1. IMPORTANCE OF CROSS CULTURAL
TEAMS FOR INNOVATION IN THE
WORKPLACE: A CASE STUDY OF
SAINSBURY’S, UK
2016
London Metropolitan University
SAAD KIDWAI
MANAGEMENT INVESTIGATION AND DISSERTATION | Supervisor: Hazel
Messenger
2. ABSTRACT
Innovation and creativity plays a leading role in enhancing the competitive advantage
of the organizations. The organizations get large benefits when employing cultural
diversity at the workplace. The cross cultural teams highly help in enhancing the
efficiency of the work place thereby aiding the organizations to achieve the main
objectives and goals. Hence this study analyzes the importance of cross cultural
teams for innovation in the workplace by considering Sainsbury’s, UK as the case
study.
Sainsbury’s is one of the largest retailers who employs 161,000 employees across
UK and is also considered as the most diverse organizations in UK. The company
highly gave importance to innovation in the business policies. However it was found
that the there were certain issues in Sainsbury’s due to the cross cultural teams such
as lack of communication, coordination, team quality etc. Thus the study investigates
the effectiveness of cross cultural teams for innovation in the workplace of
Sainsbury’s.
For evaluating the research issue in an effective manner the researcher has adopted
interpretivism philosophy, inductive approach and descriptive research purpose. The
researcher has taken both primary and secondary information for performing the
research study. The secondary information was accumulated through various
sources such as articles, newspapers, journals , company websites etc and the
primary information was gathered with the help of survey and interview. Both the
quantitative and qualitative information was achieved with the help of primary data
collection methods. The researcher gathered the qualitative information by
performing in-depth interview on 2 managers of Sainsbury’s. And the quantitative
information was gathered through self-administered survey performed on 30
employees of Sainsbury’s. The research study revealed that Sainsbury’s cross-
cultural teams highly helped the company to effectively adopt innovations and to
develop innovated products and services. However it was also found that the cross
cultural teams lacked proper team quality, communication, coordination etc. Thus the
researcher has recommended Sainsbury’s to improve the communication and the
cohesion factors for improving the cross cultural teams.
3. Table of Contents
ABSTRACT................................................................................................................ 1
LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.................................................................................. 5
1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 5
1.2 Research background....................................................................................... 5
1.3 Rationale........................................................................................................... 6
1.4 Aim and objectives of the research ................................................................... 6
1.5 Research questions .......................................................................................... 6
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................ 7
2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 7
2.2 Innovation and creativity ................................................................................... 7
2.3 Cross-cultural teams ......................................................................................... 7
2.4 Importance of cross-cultural teams in innovation.............................................. 8
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY................................... 11
3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 11
3.2 Research philosophy....................................................................................... 11
3.3 Research approach......................................................................................... 11
3.4 Research purpose........................................................................................... 12
3.5 Research strategy........................................................................................... 12
3.6 Data collection methods.................................................................................. 13
3.7 Samples and Sampling Strategy..................................................................... 14
3.8 Data analysis .................................................................................................. 14
3.9 Ethical issues.................................................................................................. 14
CHAPTER 4: PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA... 15
4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 15
4.2 Qualitative analysis ......................................................................................... 15
4.3 Quantitative analysis....................................................................................... 17
4.4 Identifying gaps............................................................................................... 24
4.5 Summary......................................................................................................... 25
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................. 27
5.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 27
5. LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1: Link between cross-cultural team and innovation....................................13
List of pie charts
Pie chart 4.1 Age......................................................................................................21
Pie chart 4.2: Gender.................................................................................................22
Pie chart 4.3: Experience..........................................................................................23
Pie chart 4.4: Opinion regarding cross-cultural teams..............................................23
Pie chart 4.6: Major initiatives...................................................................................26
Pie chart 4.7: Factors influencing the effectiveness of Sainsbury’s cross-cultural
teams.........................................................................................................................27
Pie chart 4.8: The impact of Sainsbury’s cross cultural teams in fostering innovation
in the workplace........................................................................................................28
List of tables
Table 4.1: Rating of main contributions of cross-cultural teams in Sainsbury’s........24
List of bar charts
Bar chart 4.1: Rating of main contributions of cross-cultural teams in
Sainsbury’s............................................................................................................... 25
6. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
This is the first chapter of the dissertation and in this chapter the researcher
introduces the research topic and outlines research background and rationale. This
section also discusses the research aim, objectives and questions.
