Creative designing as outcome of interaction in multicultural organizations: The role of knowledge sharing and social capital

 
In a globalized business environment much focus has been directed at managing culturally diverse work teams. So far research has found that diversity can be both an advantage and a set-back (van Knippenberg, De Dreu, & Homan, 2004). However, relatively consistent results show that human heterogeneity is more beneficial with regard to creative tasks than with routine tasks (Hambrick, Davison, Snell, & Snow, 1998). Creative designing of products, organizational structures and processes have only received scant interest in relation to interaction processes in multicultural organizations. However, designing abilities in a globalized environment is vital to Danish industry. The scientific objective of the project is 1) to develop and apply a multilevel analysis of interaction in multicultural organizations with specific focus on knowledge sharing and social capital, and to access the effect on creative designing. The practical objective of the project is, in close interaction with our company partners, 2) to develop tools for managing interaction processes in multicultural settings with creative designing as the intended outcome.