Strategic Pragmatism
The Culture of Singapore's Economics Development Board

Examines the cultural history of Singapore's Economic Development Board. Through interviews and full access to the EDB, this book shows how economic development was successfully promoted. It examines individual relationships and the overall structure that contributed to the EDB's effectiveness.

Schein sat in on EDB meetings and extensively interviewed current and former members of the board, Singapore's leaders who created the board, and businesspeople who have dealt with the board. His book intertwines the perspective of the board's members and its investor clients in an analysis that uses both organization and cross-cultural theory.Although there are currently studies of comparable Japanese and Korean organizations, this is the first detailed analysis of the internal structure and functioning of the economic development body of Singapore, a key player in the Asian and world markets.

Singapore's economic development board - three perspectives. Part 1 The EDB's perspective on itself - historical and cultural legacies: some historical roots of the EDB culture
variations on a theme: the major strategic eras
the founding chairman: Hon Sui Sen (1961-1968)
the deal makers: I.F. Tang and Chan Chin Bock
building and consolidating: Ngiam Tong Dow and P.Y. Hwang
redefinition and renewal: the EDB under Philip Yeo. Part 2 The EDB from a client/investor perspective: the EDB as perceived by U.S. investors
European and Asian client perspectives. Part 3 The EDB culture from an analytic perspective: the core assumptions of the EDB's cultural context
the cultural paradigm of the organization: assumptions about organization and management in the EDB. Part 4 Problems, issues, and lessons: problems and issues: the contextual culture
problems, issues, and opportunities in the EDB's operational and managerial culture
lessons and conclusions.