PREPARE
FOR DOING BUSINESS WITH ISRAELIS
Dr. Harold Goldmeier is a free
public speaker, global business consultant & writer, Adjunct Professor
teaching business, Middle East politics, public & social policy.
Israel’s diplomatic successes and
presence on the world stage are underpinned by the reputation of Israelis as
brash, rough, but innovative entrepreneurs. The nation is a world-class
business powerhouse. The culture and behavior of the people are shaped by
various factors businesspeople and others need to know and understand before
engaging with Israelis if they want to ensure successful encounters and
outcomes.
I learned from teaching business
management and marketing to international university students and global
business consulting how impactful social and cultural influences are on business
strategies and entrepreneurship. That is
why I am so enthusiastically recommending
ISRAELI BUSINESS CULTURE, Building Effective Business Relationships
with Israelis by
Osnat Lautman (Gefen Publishing,
2019 Second Edition).
Lautman’s book is an easy read, but
it is foremost a teaching book. It is a must-read primer for businesspeople
like Japan’s largest insurance company President and CEO before he dives into Israel’s
business headwaters. He is the latest comer looking to identify and partner
with Israel’s hi-tech companies. His goal, he told the Jerusalem Post, is “to
integrate (the Israelis) into their business operations.” Careful here.
Japanese cultural and social norms
of behavior seem antithetical to the business culture and social norms of
Israelis. Lautman’s book will prepare Mr. Nagano if it does not discourage him
and his staff. The book will help overcome imponderable complications and risks
at a personal level if not financial. I recommend they not only read it but
schedule several pre-arrival and in-service workshops with Ms. Lautman to
acculturate themselves before negotiating any deals.
They will learn how Israel’s
history and national identity shape her business mentality that earned Israel the sobriquet, the world’s
start-up nation. Lautman’s work is not simply anecdotal, the product of years
consulting at home and abroad. “She started her extensive research on the
differences between Israeli and non-Israeli business cultures, including
(thousands of hours of) video interviews with businesspeople from numerous
origins.”
Lautman’s growth and advancement as
a global business relations expert with a specialty in cultural relativism are
handily woven together with her extensive academic knowledge in human behavior
and organization. I get the picture of Osnat, the person, as highly disciplined
with outsized intelligence, writing, and teaching skills. She lays the issues
out before the reader, for example, describing Israeli traits and norms bluntly
but not to offend, as I have heard from others, but to make them relatable and
attachable to non-Israelis engaging with them. Her work is kind of laced with
love.
She has trademarked the acronym
ISRAELI in a concordance style that describes the Israeli mentality
·
To depict the general
profile of Israel’s business culture
·
How to recognize these
characteristics when doing business with Israelis
·
Gain tools for successful
intercultural business communication, and
·
Find recommendations on working
together to achieve business success
Margaret Mead was the expert in the
cross-cultural approach in the study of personality and society. Osnat takes a
page from Mead by examining and explaining the culture conditioning affecting
businesspeople. Mead did not work to influence those she studied, whereas
Lautman is offering a guide to successful business interplay using this
approach. For instance, her chapter on Ten Things to Expect When Working with
Israelis addresses their motivations, expectations for employees and managers,
negotiating style, task performance, and more. The book has ten pages of
references for further reading; that is a trademark asset of every good
teacher.
ISRAELI BUSINESS CULTURE is not
just a helpful and trustworthy read for businesspeople. Every philanthropist and tourist ought to read
it on the plane flight to Israel. Birthright and Masa students coming to tour
and study will enhance their experiences before engaging with Israelis by first
reading the book. And I highly recommend it to every Arab politician and
negotiator.
Dr. Seuss provides the best
takeaway from the book. “Be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali
Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places! Today is your day. Your mountain
is waiting. So…get on your way!
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