Intercultural Services – A Worldwide Buyers Guide and Sourcebook

Citation

Harris, P.R. (2000), "Intercultural Services – A Worldwide Buyers Guide and Sourcebook", European Business Review, Vol. 12 No. 6, pp. 355-360. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebr.2000.12.6.355.4

The emergence of the global marketplace has brought a new sensitivity on the part of management toward the need for cross‐cultural skills and sensitivity in the workforce. Intercultural Services will assist organizations in developing such human resource development capabilities in‐house, or to contract for external services for this purpose. Whether the reader is preparing to enter the international business/professional arena, manage a multicultural workplace, or simply compete globally, this guide is a very useful resource. It provides practical insights for locating, evaluating, purchasing and overseeing intercultural services that will be both productive and cost‐effective. But it is more than a sourcebook, for it is filled with helpful visuals and examples, check‐lists and intercultural information.

Along with an introduction, the eight chapters expertly cover the concept of culture, cross‐border organizations and roles, principles of intercultural learning, review of available intercultural services and products. The contents include not only details about providers of such, but how to manage successfully one’s relations with contractors. Further, the closing chapter analyses the steps to developing internal cross‐cultural competencies within an organization, while the appendices offer a selected glossary and bibliography.

The author is one of the premier consultants in the field of intercultural training and relocation services, and has published over 50 journal articles on these topics. Experienced in the cultures of 29 countries, most recently, Gary Wederspahn has been based in Switzerland (e‐mail: gwederspahn@mailcity.com). His career affiliations include not only the Peace Corps and VISTA, but Prudential Relocations Intercultural Services, and service to numerous multinational corporations. His first book for the twenty‐first century is more than a very useful directory; it is likely to become the classic reference work on transcultural services!