Title: Continuous learning in global product development: a cross-cultural comparison

Authors: Riitta Smeds, Paola Olivari, Mariano Corso

Addresses: Helsinki University of Technology, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, P.O. Box 9500, 02015 HUT, Finland. Politecnico di Milano, Pza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy. Politecnico di Milano, Pza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy

Abstract: The paper develops a framework for the analysis of inter-project learning in different cultures, applies the framework to a comparative case study within one multinational company, and presents preliminary results about cultural differences in learning patterns. The results indicate that the designers in the Italian unit, representing a multi-active culture, enthusiastically use meetings for the transfer of explicit knowledge between R&D projects. In the Finnish unit, on the contrary, the designers prefer face-to-face discussion and transfer of tacit as well as codified knowledge, which is typical of a reactive culture. First results from the replication of the study in a German unit reveal that this unit prefers more structured forms of communication between projects, which fits its linear-active culture. This communication style is also observed in the Swedish centre organisation, representing a linear-active culture. At the end of this paper, some implications of cultural differences for learning strategies and reward systems in global R&D project management are discussed, and directions for future research are presented.

Keywords: global product development; learning; communication; cross-cultural study; strategy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2001.002970

International Journal of Technology Management, 2001 Vol.22 No.4, pp.373-392

Published online: 09 Jul 2003 *

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