1.2 Research background
Creativity is an important aspect of innovation in global business market. Moreover,
as organizations are expanding their operations into new markets, companies are
faced diverse customer segments that have diverse expectations and aspirations
(Bouncken and Kraus, 2013). In this context, innovativeness in the organization is
vital for developing innovative products and services that cater to the unique needs
of customers of different cultures and nationalities (Kraus et al., 2014).
As per Byrd and Scott (2014), multi-cultural innovation teams are deployed by
organizations to develop in-depth understanding of consumer habits across cultures
and deliver creative products and solutions that fulfil the needs to customers of
dissimilar markets. Bouncken, Brem and Kraus (2016) notes that innovation process
is recurrent and therefore requires creativity to effectively utilise the diverse
knowledge of different members of cross-cultural innovation teams. One of the main
studies that focussed on the significance of cross-cultural team in innovation
focussed on high school students (Shin et al., 2012). The study reviewed how the
cross-cultural make up of student teams influenced their innovativeness. Though the
study succeeded in showcasing the link between cross-cultural team and innovation,
the findings are irrelevant to the present study as the context of cross cultural teams
in organizations is very different from that of student teams.
Existing studies have revealed that teamwork is successful development and
implementation of innovation in organizations. However, the importance of cross
cultural teams in development and implementation of innovation has not been clearly
documented (Kraus et al., 2014; Bouncken and Winkler, 2010; Shin et al., 2012).
Cross cultural teams, if not managed properly, can create mistrust and anxiety
among team members which ultimately derails innovation process. This is an
obvious risk associated with the use of cross cultural teams for innovation (Brem and
Voigt, 2009). It is evident that cross-cultural teams can disrupt the effectiveness of
teams by creating mistrust and conflict among the members of the team.
On the other hand, Eggers, Kraus and Covin (2014) notes that diversity contributes
to the development of different perspectives, more in-depth knowledge and team
spirit in cross cultural teams. However, dissimilarity in cultural values can threaten
the effectiveness of cross cultural teams. Bouncken and Winkler (2010) note that
differences in cultural values increases conflicts within the team and reduce the
creativity and performance of the team. These studies clearly showcase the need to
have an in-depth assessment of the importance of cross cultural teams for
7. innovation in the workplace. However, there has been very little focus on multi-
cultural innovation teams and their effectiveness despite the presence of a growing
body of work on multi-cultural teams. This indicates the innovativeness of multi-
cultural teams is a neglected area of research. So the present research will focus on
this issue by focussing on the case of Sainsbury’s, UK
1.3 Rationale
It is evident from the research background discussion that there is gap in existing
literature in relation to the importance of cross cultural teams for innovation in the
workplace (Kraus et al., 2014; Bouncken and Winkler, 2010; Shin et al., 2012). This
gap in existing literature is the primary rationale for selecting this topic for study. The
research will analyse the case of Sainsbury’s in the study because Sainsbury’s has
recently set up a new department in the organization named ‘Digital Lab’ to drive the
innovation in the company (McDonald, 2015). Sainsbury’s has one of the most
diverse workforces in the UK (Chen, 2013) and the present research will review if the
cross-cultural nature of Sainsbury’s innovation team has any influence on the
effectiveness of the team in developing new products and services for the company.
1.4 Aim and objectives of the research
The research study aims to explore the importance of cross-cultural teams for
innovation in the workplace by focussing on the case of Sainsbury’s.
The main objectives of this research are:
To evaluate the significance of cross-cultural teams in organizations
To analyse the factors that influence the effectiveness of cross-cultural teams
in organizations
To assess the importance of cross cultural teams in nourishing innovation in
Sainsbury’s
To provide recommendations for improving cross cultural teams of
Sainsbury’s
1.5 Research questions
How does cross cultural teams foster innovation in the workplace?
What are the key factors that are essential while building cross-cultural teams
for innovation in the workplace?
How does cross cultural teams contribute to the innovativeness in the
organizations?
8. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
In the literature review section, the researcher reviews the previous studies available
on cross-cultural teams and innovativeness. The researcher critically analyses the
existing literature to outline the theoretical framework that the present research
intends to review.
2.2 Innovation and creativity
Innovation is defined by Drucker (2014) as the set of actions required to create new
ideas, processes or products which when implemented lead to positive effective
change. While invention requires the creation of new ideas, processes or products,
innovation moves one step further and requires implementation of the inventive act.
