Culture as kaleidoscope: navigating cultural tensions in global collaboration

  • Authors:
  • Jennifer L. Gibbs

  • Affiliations:
  • Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 2009 international workshop on Intercultural collaboration
  • Year:
  • 2009

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Abstract

This study proposes the metaphor of culture as "kaleidoscope" as a lens for understanding the complex culture of global teams and explores cultural tensions characterizing intercultural collaboration in virtual work arrangements. Ethnographic data from a global software team are used to illustrate the framework. Framing cultural differences in terms of dynamic tensions offers a productive theoretical framework for understanding and fostering collaboration across diverse cultures, time, and space.