When Similarity Misleads: A Conversation with Dr. Jerome Dumetz on Culture, Context, and the Future of Cross‑Cultural Work

In early 2008, just a few months after landing in Moscow for what would become a seven‑year chapter of my life, I met Dr. Jerome Dumetz. At the time, I was a wide‑eyed newcomer trying to make sense of Russia’s complexity, contradictions, and charisma. Jerome was the person who helped me decode it. His cultural training didn’t just prepare me for business; it gave me a lens for understanding people, systems, and assumptions in a country that would shape my worldview for years to come.

Nearly two decades later, reconnecting with him on The Auto Ethnographer felt like closing a circle. Jerome has spent more than twenty‑five years teaching, researching, and advising across Europe, Russia, Eastern Europe, and Asia. He has trained executives, coached families, lectured at more than two dozen universities, and recently released a new book: 199 Cross‑Cultural Case Studies, a collection of real stories of cultural misunderstandings and the insights they reveal.

Our conversation ranged from theory to lived experience, from the pitfalls of cultural similarity to the role AI may play in the future of cross‑cultural management. What follows are some of the most compelling ideas from our discussion.