Globally Distributed Information Technology Work: A Study of Cross-Cultural Influences, Communication, and Management
Open Access
- Author:
- Huang, Haiyan
- Graduate Program:
- Information Sciences and Technology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 01, 2009
- Committee Members:
- Eileen M Trauth, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Eileen M Trauth, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Carleen Frances Maitland, Committee Member
Sandeep Purao, Committee Member
Ronald L Jackson Ii, Committee Member - Keywords:
- IT Offshore Outsourcing
Cross-Cultural Management
Virtual Teams
Information Technology Work
Management Information Systems
Workforce Diversity - Abstract:
- Distributing information technology work globally has become increasingly prevalent and is facing a variety of challenges, including the challenge of cultural diversity management. Cultural diversity is inherent in globally distributed information technology work and has both positive and negative effects on it. Even though there is a body of literature acknowledging the relevance of cultural influences on globally distributed information technology work, there seems to be a paucity of research that addresses how cultural factors affect the globally distributed information technology work in real settings. In addition, the majority of prior cross-cultural information systems research assumes national culture as the sole or main cultural boundary that determines the individual cultural identity, and depicts cultural differences through preset static dimensions. This research draws on the theory of situating culture and social identity theory and aims to examine how cultural factors influence globally distributed information technology work as well as how global virtual team members negotiate cultural differences. This research employs an interpretative case study approach to investigate the global information technology collaborations between or among three nations, the United States of America, China, and India. Two multinational information technology companies were studied in this case. Data has been collected through interviews with 44 information technology practitioners and observations from the field studies in the United States of America, China, and India. It was found that globally distributed information technology work is affected by the combination of different cultural factors including national culture, organizational culture, regional culture, and professional culture. These cultural factors also intertwined with other factors, such as time zone difference and infrastructure, to have impacts on communication, coordination and relationship dynamics of globally distributed information technology work. In the process of constructing their identities and negotiating the cultural differences, global virtual team members not only drew from their national and organizational backgrounds, but also drew from their individual experiences. Moreover, Chinese and Indian team members employed power relationships in their identity construction, such as core team/support team, outsourcer/outsourcee, and customer/service provider. Organizational practices including cross-cultural training, leadership development, and the uses of a global delivery model and cultural liaisons facilitate cultural diversity management. From the knowledge perspective, this research generates an in-depth understanding of cultural influences on globally distributed information technology work. Furthermore, this research adds some insights with regards to global information technology collaborations between China and the United States, which is quite limited in the existing literature. From the theoretical perspective, this research demonstrates the analytical capability of integrating the theory of situating culture and social identity theory. From the practical perspective, recommendations formulated from this research provide actionable knowledge for practitioners with respect to virtual work management, human resource management, cultural diversity management, cross-cultural training and cross-cultural knowledge management.