AUTHOR
Eriksson, Sara; Langgren, Sofia

DATE
2001-01-15

DEPARTMENT
Business Administration and Social Sciences / Industrial marketing and e-commerce

SUMMARY
The aim with this thesis is to describe why and how multinational corporations (MNCs)form and develop international teams. More specifically we have addressed the following issues; why MNCs form international teams and how the team building process and the factors influencing a team’s performance can be described. Our study includes three qualitative case studies. According to our findings, the strategic objectives behind the formation of international teams are to reach global efficiency, local responsiveness or to achieve a balance between the two. Concerning the team building process, we concluded that it should include three phases; kick- off, execution and conclusion. Regarding factors influencing a team’s performance; we found that the factors vary depending on the nature of the team. Finally, we concluded that the development of international teams does not always include the issue of how to manage diversity; it depends on which kind of team it is.

ISSN 1404-5508 / ISRN LTU-SHU-EX--01/006--SE / NR 2001:006