Creativity and innovation are two largely interwoven concepts (Goldberg, 2013;
Drucker, 2014). Creativity has been defined as the production of novel, appropriate
ideas in any domain (Chesbrough, 2013), whereas innovation is referred to as the
introduction and application of processes, products, or procedures new to the
relevant unit of adoption (Bouncken and Kraus, 2013). This implies that creativity
and innovation are two distinct concepts which follow each other sequentially. This
view is supported by the organisation of companies in a frontend and a back-end of
innovation, whereby the former one is usually where creativity is seen as the only
success factor (Brem and Voigt, 2009). However, this conception of creativity and
innovation does not consider that a new product emerges from a complex process
on experimenting, deciding, and implementing solutions to new problems which is
usually needed in the back-end part as well. Creativity is a cognitive process, which
is important during the whole process of implementing an innovation, which in turn is
the product of a creative idea that initiated the process. The term innovativeness
includes creativity as well as the task related abilities which are important for the
operationalisation of the idea (Eggers Kraus and Covin, 2014).
This indicates that innovativeness is a combination of creativity and implementation
of ideas since creativity alone is not sufficient for the success of a company and an
innovation itself is not possible without creativity.
2.3 Cross-cultural teams
The literature provides us with a huge body of empirical findings on processes within
team work embedded in a national environment. Those findings point out different
factors such as project commitment (Byrd and Scott, 2014) and team work quality
(Caligiuri and Lundby, 2015) which includes group cohesiveness (Marquardt and
Horvath, 2014). Furthermore, the level of participation in decision-making (Thomas
and Peterson, 2014) enhances creativity or innovation.
In relation to the recent competitive scenario, the study finding of Shin et al. (2012),
the development of competitive teams in organisational processes is one of the
major and most effective parts for the firms in the recent days. In addition, the
9. research findings of Alpert (2010) have also identifies, that managing of cultural
diversity in the workplace can provide numbers of benefits to the organisations. The
diversified values, traditional aspects and norms of different individuals in the
workplace can typically nourish the operational way by changing perceptions, ideas
along with attitude and behaviour of the members. It also improves abilities of the
members in terms of making any judgements towards increasing operational
efficiency of the workplace.
For example, in case of Sainsbury’s some of the main diversity initiatives are
‘Diversity Champion’ programme and ‘Inspiring the Future’ campaign (Polard, 2015).
Under Diversity Champion programme 140 managers of Sainsbury’s outline the
diversity programme by collecting feedback from stakeholders. In ‘Inspiring the
Future’ campaign’ 440 women employees mentor other young women in the
company (McDonald, 2015).
Against the background of different cultural backgrounds, the term “multi-cultural
team”, refers to teams having different values, styles, etc. Hence, we take into
account that there might be differences in cultural values even within one country
(Blessinger and Hrycaj, 2013), and potential culture-related changes in personal
behaviour.
2.4 Importance of cross-cultural teams in innovation
The knowledge sharing processes in the workplace are also attributed as one of the
major aspects while encouraging innovation. In this regard, Shin et al. (2012) has
critically stated that enforcing cross-cultural environment in the workplace provides a
wider scope to the organisations to encourage innovation. A cross-cultural
environment helps individuals to share their diverse perceptions allowing leaders to
make efficient decisions on the workplace and critically supports to achieve the
operational goals of firms (Eggers, Kraus and Covin, 2014). Blessinger & Hrycaj
(2013) have also stated that the way of continuous development in managing cultural
diversity has enabled organisations’ to increase communication efficiency among the
members. According to the study of the authors, it has been identified that a
culturally diversified workforce or team provides information in a prompt and
appropriate manner that are pivotal for any firm to improve performance efficiency of
the workplace.
With regard to the recent phenomenon of the business environment, organisations
are more determined to utilise effective tools in order to manage cross-cultural teams
in the workplace. According to Byrd & Scott (2014) leaders are focused on planning
and executing appropriate diversity plans, in order to avoid possible issues derived
from the individuals from different cultures in a common workplace. The diversity
planning and executing process of leaders involve mapping out the appropriate way
to develop an appreciation, regarding cultural diversity in all groups of employees
(Byrd & Scott, 2014).
For example, in Sainsbury’s, 2 main activities have heralded the innovation
orientation. Innovation powered by Nectar Loyalty Card has had significant impact on
10. Sainsbury’s performance. The company was able to increase own brand penetration
using innovative marketing methods driven by Nectar loyalty card data (Polard,
2015). Also, innovation process lead by a cross cultural-team named ‘Digital Lab’ in
Sainsbury’s (Sainsbury’s, 2015; McDonald, 2015).
