Cross-cultural groups at work

Multinational teams are often formed in hopes of producing cross-cultural collaboration. These terms face a special challenge as they work to become functional groups for, unlike groups composed of individuals from one nationality, the members of a multinational team cannot assume that they share the same beliefs about work group dynamics. It is more likely that each member approaches the assignment to a multinational team with a very different understanding about how to contribute to the development of a productive team. This paper by Kenwyn Smith and David Berg explores the different, often polar opposite approaches that are alive in multinational groups and proposes a ‘paradoxical’ framework for understanding and exploring them.