Metaphors and meaning: An intercultural analysis of the concept of teamwork

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gibson, CB; Zellmer-Bruhn, ME
• 署名单位: University of Southern California; University of Minnesota System; University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• 刊物名称: ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCE QUARTERLY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0001-8392
• DOI: 10.2307/2667088
• 发表日期: 2001
• 页码: 274-303
• 关键词: WORK GROUP EFFECTIVENESS; INDIVIDUALISM-COLLECTIVISM; ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE; ESPOUSED VALUES; BEHAVIOR; self; IMPACT; teams; satisfaction; efficacy

摘要

This paper develops a conceptual framework to explain different understandings the concept of teamwork across national and organizational cultures. Five different metaphors for teamwork (military, sports, community, family, and associates) were derived from the language team members used during interviews in four different geographic locations of six multinational corporations. Results indicated that use of the teamwork metaphors varies across countries and organizations, after controlling for gender, team function, and total words in an interview. Analyses of specific relationships between national cultural values and categories of metaphor use and between dimensions of organizational culture and categories of metaphor use revealed patterns of expectations about team roles, scope, membership, and objectives that arise in different cultural contexts. We discuss the implications of this variance for future research on teams and the management of teams in multinational organizations.