As innovation is a process, which is afflicted with strong uncertainties (Rauch et al.,
2013), diversity in cultural values can adversely affect innovativeness of a team.
Later, Lim and Park (2013) find that ethnical diverse groups have less effective
interaction processes in the beginning but that these diminish over time. Also
communication was found an important success factor for innovation teams
(Bockstedt, Druehl and Mishra, 2015). As context refers to the use of language, it
can lead to misunderstandings and, therefore, process losses (Sembdner, 2011).
Innovation projects in a global context are rarely completed by a single individual but
rather by a team that has to be creative (Rauch et al., 2013). Cross-functional teams,
which deliver heterogeneous knowledge, improve innovation performance through
increased creativity and teamwork quality (Mach and Baruch, 2015; Sembdner,
2011). However, if teamwork due to cultural misunderstanding produces a climate of
mistrust, threat, and anxiety, it damages the innovation process (Brem and Voigt,
2009). In this vein Perry-Smith and Shalley (2014) concludes that cognitive diversity
negatively affects satisfaction among team members. Therefore, teamwork does not
always guarantee creativity and successful innovation. Its strong links to creativity
and innovation performance are nonetheless important to clarify.
Bouncken and Kraus (2013) present evidence that teamwork quality is related to the
success of innovation projects. The two researchers define six components of
teamwork quality: communication, coordination, balance of contributions by team
members, mutual support, effort, and cohesion. Communication covers the
frequency (time spent communicating), formalization (the degree of spontaneity with
which members talk to each other), structure (communication with each other or via
a mediator), and openness of the information exchange (non-withholding of
important information). Coordination describes whether the combination and status
of individual tasks are synchronized and harmonized. By “balance,” Bouncken and
Kraus (2013) mean an equal number of contributions by each team member.
11. Figure 2.1: Link between cross-cultural team and innovation
Source: Bouncken and Kraus (2013)
Mutual support requires intensive collaboration and cooperation between team
members. Whereas mutual support can foster innovation, competitive behavior can
lead to mistrust and frustration (Bouncken and Kraus, 2013). Effort describes how
important the team’s work is considered to be in relation to other obligations of team
members. Setting different priorities on the team’s task can lead to conflict among
team members, whereas a high level of effort shared by all team members will
contribute to teamwork quality. Finally, cohesion refers to the strength of the team
members’ desire to remain on the team. Cohesion has three defined facets: (a)
interpersonal attraction of team members, (b) commitment to the team’s task, and (c)
group pride and team spirit (Bouncken and Kraus, 2013). Just as those three factors
will promote teamwork quality, their absence will lead to a lack of togetherness and
belonging. So far, the relationship between teamwork quality and the team members’
dissimilar cultural backgrounds has not been researched (Bouncken and Kraus,
2013).
The cross-cultural innovation team of Sainsbury’s ‘Digital Lab’ has developed
innovative products and services within a short time after the development of the
team. Digital Lab is responsible for developing innovative products and services in
Sainsbury’s. This team consists of 480 employees belonging to diverse cultures and
nationalities Some of the innovative products developed by this team include a
mobile application that provides real-time maps of stores, innovative farming
techniques, hydrogen refuelling service etc (Polard, 2015; McDonald, 2015;
Sainsbury’s, 2015). This indicates that the cross-cultural nature of the team has
positive impact on the level of innovativeness.
Hence, it is reasoned that cultural diversity in groups affects team processes and
dynamics and is likely to have an influence on creativity and innovativeness. Yet,
prior research has not sufficiently demonstrated possible connections in a real
setting in firms. Past research has dominantly tested specific hypotheses through
laboratory experiments with students as research subjects. This is problematic since
multinational firms often select staff members with international experiences, which
the majority of students that were selected in prior studies most likely did not have.
12. CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
The method used for gathering and analysing the required data is known as
research methodology. This chapter covers research design and methodology and
also explains ethical issues and data analysis plan.
3.2 Research philosophy
Research philosophy mainly helps to determine the characteristic of the data utilized.
Interpretivism analyses the social interaction of individuals in a subjective manner. It
is considered as an anti-positivism philosophy and it generally follows the beliefs
about the nature of reality and knowing (Kothari, 2013). Positivism deals with natural
phenomena and it analyses research problem objectively. It is based on the
assumption that, realistic knowledge obtained from observations is only truthful
(Kothari, 2013). It deals with individual aspects of research phenomena. Realism
analyses the individual interactions with real world situations to evaluate the
research issues.
