Duane Elmer

For anyone interested in really understanding cross-cultural communication, my highest recommendation is for David Augsberger’s Conflict Mediation Across Cultures.

For those who sort of want to understand cross-cultural communication, but don’t want to have to work too much at it, I’d recommend Duane Elmer’s Cross-Cultural Conflict.

Elmer’s style is more readable than Augsberger’s, and Elmer doesn’t get bogged down in explaining exceptions to the rules, and the rules he presents line up very well with Augsberger’s.

Both books are good, but… what’s a good analogy?… Would you rather have a bicycle (easy to maintain, no license required, start driving when you’re five years old) or a Harley (major investment, lots of upkeep cost, but it’s a Harley!)?

Cross-Cultural Conflict is the bicycle.

David Augsberger

Conflict Mediation Across Cultures is by far the best book I’ve found on cross-cultural communication and relationships. Augsberger’s style is more academic than some readers would like, but he presents his ideas clearly and chooses examples well. I can’t recommend it highly enough for anyone working with people who are…well, anyone who works with people who are different.