Issue 3
Vol. 41
1999

Potentials and Pitfalls of German/U.S.-American Cooperation in Workgroups
Ulrich Zeutschel

A three year research project aimed at identifying patterns and favorable conditions of syner­getic coope­ration in international teams was conducted at Regensburg University from 1995 to 1998, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation.  The concept of "synergetic cooperation" was loosely defined as mutual com­pensation and enhancement of cultural characteristics and working "styles" leading to high quality per­formance as well as high work satisfaction of team members.

An exploratory survey of experts' experiences with pluricultural teams yielded four distinctive categories of cooperation (dominance, coaction, integration, and innovation) which differ with regard to underlying strategies of intercultural action regulation.  Acknowledging the scarcity of "truly" synergetic forms of intercultural cooperation, a process model is proposed which delineates four stages of team development with varying degrees of cultural diversification and interaction contingency.  The model suggests essential conditions of transition from one stage to the next and points out potentials and pitfalls of team coopera­tion on each stage.

Qualitative observations and results of quantitative interaction analyses of German/U.S.-American problem solving groups are presented, which point to favorable conditions for bicultural team cooperation.  In conclusion, recommen­dations for intercultural team building and facilitation are given.

Key words: interaction analysis, intercultural cooperation, international team, team work, team building, problem solving group

Psychologische Beiträge, Volume 41, 1999, p. 385-402

Ulrich Zeutschel
Heidehofweg 5k
D-22850 Norderstedt
E-mail: ulrich.zeutschel@t-online.de