Book review: F. Trompenaars and C. Hampden-Turner. 2004. Managing people across CULTURES

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Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources

DOI: 10.1177/1038411107082280.2007; 45; 374Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources

Nicola McNeilA$41.95; US$24.95; United Kingdom: Capstone Publishing Ltd

cultures ISBN-10: 1 84112 472 9 (pbk); ISBN-13: 978 1841 12472 8 (pbk); 382 pages;Book review: F. Trompenaars and C. Hampden-Turner. 2004. Managing people across

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374 Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources 2007 45(3)

Book reviews

F. Trompenaars and C. Hampden-Turner. 2004.

Managing people across cultures

ISBN-10: 1 84112 472 9 (pbk); ISBN-13: 978 1841 12472 8 (pbk); 382 pages; A$41.95;

US$24.95; United Kingdom: Capstone Publishing Ltd.

Managing people across cultures offers entertaining and thoughtful insights into thecomplexities of managing human endeavor in modern organisations. Today, thereis wide acceptance that effective management practices are achieved by thesuccessful integration of technical and human aspects of management. Drawing onsuch ideas, the authors of this book argue that human resource management(HRM) activities now pervade all facets of organisations, and as such, should beconsidered the cornerstone of management practice. The ensuing chapters illus-trate the ways in which HRM can support other elements of the organisation,including corporate culture, strategy-making, leadership and team development,in an increasingly global context. The authors also provide some practical sugges-tions to improve the management of diversity in organisations.

The book consists of 10 chapters. The first concerns the nexus between HRMand organisational culture. It argues that the effectiveness of human resource toolsand practices depend, to some extent, on the prevailing corporate culture. Theauthors define organisational culture and identify four ‘types’ of culture andconsider the implications of each type for the efficacy of HRM practices. Chapter2 focuses on the challenges of employee recruitment and selection. The authorsendorse the need for greater integration between recruitment, selection and assess-ment processes, and comment on the deficiencies of existing methods of selection.Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner claim that existing selection practices do notadequately predict leadership behaviours and suggest practical modifications toexisting instruments, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, to address such

deficiencies.The next chapter addresses the relationship between strategy and HRM. Thechapter outlines contrasting views of strategy-making in organisations, anddiscusses the role of HRM in shaping organisational goals, supporting theirattainment and measuring performance against standards. The authors also exp-lore the challenges of managing goals in different cultural contexts, drawing onempirical research and examples from companies that have achieved notable inter-

Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources. Published by SAGE Publications (Los Angeles, London, New Delhi and

Singapore; www.sagepublications.com) on behalf of the Australian Human Resources Institute. Copyright © 2007

Australian Human Resources Institute. Volume 45(3): 387–396. [1038-4111] DOI: 10.1177/1038411107082280.

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national success. Chapter 4 considers how human resource activities can support

problem-solving activities within teams. The authors argue that team roles anddynamics must be understood in the context of prevailing organisational norms.The positive impact of team diversity on performance is also examined, as is theimportance of teams in championing change within organisations.

Chapter 5 is entitled ‘Building a learning organization: A challenge to HR’.The authors consider the role of HRM in developing and maintaining ‘learningorganisations’. The nature of knowledge generation and possible methods of diffusing information throughout the organisation are discussed. Developing lead-ership across cultures is the focus of the subsequent chapter. The authors contendthat the characteristics of an ‘ideal leader’ are becoming increasingly difficult tocodify, given the complexities of the business environment and increasing diversitywithin organisations. The authors successfully highlight these intricacies by

presenting many real-life examples of successful leadership behaviours in differentcontexts.

The following two chapters focus on the contribution of HRM to the identi-fication and solution of organisational problems. Chapter 7 presents a method for‘diagnosing dilemmas’ that involves asking employees to identify issues, with dueconsideration given to personal differences and the prevailing culture of the organ-isation. The authors also discuss how to use web-based problem assessments.Chapter 8 then presents a framework for ‘resolving dilemmas’, using two casestudies to exemplify the application of their recommended process.

Chapter 9 turns to the phenomenon of ‘assessment centers’ which are widelyused by modern organisations. The authors caution against the use of these centerswithout appropriate consideration for employee diversity and corporate culture.

The final chapter outlines ways of managing employee anxiety, particularly appre-hension resulting from exposure to new cultures. Lastly, the book closes with anappendix that offers an interesting and worthwhile simulation exercise spanningthe many cultural issues dealt with in the book.

Throughout this work the authors seek to show how the influence of HRMin shaping organisational action is paramount. In conveying this argument, thebook has many strengths. It is written in an engaging and contemporary style thatwill appeal to a wide audience, including academics, business professionals andstudents. Also, the book makes its complex subject matter accessible to the reader,illustrating ideas by the use of relevant empirical research, and small vignettesdrawn from practising human resource managers and from their own experiences

and research. This is supplemented by a suite of case studies, simulations, ‘guid-ance notes’ and other exercises which further enhance the practicality of the book.If the book has a weakness, it lies in the need for closer integration with the subs-tantial body of academic literature that exists on cross-cultural HRM.

Overall, Managing people across cultures is a readable and thought-provokingbook, and is recommended to all with an interest in the management of humanresources in modern enterprises.

Nicola McNeil, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

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Book review: F. Trompenaars and C. Hampden-Turner. 2004. Managing people across CULTURES