ABSTRACT
Sondra Thiederman exemplifies the business-oriented, pragmatic approach to cross-cultural training. She states flatly in her first book, Bridging Cultural Barriers for Corporate Success, that "cross-cultural management training must be marketed as something that will provide managers with practical knowledge and techniques that will make their jobs easier. Thiederman's books are full of basic explanations, examples, and tips for communicating with immigrants. Thiederman has lately broadened her focus to include gender, sexual orientation, and disabilities. She has also followed a trend in some diversity circles by shying away from her earlier emphasis on detailed descriptions of ethnic cultures out of fear of reinforcing stereotypes. Thiederman confronts the key danger in diversity discussions: that talking about general cultural differences might seem like stereotyping. But stereotypes, she held, are rigid, negative, and limiting, and they do not allow for variations within the group.
