Cross-Cultural Innovation Processes
Theoretical Background
The process of increasing interdependencies in global economies exerts strong influence on innovation processes in firms due to shorter product life cycles and, consequently, necessary adaptations to national preferences as well as constraints from standardizing products. In this context, multinational firms increasingly apply international and, along with that, intercultural diverse innovation teams in order to react to market specifications, to achieve high level creativity and innovativity due to diversity.. These advantageous characteristics of international innovation teams have trade off against the risks of an increased probability for the occurance of misunderstandings, conflicts and time-consuming innovation processes.
Objective
This project examines the influences of intercultural diversity in innovation processes and particularly whether and how intercultural innovation teams work more effectively, the types of conflict that arise and how teams can positively be influenced to raise economic development.
Methods
The above requires the use of qualitative and quantitative methods. Starting with a literature review regarding the topics of interculturality, innovation processes and teams, a survey at company level was conducted. The questionnaire inquires the basic relations between intercultural values , innovation processes and teams. Thus, causal relations concerning the effects of intercultural values and innovation processes are depicted.
Funding
Research on intercultural aspects was generously supported by Volkswagenstiftung (www.volkswagen-stiftung.de), Project Manager: Prof. Dr. Ricarda B. Bouncken.
Selected Publications
National and Cultural Diversity in Transnational Innovation Teams (Ricarda B. Bouncken, Viviane A. Winkler), angenommen, in: Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 2011.
How does Cultural Diversity in Global Innovation Teams Affect the Innovation Process? (Ricarda B. Bouncken, Viviane A Winkler), angenommen, in: Engineering Management Journal, 2010.
Cultural diversity in innovation teams: Surface and deep level effects (Ricarda B. Bouncken), in: International Journal of Business Research (IJBR), Nr. 4, 2009, S. 17 - 26.