Research Critical Analysis
Journal Article Evaluation: Barinaga, E. (2007) ‘Cultural diversity’ at work: ‘National culture’ as a discourse organizing an international project group, Human Relations, 60(2):
315-340.
Ester Barinaga’s paper on multinational work teams and how they organize themselves using ‘national culture’ and ‘cultural diversity’ as discursive resources is critically discussed, with special attention paid to the limitations of her research approach. This review proceeds as follows. First, the theoretical framework is briefly outlined in which Barinaga embeds the specific angle of her research project. Then follows a critical description of the international team she followed, her chosen method of observation and the findings she presents. Finally, the potential implications of her conclusions and their relevance to broader settings are questioned, particularly in regard to personal experiences with international teamwork made during the course of this module.
The Article
Rather than agreeing with the current consensus in research that directly links the performance of international teams with cultural differences and assigns cultural diversity a positivist status, Barinaga argues that team members play a more active role in defining their national identity and in shaping their group work. They use the mental construct of ‘national culture’ and ‘cultural diversity’ as discursive tools to organize their multinational project.
To find support for her claims, Barinaga observed an international research group over a period of 17 months, being present and even involved as an interpreter at all of their workshops, and following e-mail correspondence between meetings. She then organized her body of collected data into categories and developed a framework for interpretation.
In her findings she points out the different ways team members used the discourse on ‘national culture’ and ‘cultural diversity’ on an everyday basis to organize their teamwork. They
315-340.
Ester Barinaga’s paper on multinational work teams and how they organize themselves using ‘national culture’ and ‘cultural diversity’ as discursive resources is critically discussed, with special attention paid to the limitations of her research approach. This review proceeds as follows. First, the theoretical framework is briefly outlined in which Barinaga embeds the specific angle of her research project. Then follows a critical description of the international team she followed, her chosen method of observation and the findings she presents. Finally, the potential implications of her conclusions and their relevance to broader settings are questioned, particularly in regard to personal experiences with international teamwork made during the course of this module.
The Article
Rather than agreeing with the current consensus in research that directly links the performance of international teams with cultural differences and assigns cultural diversity a positivist status, Barinaga argues that team members play a more active role in defining their national identity and in shaping their group work. They use the mental construct of ‘national culture’ and ‘cultural diversity’ as discursive tools to organize their multinational project.
To find support for her claims, Barinaga observed an international research group over a period of 17 months, being present and even involved as an interpreter at all of their workshops, and following e-mail correspondence between meetings. She then organized her body of collected data into categories and developed a framework for interpretation.
In her findings she points out the different ways team members used the discourse on ‘national culture’ and ‘cultural diversity’ on an everyday basis to organize their teamwork. They
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