If you ever plan to do business in Finland, or work with a Finnish company - THIS WILL BE YOUR BIBLE.

Probably my favorite non-language Finnish book of all time.

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Product Description

A communications trainer based in Finland for 50 years, Lewis traces how the Finnish people transformed their war-torn country with a struggling economy in 1945, into a leader in technology and major diplomatic player in Europe by the end of the century. He attributes their achievements to the culture rather than to political or business prowess. A

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #295322 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 227 pages

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Customer Reviews

Excellent
I wish this book had come out before I lived in Finland for nearly 6 years (I am married to one). It would have saved me a lot of confusion and emotional ups and downs trying to work out the Finnish people and their ways. In my opinion the book was easy to read and well laid out inspiring me to read on.

The information was pretty much spot on I thought, and I have found myself referring to this book many times when relating stories and experiences with friends.

Lewis mentions that he has generalised about the nationalities that he wrote about and compared Finns to, believing that people are individuals and have individual behaviour, within a stereotypical national identity.

My wife is certainly happier for me having read this. I've gone from a bit of a critic of Finns and Finland to an admirer. They really are a special and rare people. We could all learn a lot from them and their ways.

Useful reading for businessmen going to Finland
I was in the middle of a 10-months long project in Finland when I read this book. I found it an easy and useful read. My feeling is that Lewis targeted non-Finnish business people doing business in Finland. So, the book does not look like the result of a scientific research but a series of practical and useful tips.

The book starts with a short history of the country, the character of its people and their origins. This introduction sets up the stage to talk about the values, beliefs, religion, communication style of people, political scene and even Nokia. Believe it or not, I felt it easier to communicate to Finnish after reading the book, because my feeling of unfamiliarity with Finnish disappeared.

The negative side of the book is that it widely stereotypes all cultures it touches upon, including Finnish men and women. What is more, it becomes annoying when it widens its stereotyping for West Europeans and Asians.