Barriers in intercultural knowledge sharing

Fast reaction to changing customer requirements and the profitable exploitation and management of existing knowledge is becoming a competitive advantage for companies. In order to manage knowledge, employees need to be willing to share their experience first. Cultural differences in terms of the communication style (explicit or implicit communication in low or high context cultures) or perception of risk or power often hinder people in sharing their knowledge. Trust is therefore a key dimension in knowledge sharing. Hence these barriers may hinder people in understanding each other’s knowledge and experience. Cultural trainings, adapted processes and meeting styles that meet the different requirements of high- and low-context cultures can improve the outcome of international projects. Systems and processes may support knowledge management initiatives but the key drivers are building trust and commitment and highlighting successes and results of these initiatives (e.g.: a faster development of a customer solution).