Potentials and Pitfalls of German/U.S.-American Cooperation in Workgroups

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Summary

A three year research project aimed at identifying patterns and favorable conditions of synergetic cooperation in international teams was conducted at Regensburg University from 1995 to 1998, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. The concept of "synergetic cooperation" was loosely defined as mutual compensation and enhancement of cultural characteristics and working "styles" leading to high quality performance as well as high work satisfaction of team members.

An exploratory survey of experts' experiences with pluricultural teams yielded four distinctive categories of cooperation (dominance, coaction, integration, and innovation) which differ with regard to …