Interpretivism was used in this study to provide a subjective explanation to the
research problem (Griffiths, 2013). Interpretivism aided to understand the importance
of cross-cultural teams in business and factors that influence the effectiveness of
cross-cultural teams in organizations. This philosophy also helped the researcher to
critically evaluate the efficiency of ‘Digital Lab’ to drive the innovation in Sainsbury’s.
The researcher was also able to provide suitable recommendations for improving the
cross-cultural teams of Sainsbury’s.
3.3 Research approach
Research approach permits the effective use of various assumptions and theories.
Deductive approach is applied in researches which are highly linked with positivism
philosophy. This approach aids the researcher to achieve the objectives of the
research in an effective manner. Inductive approach mainly deals with qualitative
research methods and without depending upon the former theories analyses and
evaluates the collected data (Creswell, 2013).
13. The researcher has adopted inductive approach for conducting the study. This
approach assisted the researcher to be independent and also helped to explore the
collected data to reach at final conclusions (Dawson, 2009). With the help of this
approach the researcher was able to understand the important role played by cross
cultural teams in enhancing the innovations at Sainsbury’s.
3.4 Research purpose
Research purpose aims to ascertain the objectivity of the research issue. Exploratory
research purpose enhances the researcher’s knowledge regarding the research
topic by exploring the research issue (Mennen, 2010). It also helps to increase the
research background related to the research problem. Explanatory research purpose
helps to analyze the relationship that exists between the variables involved in the
research (Krueger, 2009). This research purpose assists in the development of
research questions associated with the research topic. Descriptive research design
assists the author to explain and describe a particular situation in a detailed manner
(Kumar, 2010). It gives a clear picture about the situations and individuals involved in
the research problem.
For conducting this research study effectively the researcher has used descriptive
research purpose. Descriptive research helps the researcher to develop an in-
depth case study regarding the research topic and it also assisted in describing a
particular issue and observing the characteristics of people in a deep manner
(Mennen, 2010). With the help of descriptive research the researcher was able to
analyze the factors that influence the effectiveness of cross-cultural teams and the
efficacy of the team in developing new products and services for the company.
3.5 Research strategy
The methodological manner of accumulating the required information is termed as
research strategy (Krueger, 2009). Interview, case study and survey are the major
categories of research strategy. Interview is an effectual tool used for attaining the
direct responses of the participants where survey aids in collecting wide range of
information from a huge group of people in cost and time bound manner. Case study
usually helps to minimize the complexities involved in the studies (Yin, 2009).
14. The researcher has utilized both the survey and interview strategies for
accumulating the needed information for performing the study. The researcher
gathered the quantitative information from employees of Sainsbury’s regarded as the
team members of the cross cultural teams with the help of self-administered survey.
And for obtaining the qualitative information on managers of Sainsbury’s the
researcher carried out individual in-depth interview. The interview performed on the
managers helped the researcher to get in-depth details regarding the various factors
that helps in building cross-cultural teams for innovation in the workplace at
Sainsbury’s and through the survey the researcher understood the various issues
faced by the cross cultural team members due to its ineffective implementation.
3.6 Data collection methods
Primary and secondary are the main two types of data collection methods. The fresh
and original data collected directly by the researcher from the respondents is termed
as primary data and the data collected and published by other researchers is known
as secondary data (Kothari, 2013). Secondary data are available through various
external and internal sources such as books, articles, company websites, journals,
annual reports etc (Creswell, 2013).
For analysing the importance of cross cultural teams for innovation in the workplace
he researcher had adopted both the secondary and primary data collection methods.
The researcher gathered secondary information from various sources like articles,
books, company websites, magazines, newspapers, sales and annual reports of the
company etc and these secondary information helped to get a detailed perception
regarding the topic. The qualitative and quantitative information needed for the study
was gathered by the researcher with the help of interview and survey respectively.
The researcher performed self-administered survey and in-depth interview on the
managers and employees of Sainsbury’s for obtaining the qualitative and
quantitative information. The primary data attained highly helped the researcher to
get a deep insight on the effectiveness and challenges associated with the cross
cultural teams of Sainsbury’s.
15. 3.7 Samples and Sampling Strategy
As the researcher faced difficulty in performing the study on huge population,
sampling was employed. An equal selection process is provided by the probability
sampling to all the members of the population while a non-equality chance of
selection are provided by the non-probability sampling technique.
