Top management teams of international joint ventures in Thailand: the effects of heterogeneity on group processes and goal attainment

Abstract

The relationship between top management team composition, group processes, and the effects of those processes on goal attainment were examined for International Joint Venture (IJV) teams in Thailand. For these culturally diverse teams, heterogeneity was defined by demographic (member age, length of team tenure, education level, functional expertise) and cultural characteristics (country of education, nationality, affiliation with a parent organization, and primary language spoken.) Overall, demographic heterogeneity most heavily influenced levels of trust, decision quality and decision implementation among team members. Cultural heterogeneity influenced the frequency of communication.