The Seven Cultures of Capitalism

Though this book was first published in 1993, it is still every bit as relevant and interesting today. In this book, the authors examine the values and cultural habits of seven major capitalist countries (the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands), and examines how their cultural differences has given to each an entirely different capitalist system. After first explaining how the differences were quantified, the authors then examine these cultures, giving the reader an in-depth understanding of how each country's culture (and as such, capitalist system) works, and how it produces wealth.I found this to be an absolutely fascinating book. I was always aware of the cultural differences between various countries, but this book did an excellent job of defining those differences, and showing how they affect the way that the country does business. If you are interested in any of these seven countries, or interested in international business, then I highly recommend this book to you.

The authors used questionnaire-based research to study twelve countries through the lens of seven oppositional pairs (the cultures from the title). These pairs are: Universalism vs. Particularism Analyzing vs. Integrating Individualism vs. Communitarianism Inner-Directed vs. Outer-directed Orientation Time as Sequence vs. Time as Synchronization Achieved Status vs. Ascribed Status Equality vs. HierarchyThey make the point that capitalism is not a choice for or against but a range of behaviours made up of a multiplicity of choices. Using their grid and research data, they position various countries on this range.As someone who works and lives in a country where I was not born, I found the book a very useful frame for looking at my adopted work environment.I really call this 4.5 stars, the -.5 is because sections of it are much more dated than others and there are places where I think the tone of the book is lessened by the authors' temptation to give in and make value judgements.

This book examines a number of different countries and the priorities that shape them. While different cultures may all share the same values - be honest, treat your friends well, etc - what is telling is how different cultures *prioritize*. For example, if you are in a situation where you see your friend at fault in a car accident, and you are called upon to testify, what do you do? While Americans tend to value truth-telling over loyalty to friends, Asians tend to value loyalty to friends over truth-telling. Both choices are shocking to the opposite: "How can you lie like that?" vs. "How can you let your friend down like that?"This book looks at a number of cultures and how they differ. It's a fascinating read, and has changed how I look at the world.

Helped me understand why the US focus on COST while Europe focuses on VALUE and why I was finding it tough in Sweden! Great Book!