The population adopted for the study mainly included all the managers and team
members of the cross cultural teams (employees) of Sainsbury’s in UK. The
researcher has adopted Simple random probability sampling method for choosing 2
managers and 30 employees of Sainsbury’s (Lohr, 2010). With this method the
researcher was able to give to all the members of the population impartial
opportunities. Thus the total population of the study was 32 which consisted of 2
managers and 30 employees of Sainsbury’s. For performing the interview and
survey analysis on the managers and team members of the cross cultural teams the
researcher visited the digital lab situated at the Sainsbury headquarters in Holborn,
London.
3.8 Data analysis
The secondary and primary data was accumulated for carrying out the study.
Through the primary data collection technique the quantitative and qualitative
information was gathered. Descriptive analysis method was used by the researcher
for analysing collected quantitative and qualitative data. For evaluating the
quantitative information pie charts were utilized. By analysing and interpreting the
collected information, the researcher was able to reach at a general conclusion on
the impact of cross-cultural themes on innovation in workplaces.
3.9 Ethical issues
The researcher has acquired the consent from the management authorities for
performing the interview and survey on the managers and employees of the
company. Prior to the conduction of the study the participants’ were informed about
the major goals of the study and the researcher never forced any of them to take part
in the study. The researcher also maintained the privacy and confidentiality of the
accumulated information and the personal details of the participants.
16. CHAPTER 4: PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
4.1 Introduction
The systematic analysis and evaluation of the generated data by qualitative and
quantitative methods are presented in this section. The investigator has conducted
individual in-depth interviews on 2 managers of Sainsbury to derive qualitative data
on the current research issue and by surveying 30 employees with self administered
questionnaire; gathering of quantitative data has been made. The questionnaire for
the interview was open ended to extract detailed and valid information and has been
well planned by referring extensive literature. Considering the time frame and in
order to prevent the deviation from the main facts, close-ended set of construct was
administered for survey. The researcher has visited digital lab situated lab situated at
the Sainsbury headquarters in Holborn, London for the data collection purpose.
4.2 Qualitative analysis
Two managers have been included in the sample to gather qualitative data through
interview and researcher has successfully built the rapport with the managers in
carrying out the interview session. The construct set along with the informative
responses to each question are given in this section.
1. In your opinion, what is the importance of having a strong cross-cultural team
in organizations?
Manager 1:
“Presence of a cross-cultural team benefits all organisations, I think. It diversifies the
talent resources and come up with unique components of innovation that can
contribute to the strategic plans that lead the competition”.
Manager 2:
“I believe it is an inevitable factor in the era of globalisation and helps to cater to the
global demands of a firm by providing different proficiencies. Here we have the best
cross- cultural team in the industry to achieve our career targets.”
17. 2. What are the factors that you think that played a major role in influencing the
effectiveness of cross-cultural teams in Sainsbury’s?
Manager 1:
“We have always given importance to the diversity of our employees and by our
vision “diversity and inclusion”; we have effectively incorporated the multi talents
across different culture. Diversity steering group of our company govern regular
meetings to coordinate the cultural team. We also have ‘Diversity Champion’ and
‘Inspiring the Future’ to make our cross cultural team effective and the best. Our
internal mentoring programmes also help the cross- cultural team to work
effectively”.
Manager 2:
“Team quality is the integral part of any team. We have managed to effectively work
on the team attributes such as communication, mutual support, coordination and the
way they synchronise their objectives in spite of the cultural differences”.
3. How do you comment upon the adequacy of cross-cultural teams in
nourishing innovation in your organization?
Manager 1:
“Here, we have managed cultural diversity very positively by avoiding the negative
aspects it might bring forth. Digital lab has been doing wonderfully in the same
context and has nourished our innovation ideas to a greater extent. Our innovative
farming techniques, real-time maps of stores are some of the high end products from
our cross-culture team.”
Manager 2:
“We could establish our cross culture team within a short time span. The multitudes
of ideas really influence the innovation practices hugely and if they could work more
on the cohesion factor, I am sure, they will be able to promote more ideas”.
4. Is the cross-cultural team in your firm is effective in fostering innovation in the
workplace? Do you have any suggestions for further improvement of cross
cultural teams at Sainsbury’s?
Manager 1 and Manager 2:
18. “Yes, I believe our digital lab ensures innovation highly. The team has employees
belonging to different nations and their diversified talents have obviously
complemented the innovation strategies of the company and we have always led our
business by taking advantage of the various cultural perceptions. Now we are
working towards bringing together the likeminded colleagues from our cross-cultural
team so that we can enhance the speed of our innovation programmes. If we can
achieve the compliance of likeminded employees with the diverse talents within a
reduced time frame, we will surely lead the industry”.
