Cultural gap bridging (Backmann et al., 2020)

My posts offer summaries of research papers on cross-cultural management.
Backmann, Kantig, Tian, Hoffman and Hoegl (2020) published mid 2021 a very interesting paper in the Journal of International Business Studies on gap bridging behaviors. I am offering a copy of their abstract below.

Please contact us to discuss training and coaching opportunities to become a cultural gap bridge maker!

Abstract:

Multinational teams are an organizational reality, but they present several challenges. The literature suggests that individuals with multicultural identities are more likely to show behaviors that aim at improving intercultural interactions in multinational teams, though scholars have yet to determine the precise nature of these behaviors. We address this research gap in a multi method two-study design by identifying five team cultural gap bridging behaviors (CGB behaviors: facilitating, translating, integrating, mediating, and empathetic comforting). In Study 1, we draw on one qualitative and two quantitative datasets to identify within-team CGB behaviors and develop a measure of CGB behaviors. In Study 2, drawing from two-wave survey data, we investigate and find support for the direct relationships between cultural identity plurality and CGB behaviors and the indirect relationships via cultural intelligence.”

Journal of International Business Studies (2020).