Intercultural processes in multinational teams

Canney Davison, Sue (1995) Intercultural processes in multinational teams. Doctoral thesis, University of London: London Business School.

Abstract

Many international teams have recently been created in large multinational organisations as part of a response to increased global competition. There has been almost no research into how these teams operate nor into the effectiveness of current recommended practices for improving performance The impact of cultural differences is not well understood and the greater communication difficulties are not explained. From this gap, the research question emerged:-' What effects do the different cultural backgrounds of the team members have on the interaction, processes and outcomes of international teams?' Rather than using 'culture' as a predictor of individual behaviour in these teams, the literature suggested focusing on the team's interaction at the group level. A group process model from the literature was revised to incorporate six predictors of individual participation in international teams. Twenty three operational and training teams comprising twenty seven nationalities were selected in three European and two Hong Kong based British owned multinationals. Using pre and post questionnaires, coded participation rates and structured observational analyses, it was found that culturally influenced leadership style, being a mother tongue speaker, being a member of the organisationally dominant nationality, and previous international experience significantly affected the individual participation rates in these teams. The observational analysis found stereotypical behaviour and exclusive interaction patterns. The participation curves were steepest in Hong Kong operational teams and levels of simultaneous talk highest in British dominated teams. The research led to a discussion on meaningful participation, integrating diversity and suggested best practices. It also highlights the need for integrated team models across the individual, team and organisational level.