4.3 Quantitative analysis
The researcher obtained the quantitative information by performing self-administered
survey on 30 employees of Sainsbury’s cross-cultural teams. This section mainly
discusses the survey questionnaires along with the replies of the members of cross-
cultural teams. .
1. Please mention your age
Pie chart 4.1 Age
Source: Prepared by the researcher
It was understood from the survey analysis that most of the members in the cross
cultural teams belonged to the age group of 32 to 40 years.
10%
40%
30%
20%
Age
22-30 years
32-40 years
42-50 years
Above 50 years
19. 2. Please mention your gender
Pie chart 4.2: Gender
Source: Prepared by the researcher.
The above pie chart indicated that majority of the members of the cross –cultural
teams were males. Thus by comparing the finding above with this finding it can be
understood that the main employee segment of the cross-cultural team consisted of
males from the middle aged groups.
3. How long have you been the part of Sainsbury’s?
60%
40%
Gender
Male
Female
20. Pie chart 4.3: Experience
Source: Prepared by the researcher.
From the above survey it was found that most of the employees were being a part of
Sainsbury’s for a period of 1 to 4 years. Thus it can be noted that the company was
able to satisfy the employees to an extent only.
4. What is your opinion about the cross-cultural teams in Sainsbury’s?
20%
40%
20%
20%
Opinion regarding cross-cultural teams
Excellent
Good
Average
Not up to the mark
10%
50%
30%
10%
Experience
Less than a year
1-4 years
4-8 years
Above 8 years
21. Pie chart 4.4: Opinion regarding cross-cultural teams
Source: Prepared by the researcher.
The researcher understood from the pie chart above that majority of the employees
opined the cross-cultural teams in Sainsbury’s as good only. From this it can be
noticed that the team members of cross-cultural teams were not that much satisfied
with working with the digital lab.
5. Please rate the following on the basis of main contributions of cross-cultural
teams in Sainsbury’s (1- poor, 2- average, 3- good and 4- outstanding)
Table 4.1: Rating of main contributions of cross-cultural teams in Sainsbury’s
Source: Prepared by the researcher.
Contributions of cross-
cultural teams
Poor Average Good Outstanding
Enhances creativity or
innovation
10 15 3 2
Enhances level of participation
in decision making
12 8 5 5
Improves team work quality
and ethic
10 10 5 5
Low uncertainty avoidance 5 7 8 10
Foster interaction process 5 5 10 10
Deliver heterogeneous
knowledge
5 5 10 10
22. Bar chart 4.1: Rating of main contributions of cross-cultural teams in Sainsbury’s
Source: Prepared by the researcher.
From the above bar chart it was identified that most of the employees rated the main
contributions of cross-cultural teams in Sainsbury’s such as low uncertainty
avoidance, foster interaction process and deliver heterogeneous knowledge as
outstanding and enhances creativity or innovation, enhances level of participation in
decision making and improves team work quality and ethic as average and poor.
From this it can be understood that the cross cultural teams was not that much
effective in enhancing the creativity, participation in decision making and enhancing
the quality of work. Shin et al. (2012) in the literature opined contradictory statements
pointing out that the cross-cultural teams highly encouraged innovations and
creativity in organizations.
6. In your opinion, which is the major initiative that has heralded the innovation
orientation in Sainsbury’s?
10
12
10
5
5
5
15
8
10
7
5
5
3
5
5
8
10
10
2
5
5
10
10
10
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%
Enhances creativity or innovation
Enhances level of participation in decision
making
Improves team work quality and ethic
Low uncertainty avoidance
Foster interaction process
Deliver heterogeneous knowledge
1
2
3
4
23. Pie chart 4.5: Major initiatives
Source: Prepared by the researcher.
Majority of the employees in the survey analysis responded that the major initiative
that has heralded the innovation orientation in Sainsbury’s was nectar loyalty card.
From this it can be inferred that than the Sainsbury’s digital lab innovation orientation
in Sainsbury’s was heralded with the help of nectar loyalty card.
7. According to you, what are the major factors that influence the effectiveness
of Sainsbury’s cross-cultural teams?
40%
30%
10%
10%
10%
Major initiatives
Nectar loyalty Card
Sainsbury's Digital Lab
Inspring the Future' campaign
Diversity Champion Programme
Others
24. Pie chart 4.6: Factors influencing the effectiveness of Sainsbury’s cross-cultural
teams
Source: Prepared by the researcher.
