Browsing by Author "Assefa, Tadiwos"

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    Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing Among Multicultural Teams: The Case of Ernst & Young
    (Addis Ababa University, 2015-08-03) Assefa, Tadiwos; Bekele, Rahel (Dr)
    Information technology has inevitably become a facilitator of knowledge sharing among members of global virtual teams. Often members are separated not only geographically but also culturally. So, the general objective of this research was to study how knowledge dynamics specifically knowledge sharing is affected by national cultural differences in multicultural teams. This study also dealt with communication, preference for collaboration tools and knowledge sharing in knowledge intensive, decentralized organization. In addition, the study explored technological, cultural and individual barriers to knowledge sharing at Ernst & Young (EY). The researcher selected a single case study which is one typical multinational enterprise (EY).The paper adopted disproportional stratified sampling method followed by the random sampling of candidates using lottery method which allowed for a representativeness of the sample. Self-administered questionnaires, document review and personal observation were used as data collection techniques. The survey was conducted online with KwikSurveys tool. The method of analysis was a low level analysis as the basis for the findings. The study concluded the significance of understanding and managing culture differences to the knowledge sharing and collaboration in cross-cultural teams. The paper also investigated how communication is enabler of knowledge sharing. The research result furthermore showed rate of utilization of collaborative tools and its preference by EY staffs by making use of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model. Finally, this thesis reported on the results of a quantitative study of technological, cultural and individual barriers for knowledge sharing at EY. Finally, the researcher recommends that multinational firms can win the battle of developing a true knowledge sharing and collaboration culture by working as a unit, reducing cultural distances and tackling barriers.