Why It’s So Good to Be a global Engineer

A Review of The Culture Map by Erin Meyer
If you're an engineer who’s worked in, moved to, or collaborated with people from a different country — or if you're about to — then, The Culture Map by Erin Meyer is a book you should buy now. It’s written for anyone navigating the often-unspoken expectations that govern professional interactions across borders.
And it’s especially pleasing (as well as interesting) for engineers, not because we’re immune to cultural friction, but because it reveals how we have a unique approach that helps us overcome cultural differences -- and shows why engineering is an ideal job if you want to travel the world.
Hopefully this has your interest, so let me explain more.
One of the most striking elements in The Culture Map is how it breaks down workplace behaviours across eight cultural dimensions — from how decisions are made, to how feedback is given, to how trust is built. It's not just stereotypes; it's data-informed insights that can help prevent the kind of miscommunications that quietly derail international teams.
What’s fascinating is that the patterns aren’t always what you’d expect. A memorable example in the book highlights how, in China, the Germans and Japanese seemed to work well together — and so did the French and Chinese — but not the Germans and French, or Japanese and Chinese. That might surprise people who assume cultural compatibility comes down to geography and shared history. But engineers will recognise that these kinds of relationships often stem from unspoken assumptions around hierarchy, risk, and workflow — and that’s exactly what Meyer helps unpack.
Now here’s where it gets interesting for engineers. While The Culture Map lays out how professionals from different cultures might clash or confuse one another — for example, over how to run a meeting, make a decision, or teach a concept — engineering practice already gives us a head start.

Meetings: Clarity of Purpose
In some cultures, a meeting is a space for brainstorming. In others, it's where decisions are made. Elsewhere, it’s a rubber stamp for decisions made beforehand. But as any good engineer knows, meetings are tools — and every tool needs a purpose. We specify why a meeting is happening and what we’re trying to achieve, whether that’s exploring options, aligning teams, or confirming next steps. It’s a discipline that cuts through cultural ambiguity — and it’s one I emphasise in my own book as well.

Decision-Making: Inputs and Iteration
Another key difference across cultures is how decisions are made. Some rely on hierarchical authority; others favour consensus. But again, engineers are used to getting input from across levels of an organisation — because that’s where insight comes from. The book gives an insightful example of Japan: a highly hierarchical society that still makes enormous efforts to gather input from across the organisation. This approach — exemplified in the Japanese Ringi system — will make a lot of sense to engineers, who already understand that hierarchy and consensus aren’t necessarily in conflict.

Learning Styles: Why and How
One of cultural differences the book highlights is how people teach. Some do so by diving into theory (the why). Others teach through practical demonstration (the how). Engineers don’t get to pick. If you’re going to master a system or innovate within one, you need both the underlying principles and the procedural steps. So again, where cultural differences might trip others up, the engineering mindset already pushes toward integration.

Respect, Authority, and Curiosity
But perhaps the biggest cultural challenge for engineers abroad is this: in some cultures, the behaviours that earn respect may run counter to the behaviours that make you a better engineer.
In my own work and writing, I’ve emphasised the importance of being physical as well as theoretical, asking questions, seeking input from others, and being willing to be wrong. But in certain contexts, asking questions of a subordinate might be seen as weakness. Or challenging a superior might be seen as disrespectful. Getting your hands dirty could be an issue as well. As Meyer points out, these norms matter. She encourages readers to lean into local culture — a sensible and respectful approach — but I’d offer a slight caveat for engineers: don’t lean so far in that you lose the technical behaviours that make you effective. The risks we’re trying to prevent — design flaws, safety issues, implementation gaps — don’t respect cultural boundaries.

A Recommendation (and a Tool)
Even if you're not deeply interested in culture, if you’re just an engineer working across borders, then culture should be an interest. The Culture Map is a fantastic entry point — readable, grounded, and full of insights that will help you interpret the subtle dynamics around you. And there’s a bonus: Erin Meyer’s website includes tools that let you compare cultures across the eight dimensions, and even evaluate your own tendencies. I recommend checking it out if you’ve ever thought, “Am I the weird one here?” or “Why does this keep happening in meetings?”
Because sometimes you are. And sometimes they are. And sometimes, it’s just culture.

Let me know if you’ve read the book — or if you’ve got your own experiences to share from working across cultures as an engineer. I’d love to hear your stories, and maybe even build a list of engineering tools and mindsets that help us thrive, no matter the country or context.

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