Ahimsa
      5. Individual Paths
      6. Inner Directedness
      7. Horizontal Stratification
      8. Mathematics: The Art of the Hindus
      9. Ritualistic Thinking
      10. Looking Ahead
      11. Notes
    8. Chapter 4: The Middle East: Ambivalence and Uncertainty in the Modern Age
      1. How Modern Humans Populated the Middle East
      2. Deserts and Civilization: The Twin Drivers of Middle Eastern Cultural DNA
      3. The Rules of Life
      4. The Commercial Instinct
      5. The Best Ideas in the World
      6. The Honor–Modesty System
      7. The Other Sex
      8. Concentric Circles of Belonging
      9. Managing Contradictions and Tensions
      10. Notes
    9. Chapter 5: China: The Seekers of Harmony
      1. The Peopling of China
      2. The Forces That have Shaped China's DNA
      3. The Drive for Harmony
      4. The Authoritarian Compact
      5. Concrete and Practical Inventiveness
      6. Fast Slow
      7. Bounded Sociability and Empathy
      8. The Art of Copying
      9. Future Considerations
      10. Notes
    10. Chapter 6: Europe: The Equal Society
      1. The Forces that have Shaped European Cultural DNA
      2. Equality and Elitism
      3. Bounded Individualism
      4. Analyisis and Structured Planning
      5. Reserved Sociability
      6. The Diminishing Drive for Mastery
      7. The Opportunities and Challenges for European Culture
      8. Notes
    11. Chapter 7: The Far Continents
      1. Latin America—The Ever-Changing Melting Pot
      2. Australia: Mateship in a Far-Off Land
      3. Notes
    12. Conclusions
    13. Index
    14. End User License Agreement

    Product information

    • Title: Cultural DNA: The Psychology of Globalization
    • Author(s): Gurnek Bains
    • Release date: March 2015
    • Publisher(s): Wiley
    • ISBN: 9781118928912