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Itim announces the first Open Course with a special focus on Project Management

More and more organisations ask people to work in international project teams. These teams are as a rule not co-located but are "virtual". Research shows co-operating virtually is much more difficult than expected, due to for example differences in leadership styles, delegation techniques and approaches to communication.

The 3 day open course, taking place in Athens 21-23 October 2007, will give insights in how to increase your effectiveness when working in an international project environment. The course combines training skills in project management with insights in cultural differences to work effectively in an international team.

Are you interested in participating? Please download more information here.

Culture Clues

Our German consultant Christi Degen reviewed and recommends:Runaway world - how globalization is reshaping our lives written by Athony Giddens

read the full book review

itimEnews May 2007

Itim has expanded rapidly during the last year. Over the past year more than ten new consultants joined the itim-group. Here we would like to introduce our new colleagues to you.

Culture Clues

Our Dutch consultant Wanne Wiersinga recommends:Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed written by Jared Diamond

read the full book review

At the biannual conference of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology in Greece on 15 July 2006, professor Hofstede has been made a Honorary Fellow.

This pleases professor Hofstede greatly because it shows that psychology finally starts to also recognize the meaning of his work for more fundamental processes than economic applications. Longevity is really useful if you want to know what happens to a new scientific paradigm!

read the IACCP's website for more information

The first Chair in Cultural Diversity named after Prof. Geert Hofstede has been inaugurated in Maastricht, June 1st 2006. The first Chairholder is Prof. Mark Peterson.

In his ceremonial speech on “the trouble of Cultural Diversity” Prof. Hofstede himself stated: ” ... Cultural errors have probably been made ever since humanity split into two tribes and they have cost many heads.”
read the whole speech

Or read his five examples on fatal cultural errors:
1) This month 438 years ago: would a “high PDI approach” have saved the Count of Egmont’s head?
2) Why the former Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers did not succeed on international level?
3) Which cultural dimension made it impossible for the CIA to foresee 9/11?
4) What -from the cultural perspective- motivated Bush and Blair to start the war in Iraq?
5) What should the Danish editor of the Mohamed cartoons have thought of?

How Prof. Hofstede related to the inauguration and ended his speech?
“ ... Cultural diversity is more often a source of trouble than a source of pleasure. Nevertheless we have to live with it and make the best of it.”

Das Spiel dauert 90 Minuten

Have you ever thought of how the different styles of playing soccer are related to the cultural background of the national teams?
Read Culture and national styles (Kick and Rush, Catenaccio, Total Soccer, Well Oiled Machinery)

Can one predict the chances of the German team by their cultural disposition?
Read What to expect from “Die Mannschaft”?
...and find out why Germany will get very far: "The extra motivation because of the fear of failure"
... and/or why Germany will not survive the first round: "Klinsmann and the well oiled machine"

Read this analysis of our Dutch Managing Partner Huib Wursten to get some insight into the cultural aspects of national soccer styles and to find an unusal implementation of Prof. Geert Hofstede’s 5-Dimensional-Modeland to have the chance to win a free spot on one of the Public Seminars on Intercultural Management held in Germany. Read the article and send us an email and write down in the topic which prediction you believe will come through. Should this prediction come through you will participate in a lottery and might win a free spot on our Public Seminar!

You need a quick reminder of what these dimensions are? Go to the glossary on the site of Geert Hofstede or send us a request for a free article on the dimensions.

On 12 November 2005 Bjørn Christian Nørbech, ITIM's consultant in Norway, launched his book GrandiosaLand, Norway's first reality book.

GrandiosaLAND is a book about the real Norwegian. Where most books describe the fjords, Ibsen, Munch and Grieg, GrandiosaLAND uncovers the true Norwegian rituals such as eating frozen pizzas (Norwegians eat the most frozen Pizzas in the world, and "Grandiosa" is the most popular brand), obsessive drinking during the weekends (probably derived from the Viking age), watching English football, and spending their weekends in their wooden cabins without water and electricity up in the mountains. In this book you also learn how to greet a Norwegian in the city, in the mountains, and when he is drunk. As you will see, there are huge differences in Norwegian greeting rituals. If you are looking for a book full of academic references, don't buy this book. However, if you want to learn more about Norwegians and have a good laugh while doing it, GrandiosaLAND is probably the best start.

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