Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf

by Richard D. Lewis

Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf is the story of an accomplished nation and her extraordinary people. By pursuing a 'Lone Wolf' policy, Finland raised itself from a struggling, war-battered state to one of the most developed countries in the world over the course of only fifty years. The exponential rise of Nokia from tires and timbers to leading the world's telecommunication industry is indicative of the Finns and their business style. These remarkable people speak a language unique in its origins and have kept their cultural identity intact despite the influences of powerful neighbors, Sweden and Russia.

Uniquely qualified to write about Finland, best-selling author Richard Lewis traces the fascinating Finnish origins, as well as her history, geography, values and culture. His extensive experience with Finnish business provides him with keen insight on leadership style, negotiation strategies and the uniquely Finnish suomi-kuva, or Finland image. Lewis shines when describing Finnish humor, complete with laugh-out-loud jokes and stories. Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf shows both nation and writer at their best.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Travel, Cultural

228 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2004

About the author

Richard Donald Lewis was born at Slack Farm, Billinge, in 1930. The author of several books on educational subjects, he holds a degree in Modern Languages and is one of Britain’s foremost linguists. He founded the Berlitz schools in East Asia, Portugal and Finland and spent several years in Japan, where he was personal tutor to Empress Michiko and five other members of the Japanese Imperial family.

One of his books, When Cultures Collide, has sold over 500,000 copies and won the prestigious US Executive Club Book award in 1997. He currently lectures throughout the world on cross-cultural issues.

In 1997, Mr Lewis was awarded a knighthood in Finland, in view of his 40 years’ experience helping Finland to develop its international links, including assisting Finland in its preparation for EU presidency.

In 2009, he was promoted to the rank of Knight Commander, Order of the Lion of Finland.

Reviews

[Martine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know whether to laud Lewis for his insight into the Finnish mindset or to revile him for his glaring generalisations, however, I tend towards the former. Either way, this book is an entertaining and informative read.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Alexa, please give me a book full of broad generalizations about every nationality with a dash of racism and a sprinkling of sexism, and make it from 2004 so I can have at least 1.5 chapters lauding Nokia's dominance of the cell phone market"

[Việt Hùng · Rating 3 out of 5]

As expected of a person specializing in intercultural communication and having lived in Finland for many decades, Lewis wrote a detailed books about Finland and "Finnishness". It is great to understand his model of communication types (multi-active, linear-active, and reactive) and to read the comparisons of the Finnish cultures with the cultures of other countries like the USA, Spain, Italy, Japan. The communication models as well as other aspects of his research (concepts of space and time, humor) are valuable to analyze other cultures and to reflect on ourselves, both of which are helpful to cross cultural barriers and for self-development. On the other hand, the comparisons made the reading engaging and informative. People who do not know much about Finland will find the book insightful, and something difficult like the Finnish language was very comprehensible.

However, one thing that I do not like is his positive description of the Finnish character. He concentrates a lot on the good points and make excuses sometime for the not-so-positive points. It is not sufficient, for me, to understand about something without knowing its hidden side which is usually hidden. Another thing is that the book is not so deep or sophisticated in my opinion. I cannot elaborate this ideas, but all the information feel like not reaching deep enough compared to my standards.

But in general, it was a very informative book for someone wanting to know more about Finland, her characters, people, and achievements.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Axmed Bahjad]

OK.

[Paul Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit outdated and too optimistic about Finland’s future (Nokia forever!) but insightful observations.

[Sal Balistreri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on Finland and their culture, people and industry. Finland has a bright future as the people are well-educated, the country is high tech oriented, they possess a great environmental record and they are an EU nation that has good trade relations with Russia. Having traveled there in 2008, I was personally impressed with the people and their values. Wished I would have read this book before I traveled there.

[Essi]

Richard Lewis has been able to capture the true Finnish psyche! An interesting read for those who wish to learn more about how to deal with Finns in business. I also recommend it to any Finn who wishes to learn more about what makes us tick and how we are perceived by other cultures. Long live the Finnish SISU!!!

[Adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aha. So, it is in my DNA. This is the reason I have always been an outsider.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's easy to read and pretty informative.