Emulsifying Cultures

The thesis covers a research project at AkzoNobel BU R&D Car Refinishes. BU R&D Car Refinishes has three global R&D locations: in Troy, Michigan (United States), Bangalore (India) and Sassenheim (The Netherlands). These global research centres work together on projects for the research and development of car paint. The objective of the research is to investigate the influence of culture on the cross-cultural cooperation between these three global R&D sites. The study of culture has recently taken a different turn. Instead of defining cultures and comparing them to each other (like in the studies of Geert Hofstede (2005)), the study of culture is now focused on the interface of cultures. An interface is a point of contact between two or more cultures. In the interface, cultural differences become visible, and are negotiated. In this approach the cultures will not be defined, but investigated through the perspectives and experiences of people from these cultures. This research aims to find how R&D employees experience cultural differences at work, and how this influences processes of cross-cultural cooperation