As a graduate student in the late 1990s, Andy Molinsky worked at an agency in Boston helping Russian immigrants find jobs in the US. The applicants were well-qualified but they struggled during interviews. They intellectually understood the cultural customs of the typical US job interview – smile, make eye contact and engage in small talk – but they found it hard to do so because it went against their culturally ingrained behaviour.

Now an associate professor of organisational behaviour at Brandeis International Business School, Massachusetts, Prof Molinsky was motivated to learn more about overcoming the challenges of cultural identity in the workplace. His book Global Dexterity (Harvard Business School Press) aims to help managers learn how to culturally code-switch when working in an international setting.

What is global dexterity?