Greg Allen - Poland

First published in Great Britain 2005
by Kuperard, an imprint of Bravo Ltd
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Copyright 2005 Kuperard

Revised 2008; third printing

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Series Editor Geoffrey Chesler

eISBN: 978-1-85733-589-7

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library

Cover image: Market Square, Poznan.
Travel Ink/Phil Robinson

v3.1

GREG ALLEN is the Canadian director of an intercultural management consultancy specializing in assisting Western businesspeople working in Poland. He obtained his MA in Sociology from Lancaster University, England, and is currently writing his Ph.D. thesis on intercultural management in Central and Eastern Europe. He has written extensively on the subject in academic journals. After moving to Poland in 1994, he now lives in a small town near Warsaw with his Polish wife and two daughters.

The Culture Smart! series is continuing to expand.
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The publishers would like to thank CultureSmart!Consulting for its help in researching and developing the concept for this series.

CultureSmart!Consulting creates tailor-made seminars and consultancy programs to meet a wide range of corporate, public-sector, and individual needs. Whether delivering courses on multicultural team building in the USA, preparing Chinese engineers for a posting in Europe, training call-center staff in India, or raising the awareness of police forces to the needs of diverse ethnic communities, it provides essential, practical, and powerful skills worldwide to an increasingly international workforce.

For details, visit www.culturesmartconsulting.com

CultureSmart!Consulting and CultureSmart! guides have both contributed to and featured regularly in the weekly travel program Fast Track on BBC World TV.

Culture Smart! guides set out to provide first-time travelers with vital information about the values and attitudes of the people they will meet, and practical advice on how to make the most of their visit abroad. Travelers to Poland in particular, a country in rapid transition from its recent Communist past, need to be open-minded and well-informed. Despite sweeping changes to its economic, cultural, and political landscape, the essential spirit of Poland endures. The undulating countryside, the passion and delicacy of Chopin, and the crisp mornings of the golden Polish fall continue to inspire Poles and visitors alike. Along with a certain romanticism inherited from their aristocracy, another product of Polish history has been their stubborn resistance and pride, which has often had dire consequences. Happily Poland has turned a corner from its troubled past and is now coming to grips with the new realities of Europe and indeed of the modern world. Now is a fascinating time to get to know Poland as it reenters the European family.

Todays Poland is very much a mix of the old and the new, and the two are not always in harmony. Culture Smart! Poland provides a guide to its lasting traditions, its Communist legacy, and the latest trends. Background knowledge of the land, people, and history is crucial to an understanding of the Polish character: the Polish sense of identity has been forged by history, and the reader is introduced to the main events of Polands turbulent past. The chapter on values and attitudes provides essential insights into this relationship-based society, and will prepare you for the specific nature of Polish social and business life. Other chapters show you where and how to meet local people and establish good relations, how Poles behave in everyday life, and how they celebrate special occasions. There are tips on coping with linguistic hurdles and how to negotiate the transportation infrastructure. Finally, the business chapter provides key information aimed at making your time in Poland as successful as it will be enjoyable.

More than anything else, the Polish people are warm and generous and place great value on personal relationships. Do not pass up the opportunity to visit people in their homes, as their hospitality is legendary. The Poles say, A guest in the home is God in the home. Culture Smart! Poland will help you to become a better visitor and a welcome guest in their country.