When Groups Consist of Multiple Nationalities: Towards a New Understanding of the Implications

Abstract

International companies are rapidly increasing their use of multinational groups (MNGs), sometimes with great success and sometimes severe frustration. The purpose of this paper is to establish a conceptual understanding of the implications of multinational composition for group functioning. Moving across units of analysis, we focus first on the individual group member's characteristics as a reflection of his or her nationality, then on the effects of multinational diversity on group functioning and performance, and finally on the association between corporate policies and the use of MNGs. We close the paper with a proposed research agenda on multinational groups.