▼ Country-specific knowledge: useful but not indicate how you as a foreigner should adapt. It does not mention the cultural differences with your national culture and focuses on averages.

▼ Comparative research of national cultures; relatively superficial (Culture 2).

▼ The experiences of others, who have been on a similar bridge between cultures; e.g. a novel on growing up in two cultures.

▼ Core values (USA) or practices (continental Europe) of organisations; needs to be adapted to the organisation in question.

▼ Group dynamics and team culture; needs again to be adapted

▼ The psychological characteristics of the individual. A relevant aspect but do you know your own psychological profile and that of the other?

▼ Be like me (term of Thomas and Inkson, 2004; not the approach they favour); does not work.

▼ Living in another country (from novel to cultural anthropology).

▼ Impact of living abroad on children; may be traumatic!

In general you may deal with cultural differences in three ways: do nothing (not sensible), emphasise common issues (insufficient) and to deal with the differences. You can also try to evade the question of cultural differences by naming them in another way.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with cultural differences; see also Culture 8. Bridging the cultural gap depends on individual persons with their personal characteristics in a unique situation. Partners in a conversation should create their own reality in which the differences and commonalities are reconciled (transcultural communication). Ultimately, the best thing is to uncover the three to five key aspects for you as an individual and to translate them in as many catchwords. They represent your own stumbling blocks and function as signal flags of possible danger. This requires of course experience and reflection, but that is the nature of the game, building up over time.