Fish Can't See Water: How National Culture Can Make or Break Your Corporate Strategy - Hardcover

by Kai Hammerich (Author), Richard D. Lewis (Author)

How national culture impacts organizational culture--and business success

Using extensive case studies of successful global corporations, this book explores the impact of national culture on the corporate strategy and its execution, and through this ultimately business success--or failure. It does not argue that different cultures lead to different business results, but that all cultures impact organizations in ways both positive and negative, depending on the business cycle, the particular business, and the particular strategies being pursued. Depending on all of these factors, cultural dynamics can either enable or derail performance. But recognizing those cultural factors is difficult for business leaders; like everyone else, they too can be blind to the culture of which they are a part.

The book offers managers and leaders eight recommendations for recognizing those cultural factors that negatively impact performance, as well as those that can be harnessed to encourage superior performance. With real case studies from companies in Asia, Europe, and the United States, this book offers a truly global approach to organizational culture.

• Offers a fresh approach to the effects of national culture on organizational culture that is applicable to any country in any region
• Based on case studies of such companies as Toyota, Samsung, General Motors, Nokia, Walmart, Kone and British Leyland
• It describes the origins and nature of the most common corporate crisis and how culture impacts the response to such a crisis
• Ideal for managers, business leaders, and board members, as well as business school students

A welcome response to the flat-Earth fad that argues we're all alike, this book offers a nuanced and practical view of cultural differentiators and how they can enable or derail business performance.

Front Jacket

"Finally a book that addresses the unique competitive edge of all entities, culture. While culture can work in negative and positive ways, understanding its impact on an organization's goals and doing something about it is the job of all leaders. Thanks to Richard Lewis and Kai Hammerich, we now have the tools to do just that. This book is a must read for any global leader who works across national, economic and cultural boundaries."
--Steven J. DeKrey, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Asian Institute of Management; former Graduate Dean at The HKUST Business School, Asia's leading MBA school

"This great book is an invaluable resource and a superb toolkit for all Executives and HR professionals leading or supervising international businesses and teams. Culture matters more than ever and is a unique source of sustainable competitive differentiation. A maverick piece of work from Kai Hammerich and Richard Lewis with absolute word-class insights!"
--Wilbert J. M. Buiter, former Chief HR Officer at Philips Communications, NCR and ING Group

"As a global and yet distinctly Finnish company, Nokia's strength is derived from its roots, as well as its willingness to draw upon the unique elements of the many cultures of its people around the world. Having met and worked with both Richard Lewis and Kai Hammerich, I have come to value their unique insight into the interplay of national and corporate cultures."
--Stephen Elop, President and CEO of Nokia Corporation

Back Jacket

The message of this book is simple: national culture, through its influence on corporate culture, has a powerful but often-invisible impact on the success of global companies. What's more, the very same national traits that accelerate growth at one stage of the corporate life cycle may derail that growth at a different stage or when an inevitable crisis hits.

How did Samsung Electronics become the world's largest consumer electronics company in less than 20 years, unseating dominant Sony Corporation in the process? What pivotal role did the national heritage of both companies play in this? How did Toyota create a sustainable competitive advantage for almost 25 years, by adapting a global business philosophy deeply rooted in Japanese culture? How did the Finnish roots of Nokia and the American roots of GM first help both companies, only later to derail their success?

In a global world where most processes and products can and will be copied, culture matters more than ever, and as this book shows, can be a source of sustainable competitive advantage! As they say: 'Culture eats Strategy for lunch!' Through case examples that include: Toyota, Austin Motor Company (later British Leyland), Samsung, Sony, Nokia, and P&G, Hammerich and Lewis provide a new conceptual framework and 10 vital tools for analyzing corporate culture and diagnosing the dynamics that drive the success of global companies.

Author Biography

Kai Hammerich, MBA (Kellogg Business School with Distinction), MSc. is Danish and an international leadership and talent consultant with Korn Ferry, living in London. He has been nominated by Business Week as one of the most influential headhunters worldwide. He advises boards and leadership teams of global corporations on talent, succession and cross cultural transformations that accelerate corporate performance.

Richard D. Lewis is a well renowned British linguist who created Richard Lewis Communications - a language school for executives as well as a company that advises on cross-cultural issues facing business executives. Richard has written a number of books including the bestselling When Cultures Collide.