Beyond Culture: Success Factors for Transnational Multiparty Collaboration

Abstract

The complexities of global business require rapid and effective responses across borders. These demand an understanding of factors that influence success with transnational multiparty collaboration. Core issues for collaboration in such settings include: 1) understanding the role that culture and identity play in creating a fused individual and organizational identity; 2) development of strong connectedness between parties; and 3) creation of shared vision. This thesis reports on a mixed methods research study which involved the use of qualitative data gathered through interviews with business professional’s experience on transnational multiparty projects and quantitative data gathered through surveys representing eleven national/cultural sectors. Our findings show: 1) as differences in culture can be a show-stopper, energy must be expended for active management and awareness of cultural differences; 2) collaborative environment is created through empathy and trust that acknowledges Identity (role and individual) and 3) the significance of an inclusive process of creating a shared vision. We apply a systems approach to understand the role of various components that interact in generating a collaborative space. We approach collaboration as an emergent process created when all three elements are present and interact.

Keywords: collaboration; multiparty; identity; culture; transnational; interconnectedness; empathy; trust; shared vision