Multicultural Work in Five United Nations Organisations : : An Austrian Perspective.

• Superior document: Forschungsergebnisse der Wirtschaftsuniversitaet Wien.
• Author: Kiefer, Dagmar.
• Place / Publishing House: Frankfurt am Main : : Peter Lang GmbH, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften,, 2009.; ©2009.
• Year of Publication: 2009
• Edition: First edition.
• Language: English
• Series: Forschungsergebnisse der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (156 pages)

This book aims at developing an understanding of multicultural work in five Organisations of the United Nations. The context of international organisations differs from international companies, amongst others, with regards to the legal base, the financial and operational agenda, and human resource practices. The purpose of this study is to explore which factors are a trigger, a barrier, and/or an influence on team and group work in this specific context. Based on 50 semi-structured, personal interviews which were analysed within the framework of constant comparison method, a typology of multicultural work is provided. Moreover, this study offers an integrative view of the reciprocal relationships between organisation, management, group and individual.

Table of Contents

Cover -- I. INTRODUCTION -- 1.1. Background to the research -- 1.2. Structure of this study -- II. LITERATURE REVIEW ON CURRENT STUDIES INTO TEAMS AND GROUPS IN ORGANISATIONS -- 2.1. Introduction -- 2.2. Definition of the terms team and group -- 2.3. Journal review: Studies of teams and groups in real organisational settings -- 2.4. Aspects of team/group work in literature -- 2.4.1. Organisational aspects -- 2.4.2. Managerial aspects -- 2.4.3. Individual aspects -- 2.5. Discussion of literature -- III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, METHOD, RESEARCH DESIGN AND RESEARCH CONTEXT -- 3.1. Introduction -- 3.2. Methodology: Grounded Theory -- 3.2.2. Method - Case Study -- 3.2.3. Objectivity, reliability, validity, and generalisability -- 3.3. Research Design -- 3.3.1. Semi-structured interviews -- 3.3.2. Data Analysis - Constant Comparative Method -- 3.3.3. Sample -- 3.4. Research Context -- IV. EMPIRICAL FINDINGS - DATA ANALYSIS -- 4.1. Introduction -- 4.2. Team or group work? A typology grounded in the data -- 4.3. Properties of group work -- 4.3.1. Organisation -- 4.3.1.1. Structure of the organisation -- 4.3.1.1.1. Hierarchy -- 4.3.1.1.2. Bureaucracy -- 4.3.1.2. Human resource management -- 4.3.1.3. Moderator: Boundary crossing and boundary spanning -- 4.3.1.3.1. Individual boundary spanning -- 4.3.1.3.2. Organisational boundary spanning -- 4.3.1.4. Culture of the organisation -- 4.3.2. Employee - Management relationship -- 4.3.2.1. Management - the crucial link -- 4.3.2.2. Criticism of management -- 4.3.3. Employee - Co-worker relationship -- 4.3.1 Diversity -- 4.3.1.1. Nationality and culture -- 4.3.1.2. Stereotypes -- 4.3.1.2.1. Excursus: Working in the field -- 4.3.1.2.2 Feeling of time -- 4.3.1.3. Gender -- 4.3.1.4. Language -- 4.3.1.5. Faultlines -- 4.3.4. Individual -- 4.3.4.1. Personal background -- 4.3.4.2. Personality -- 4.3.4.3. Motivation.

V. MODEL AND PROPOSITIONS -- 5.1. Introduction -- 5.2. Model -- 5.3. Propositions -- 5.3.1. Organisation -- 5.3.2. Employee - Management Relationship -- 5.3.3. Employee - Co-worker Relationship -- 5.3.4. Individual -- VI. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS -- 6.1. Introduction -- 6.2. Summary of research findings -- 6.3. Managerial implications -- 6.4. Limitations and directions for future research -- VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY -- VIII. APPENDICES -- Appendix 1: List of articles reviewed -- Appendix 2: Interview guide -- Appendix 3: Notes on interview situation.