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Assessment of interaction in multinational projects: A comparison based on geographical location

Abstract:

Multinational teams working in engineering solutions are becoming a common practice in many industries around the world because companies are interested in capitalizing on human resources dispersed globally. This practice has increased significantly due to advancements in information and communication technologies (ICT). The effectiveness of those geographically dispersed teams has been a topic of interest for the authors of this paper particularly the interaction among the team members since the literature recognizes that teams achieve better results when the interaction is strong and the social level of interaction is significant; additionally, that the working environment is more conducive to a positive experience when social interaction is built. This paper presents a description of the findings based on the data collected in a study done on the interaction of teams in a multinational collaborative design project carried out by students from six different countries dispersed in the US, Latin America and Europe. The main objective of this study is to use an assessment tool to evaluate the interaction among the students focusing in its nature, preferred communication tools and perceived value, with a special interest in the observed differences based on cultural backgrounds due to geographical location.