Team Dynamics in Cross-Cultural Collaboration: A Multiple Case Study on Norwegian companies' Interaction with Asian Shipyards

Abstract

This thesis looks at team dynamics in cross-cultural teams. It consists of two articles which explore different aspects. The two articles have different scopes, where the first only look at a Korean context, while the second also includes China and India. Theories on national culture, social constructionism, and intergroup relations, together with theories on team dynamics have been applied to the empirical data in an attempt to achieve better understanding of cross-cultural teams. The empirical data in both articles are both qualitative and quantitative, and in total the data includes China, India, and South Korea, with individuals from several more nationalities. We found that team members from different nationalities behaved fairly similar within the same location. However, large differences were found in their perceptions of each other. Furthermore, expatriates seem to view and treat other expatriates more positively. Similar favoring was not found in locals perceptions. This study contributes to literature both by adding support to existing studies and providing new insights valid for this specific context. Additionally, the findings have managerial implications relevant for cross-cultural collaboration.