Cultural DNA: The Psychology of Globalization

CULTURAL DNA WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THE WORLD

Why are Americans so positive? Why is China a world leader in manufacturing and India in IT? What do overseas firms often fail at in the US marketing? What are the emotional forces driving current events in the Middle East? Why are Scandinavian societies and businesses the most equal in the world? Why is there a Chinatown in most major cities?

The answers lie in the deep cultural DNA of these societies. Cultural DNA will take you on a psychological tour of the world to help you get under the skin and productively engage other cultures in our emerging multipolar world.

Presenting ground breaking original research and the latest evidence from neuroscience, behavioral genetics, psychology and beyond, the deepest instinctsof eight key global cultures are dissected.

Each culture has attributes that developed over thousands of years to address unique environmental challenges. This DNA drumbeat reverberates through each society affecting everything, including its economic institutions, consumer psychology, organizational culture and the strengths and weaknesses of its leaders. And as globalization marches on, we can learn important lessons from the world′s distinct societies.

Savvy and informed leaders need to understand these forces if they are to make the right calls as they engage global cultures. If you want to succeed in global markets, develop diverse talents and tap into the real potential of people everywhere, read Cultural DNA.

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction ix

The Psychology of the Eurozone Crisis x

We Are Not All the Same and That Is Good xiv

Unconscious Bias xvii

Greater Similarity and Difference at the Same Time xix

The Globalization Challenge for Business xxiii

Defining Cultural DNA xxv

A Word About the Evidence xxviii

Why Bother with Differences? xxxi

Chapter 1 America The Change Makers 1

Founder Effects 3

The Peopling of America 4

Positivity 11

Embracing the New 17

Assimilation over Accommodation 20

Mammon: Tamed and Untamed 26

The Triumph of Functionality 32

Increasing Plurality 35

Looking Ahead 37

Chapter 2 Sub–Saharan Africa: Under Nature s Shadow 41

How Modern Humans Populated Africa 43

Nature s Crucible: The Forces Shaping Africa s Cultural DNA 45

Community and Beyond 51

Naturalness: Expressed and Denied 55

In the Moment 60

Metaphor, Analogy, and the Connectedness of Things 67

The Big Man and His Alter Ego 72

Looking Ahead 78

Chapter 3 India: Beyond This World 81

The Peopling of India 82

The Toba Event 83

The Forces That Have Shaped India s Cultural DNA 85

Ahimsa 87

Individual Paths 95

Inner Directedness 100

Horizontal Stratification 104

Mathematics: The Art of the Hindus 110

Ritualistic Thinking 114

Looking Ahead 119

Chapter 4 The Middle East: Ambivalence and Uncertainty in the Modern Age 121

How Modern Humans Populated the Middle East 122

Deserts and Civilization: The Twin Drivers of Middle Eastern Cultural DNA 124

The Rules of Life 128

The Commercial Instinct 134

The Best Ideas in the World 138

The Honor Modesty System 143

The Other Sex 148

Concentric Circles of Belonging 151

Managing Contradictions and Tensions 153

Chapter 5 China: The Seekers of Harmony 157

The Peopling of China 159

The Forces That Shaped China s DNA 161

The Drive for Harmony 165

The Authoritarian Compact 173

Concrete and Practical Inventiveness 177

Fast Slow 181

Bounded Sociability and Empathy 185

The Art of Copying 189

Future Considerations 193

Chapter 6 Europe: The Equal Society 195

The Forces that have Shaped European Cultural DNA 196

Equality and Elitism 203

Bounded Individualism 212

Analyisis and Structured Planning 218

Reserved Sociability 222

The Diminishing Drive for Mastery 225

The Opportunities and Challenges for European Culture 231

Chapter 7 The Far Continents 235

Latin America The Ever–Changing Melting Pot 235

Australia: Mateship in a Far–Off Land 244

Conclusions 255

Notes 259

Index 271

GURNEK BAINS is the co–founder and Chairman of Young Samuel Chambers (YSC), a pre–mier global business psychology consultancy, with 19 offices around the globe, including four in the US, two in Latin America, eight in Asia Pac and the Middle East, two in Africa, and three in Europe. At YSC, Bains works at the most senior levels in international business, coaching CEOs and helping companies create the organizational culture to drive their long–term success. He has a doctorate in psychology from Oxford University. He is also author of Meaning, Inc.: The Blueprint for Business Success in the 21st Century.