The Jesuits and Religious Intercultural Management in Early Modern Times

This book provides a comprehensive examination of the Jesuit Order's work and influence during the early modern period, focusing on their missionaries in two distinct geographical locations when the reader is taken to the distant settings of early modern Peru and Japan. However, the book goes beyond this and establishes a fascinating connection between traditional historical analysis and practical considerations regarding personnel and company management. Frank Jacob, a Professor of Global History at Nord University in Bodø, Norway, boldly interprets the available sources, specifically the "personnel files" of the missionaries, through the lens of modern management theories and decision-making processes. Despite the valid criticisms related to the religious context of European expansion during the 16th and 17th centuries, these missionaries, driven by their mission to spread the Christian faith globally, embody qualities that today's global leaders require for the long-term and sustainable success of their companies. They demonstrate, as Jacob’s book will show, the importance of possessing a deep intercultural competence, regional knowledge, and proficiency in national languages.

Professor Dr. Thomas Gergen

Saarland University, Germany

Frank Jacob's work is a remarkable example of truly interdisciplinary research.

The author brilliantly demonstrates how a historical case, some four centuries old, can provide highly relevant insights into a contemporary question: how can organizations successfully expand internationally and establish subsidiaries in countries with very different cultures and languages?

The literature at the intersection of international business and intercultural management is based on qualitative and quantitative data from mostly private companies that intend to develop sales of goods and services abroad. In contrast, the present study focuses on the expansion of the Jesuits into Japan and Peru in the 16th and 17th centuries. Looking at the international development of a religious order whose ultimate goal was to spread beliefs and values, while at the same time ensuring the economic sustainability of the enterprise, sheds new light on the question.

Such interdisciplinary research is very rare and usually requires research teams that bring together several scholars from different disciplines. What also makes Frank Jacob's work truly extraordinary is that he led this project on his own, drawing on his dual expertise in history and management research.

Thanks to his mastery of numerous languages (including, among others, English, German, and Japanese), Frank Jacob was able to use available sources from countries as far away as Japan and Peru (in addition to Italy and Europe) in order to meticulously reconstruct the composition and activities of the Jesuit expeditions to these countries. The case studies presented provide unique field data to reflect from a (temporal) distance on the role of language and intercultural skills in the success of international ventures. I highly recommend this book to scholars in both history and international business for a truly different perspective on these topics.

Anne Bartel-Radic

Professeure des universités en Sciences de gestion et du management

Directrice de la recherche de Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA

Université Grenoble Alpes, France