ISBN 978-3-905252-06-4
Go beyond Swiss chocolate, beyond the initial fun and adventure of a new country and a new career to immerse yourself in the cultural attitudes of Switzerlands fascinating, multifaceted society. These thought-provoking insights are based on extensive interviews with Swiss and international people who know well the ups and downs of life in Switzerland. These observations enable newcomers to better understand the perspectives of their Swiss neighbours, friends and international business colleagues.
Margaret Oertig-Davidson conducts seminars at international Swiss companies and universities as an expert on relations between Swiss and English-speaking cultures.
This engaging study exposes different attitudes and potential misunderstandings about friendship, neighbourliness, being professional, giving and getting compliments and criticism, parenting, schooling, being polite, entertaining, negotiating, decision making, business etiquette, team work, leadership, making plans, and much much more.
Introduction:
Welcome to the party
When you move to a new country you notice pretty quickly that things are different, but it can take a long time to figure out why. My idea in writing this book was to 'host a dinner party' for people who have made their home in Switzerland and want to meet people and hear stories which would help them understand the local culture and people. What combination of people would I invite to dinner to pass on their impressions and insights on different subjects? This is the answer I came up with: Swiss and foreign guests, that is, intercultural couples (foreigners with Swiss partners), employees of large international companies as well as small local ones, human resource managers, communication specialists, parents, educators and psychologists.
To narrow down the range of topics to be discussed, foreigners have mostly been chosen from a variety of westernised English-speaking countries related by history:1 The USA, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Most guests live in the German-speaking part of the country, but there are several comments and stories from the French and Italian speaking parts too. You will also spot a few German guests with an interesting perspective.
Some guests appear under their own name and others are slightly disguised at their own request, so that they can comment more freely. Many do not make an official appearance at all, but their views greatly influenced the direction of the discussion. My thanks go to them all for their willingness to share their experiences, insights and wisdom. A very special guest is Ariane Curdy,2 a Swiss-French intercultural specialist based in Geneva, who grew up in Basel and worked for an international humanitarian organisation in Geneva for 14 years. Her insights are interspersed throughout the book.
This book invites you to join in a fairly serious discussion with people who like to talk about getting on with others, who think about why people behave the way they do, and who want to get past thinking about culture in terms of who is right and who is wrong. Cultures are systematic and there is a reason for everything you encounter. Hearing the accounts of others may give you a starting point to help you understand your own experiences of Switzerland and put them into perspective. The most important topics are repeated in different chapters, discussed from different angles, so that you can dip in to the subjects which you find most relevant, and leave the rest without missing out on the key issues.
As at any other party, you don't just believe everything you hear. People have to generalise in order to be able to express their opinions. You will form your own opinions about what you have heard, and adjust those opinions as you experience the variations in culture for yourself. No one, Swiss or foreign, who has read the draft of this book agrees with it all. Hopefully some readers will be prompted to continue the discussion and write their own books.
You may catch a hint of pain, which can later turn to amusement, as people describe bumping into 'coconut shells' or 'peach kernels'. Having your value system challenged by the assumptions and values of others is at the heart of intercultural experiences all over the world, and adjustment can involve discomfort in the beginning. It is my hope that the experiences and insights shared will help you make the adjustment more smoothly, and that you will find a comfortable place on your own personal interface between cultures.
Enjoy the party!
Margaret Oertig-Davidson
Readers' Comments
Beyond Chocolate is an excellent intro to Swiss culture. If I were teaching a course on ethnographic field methods, and sending students to Switzerland or elsewhere, I would have them read it. It covers the cultural ground beautifully and will contribute significantly to an understanding of Swiss culture for those new to Switzerland, and also for Swiss trying to figure out the behavior of their foreign colleagues!
Larry Desmond, archaeologist in Palo Alto, California.
I really am most impressed -- "Beyond Chocolate" is the best book I've read on Switzerland in years. I'm going to get hold of some copies and pass them on to my Swiss friends with an instruction to read! Ms Oertig-Davidson is to be congratulated on her skill in explaining sometimes very nebulous matters with clarity, wit and authority: as I'm reading, I'm constantly finding little anecdotes which shed light on curious events or inexplicable responses which I've picked up on while travelling in various corners of the country -- and that's without even living here or doing business with Swiss companies. It's a highly creditable, and, I'd say, much needed, piece of work. I'm quite sure I'll be referring back to it during Rough Guide update trips for years to come!
From Matthew Teller, author of 'The Rough Guide to Switzerland'
(see www.roughguides.com)
'Beyond Chocolate' is an intercultural study on certain attitudes and values that can lead to misunderstandings about all kinds of things in professional and private situations. Though particularly suited for those coming from an English speaking country, this book provides valuable information that will enable all newcomers to better understand
the perspectives of their Swiss neighbours, friends and international business colleagues. It is written in such a positive way that it could also be used to help the Swiss understand other cultures as well.
From Kris Germann, Weggis
Two weeks ago, my Swiss husband and I (American) were invited to a Swiss wedding. After living here in a small village for 13 years I thought I knew the Swiss culture. After the wedding, I commented to my husband how unsocial the Swiss couple sitting across from us were, wheras my husband found them to be quite social. I was baffled until I read this book about how Swiss socialize.
Reader response sent from Basel-LandI am very enthusiastic! In a very non-stereotypical fashion, the book includes many things that I tell my clients, e.g. not all Swiss are unfriendly neighbors, it depends on the neighborhood. I've especially enjoyed the explanation of 'Anstand' which I also find to be a very important Swiss value. I'll definitely recommend this book.
Enid Kopper Trans-Cultural Relations, Zurich
It is great stuff, just wonderful. At the turn of every page it was for me like looking into a mirror: Yes, that is exactly how we are and behave.
Marcel Trachsel, Managing Partner, int/ext communications, Basel The book arrived yesterday, and I finished it this morning. That is quite a compliment, considering the number of partly read books lying beside my bed.
It's really good. It is explicitly designed to be dipped into, although I would expect that anyone moving to Switzerland would want to read it right through. The best bits (judged by how much I laughed) were inviting all those Alsatians to the party and the Espresso machine was good fun too.
Graham Dane, teacher, Edinburgh, ScotlandI've lived here a long time and I've discussed this topic many times and I still found many new insights and ideas in the book. I was surprised to read my husbands "exact" words, quoted from someone else. Something to the effect of "In our team meetings we agree on something but later the Americans just won't do what we all agreed on." I told him he should have had the book years ago.
Former in-company language training manager
bergli books,
CHF 38.00
Available immediately
