Coffee, Conversations, and the Craft of Working Across Cultures
Why Global Minds, Malaysian Roots belongs on your reading list.
Many of us have spent years navigating multinational environments: new markets, mixed teams, different expectations of “professionalism”. We know that technical skill opens the door—but it is cultural understanding that sustains trust, accelerates decisions, and shapes careers.
“Global Minds, Malaysian Roots: Thriving in Multinational Corporations” speaks directly to that reality. The book brings together 21 Malaysian voices from across industries, each reflecting on what it took to work confidently across cultures—without losing a sense of self. Every chapter pairs a candid personal account with a brief Cultural Impact Scan (CIS®) lens, turning experience into usable insight.
Closer to home, two of the stories come from familiar faces in the French Chamber community—reminders that these lessons are not distant, but lived among us.
From challenge to clarity: Pauline Goh
Arriving in Paris for a six-month training with Alcatel-Lucent, Pauline Goh encountered the early frictions many of us recognise: language, pace, and unfamiliar workplace norms. What followed was not endurance but deliberate adaptation. Pauline learned to make her work visible—to communicate contributions clearly and ensure they travelled beyond immediate teams. She built relationships locally, paid attention to safety and practicalities (including the simple, often overlooked act of registering with the embassy), and sought guidance at pivotal moments. Her lesson for us: visibility, orientation, and networks are not optional extras; they are the quiet architecture of a sustainable global career.
Bridging styles without losing yourself: Thina Krishnan
Thina Krishnan began as the sole local administrator in a largely French team; today, she serves as General Manager. Her growth came from learning to balance Malaysian respectfulness with French directness—calibrating tone, prioritising facts, and making timely decisions. Along the way, she cultivated habits that travel well across borders: critical thinking, clear writing, and the courage to step forward for opportunities before feeling fully “ready”. She reminds us to track progress intentionally and to seek mentors who stretch our thinking and expand our field of view.
Beyond the Chamber: A Wider Lens
Pauline and Thina are two of twenty-one. The collection spans careers in oil & gas, telecommunications, banking and finance, education, manufacturing, nonprofit and social impact, and more. Geographically, the stories travel from Europe to ASEAN and the United States—France and Germany to Singapore, the Philippines, and beyond—showing how context changes the conversation while core questions remain: How do we disagree well? How do we write so that intent isn’t lost in translation? When do we speak, and when do we listen? Each chapter’s CIS® perspective makes these questions practical—linking lived moments to patterns such as specific vs. diffuse communication, caution vs. risk-taking, or harmony vs. control—so readers can carry the lenses into their next meeting.
Not just for Malaysians
While the book centres on Malaysian experiences, it doubles as a field guide for expatriates and international colleagues who want to collaborate effectively in Malaysia. The essays illuminate how Malaysian professionals think about hierarchy, trust, time, and communication, offering a constructive way to align expectations and work well together.
“Global Minds is a fabulous eye-opener about workplace expectations whether a person works across multi-national cultures or within one national culture. I was raised in the US and have worked here my entire career, and am only now understanding some of my more interesting work experiences as culturally based, thanks to Global Minds. I've just realized that my own work style is less linear and more collaborative than my national culture generally supports. What a thing to learn after decades of work life!”
- Julie Mendoza, Ninth Brain Consulting (USA)
Order your copy of “Global Minds, Malaysian Roots” now via the Cultural Impact website: https://www.culturalimpact.org/publications
Partner offer
As a partner organisation, the Chamber community can purchase the book at a special rate of RM80 + delivery charges (retail price: RM98). Every copy includes a complimentary CIS® access code, so you can map your own cultural orientations and connect insights from page to practice.
Bulk purchases & corporate gifting
Planning a team initiative or stakeholder outreach? Global Minds, Malaysian Roots is available at a bulk rate of RM65 per copy for orders of 10+ books. Perfect for:
- Welcome packs for new investors and senior hires
- Courtesy-call gifts during office visits and partner meetings
- Meaningful tokens for clients, mentors, or teams you’d like to equip with cultural agility
