Same same but different

Endorsements'This book is readable, practical and thoroughly engaging. It is a must-read for managers and employees in all kinds of organizations, who will find useful tools, thought-provoking questions, and even answers to some of the most troubling questions of our day.´Michelle LeBaron, Professor of Law and Director, UBC Program on Dispute Resolution, Vancouver, British Columbia, author of Bridging cultural conflicts´This book on cross cultural mediation serves as a useful tool for the better understanding of difficulties, which occur when parties from different cultures come in to conflict. The author starts by trying to define culture, which is no easy task and then to illustrate major cultural differences across different nationalities and corporate organisations. These general cultural differences are then put in a mediation context, picking up key elements of differences in such matters as orientation to time, space, tactile responses and more significantly individualism v collectivism. The cultural differences are illustrated throughout the book by numerous examples of how difficulties can arise if a mediator is not culturally sensitive and, for example, seeks to impose a rigid model of mediation on the disputants. Useful appendices, illusting major cultural differences and traits supplement the book.'Colin J. Wall, President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Deputy President of the UIA World Forum of Mediation Centres and Managing Director, Global Mediation Services Ltd. ´As an American trial lawyer with an international practice, which includes many large multinational corporations, I found Ben Feelders' Same same but different an interesting and thought provoking read. Feelders' approach to the subject of cross-cultural mediation is scholarly in content while practical in its suggested approaches and case examples. I found the author had excellent insight into the complex issues that can arise in resolving disputes between individuals or organizations from different cultures thereby giving the reader a framework to better understand and to identify the issues as well as an approach to avoid the pitfalls inherent in cross cultural mediation. I highly recommend this work to my fellow members of the bar who, like me, find themselves more and more involved in international disputes. I also recommend this book to mediators in the United States who will no doubt find themselves more frequently involved in resolving disputes between parties from diverse cultures. Same same but different doesn't give us all the answers but it does give us a great deal to think about.´William J. Cremer, Founding Partner of the Chicago law firm Cremer, Kopon, Shaughnessy, and Spina´The Central District of Rotterdam is confronted with a multitude of different cultures crammed together on a relative small area. That does not cause any difficulties, most of the time. Nevertheless, intentionally or unintentionally individuals, hamper each other from time to time. The Community Conflict Resolution Project supports individuals to overcome these differences (in culture) with focus on the future. The author approaches the various levels of a multi-cultural society in an intelligent and accessible way with a focus on the various rituals and habits of these cultures.It is essential and relevant literature for every mediator in order to get a feeling for the gripping complexity of the individual and the symbiosis of these individuals in particular. These views on the differences enable us to touch what’s it all about; respecting each other, communicating, and discovering what really matters.´Marina Blok, Head of the Community Conflict Resolution Project, Rotterdam Central District