# When Cultures Meet: Modelling Cross-Cultural Knowledge Spaces

**Authors:** Anneli Heimbürger  
**arXiv:** [1805.09635](https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.09635)  
**Date:** 2018-05-24  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/1805.09635v1/

## Key points

- Cross-cultural research projects are becoming more common in today's globalized world.
- Project managers need to possess cultural competence to achieve project goals and avoid risks in cross-cultural project environments.
- Cultural competence can promote creativity and motivation through flexible leadership.
- The proposed system can support cross-cultural communication, collaborative learning experiences, and time-based project management functions.
- The case cultures used in this project are Finnish and Japanese.
- The proposed system can be utilized in both virtual and physical spaces to clarify cultural business etiquette.
- Its core design will be based on cross-cultural ontology, with implementation utilizing XML technologies.
- This approach is a practical example of constructive research that could help bridge the gap between different cultures.
- Hofstede's dimensions for assessing cultures are described as one example of a larger framework for their study, along with the concept of time in a cultural context.
- Modeling cross-cultural knowledge spaces provides valuable insights into how organizations can better manage cross-cultural projects while promoting collaboration and understanding across different cultures.
- It offers a practical approach to improving organizational performance by leveraging the strengths of different cultures while mitigating potential risks associated with working across them.

## Summary

In today's globalized world, cross cultural research projects are becoming increasingly common. With more and more teams consisting of individuals from both eastern and western cultures, it is essential for project managers to possess cultural competence in order to achieve project goals and avoid potential risks in cross cultural project environments. Additionally, such competence can also promote creativity and motivation through flexible leadership. This system would support cross cultural communication, collaborative learning experiences, and time-based project management functions. The case cultures used in this project are Finnish and Japanese. The proposed system can be utilized in both virtual and physical spaces to clarify cultural business etiquette. Its core design will be based on cross-cultural ontology, with implementation utilizing XML technologies. This approach is a practical example of constructive research that could help bridge the gap between different cultures. In addition to describing Hofstede's dimensions for assessing cultures as one example of a larger framework for their study, Heimbürger also discusses the concept of time in a cultural context. By modeling cross-cultural knowledge spaces, this paper provides valuable insights into how organizations can better manage cross-cultural projects while promoting collaboration and understanding across different cultures. It offers a practical approach to improving organizational performance by leveraging the strengths of different cultures while mitigating potential risks associated with working across them.