It was recognized by the researcher from the above pie chart that major factors that
influence the effectiveness of Sainsbury’s cross-cultural teams was group pride and
teams spirit. Bockstedt, Druehl and Mishra (2015) in the literature pointed out that
communication was success factor for innovation teams. Thus a contradictory view
point occurs among the responses of the employees and the existing literature.
8. How do you rate the effectiveness of Sainsbury’s cross cultural teams in
fostering innovation in the workplace?
10%
20%
20%
30%
10%
10%
Factors influencing the effectiveness of
Sainsbury's cross-cultural teams
Team work quality
Interpersonal attraction of team
members
Commitment to the team task
Group pride and team's spirit
Communication
Coordination
25. Pie chart 4.7: The impact of Sainsbury’s cross cultural teams in fostering innovation
in the workplace
Source: Prepared by the researcher.
From the pie chart above it was realized that majority of the employees rated the
effectiveness of Sainsbury’s cross cultural teams in fostering innovation in the
workplace as just effective only. But from the literature review it was found from the
observations of Rauch et al. (2013) and Mach and Baruch (2015); Sembdner (2011)
that the cross cultural teams of Sainsbury’s played leading role in fostering
innovation in the workplace. Thus an opposition occurs between the statements’.
4.4 Identifying gaps
From the survey analysis it was found that group pride and team spirit was the main
factor that influenced the effectiveness of Sainsbury’s cross-cultural teams.
However, in the literature review this was opposed by Bockstedt, Druehl and Mishra
(2015) and they stated that the main factor that influenced the effectiveness of
Sainsbury’s cross-cultural teams were communication, team work quality and
coordination. Thus it can be noted that a disagreement occurs among the
statements’ and a gap is realized among the survey outputs and the literature
review.
20%
40%
30%
10%
The impact of Sainsbury’s cross cultural
teams in fostering innovation in the
workplace
Highly effective
Effective
Moderate
Not at all effective
26. The survey findings pointed out that the main contributions of cross-cultural teams in
Sainsbury’s were enhancement of creativity and innovation. However, the managers
in the interview opined that the cross-cultural teams in Sainsbury’s were highly
effective in enhancing innovation and creativeness. This was agreed by Mach and
Baruch (2015) and Sembdner, (2011) in the literature review by stating that the
cross-cultural teams highly aided in improving innovation performance through
increased creativity and teamwork quality. Thus it can be noted that a disagreement
occurs among the survey and the interview and literature. Thus a gap is noted
between the interview and survey findings.
In the survey the effectiveness of Sainsbury’s cross cultural teams in fostering
innovation in the workplace was rated as effective by most of the employees. But this
was disagreed by Rauch et al. (2013) and Mach and Baruch (2015); Sembdner
(2011) in the literature as they opined innovation was highly fostered by the cross
cultural teams of Sainsbury’s. Thus it can be noted that the results of the survey
disagrees with the observations Rauch et al. (2013) and Mach and Baruch (2015);
Sembdner (2011) noted in the literature review and a gap is being recognized among
the statements’.
In the interview analysis it was found from the opinions of the managers that the
cross-cultural teams in Sainsbury’s highly helped the company by improving the
team work quality. But this was opined contradictorily by most of the employees in
the survey pointing out that cross-cultural teams in Sainsbury’s were average in
improving the quality of the team work and ethic. Thus it can be noted that a
contradiction occurs among the responses of the employees and managers and thus
a gap is noticed among the interview and survey results.
4.5 Summary
The researcher has analyzed and presented the qualitative and quantitative
information acquired from the managers and team members of the cross cultural
teams of Sainsbury’s. The qualitative information was obtained by the researcher
from the 2 managers of Sainsbury’s through the help of individual in-depth interview.
The researcher obtained the quantitative information by performing self-administered
survey on the 30 employees of Sainsbury’s. The researcher has employed tables,
bar charts and pie charts for evaluating the information acquired through the survey
27. analysis. The research findings pointed out that importance of cross cultural teams
for innovation was highly necessary in the workplace. Thus the researcher was able
to understand there needed improvement in the cross-cultural teams for innovation
in the workplace at Sainsbury’s as the employees suggested improvement in certain
areas.
28. CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Introduction
The main aim of this section is to analyze how the findings cop- up with the
objectives of the present research. Moreover the recommendations for achieving
effective performance of the concerned company were also given in this section. In
addition to that limitations and scope for further research was also described in this
chapter.
5.2 Conclusion
On the basis of the research objectives the researcher has discussed the
conclusions in this segment.
Objective 1: To evaluate the significance of cross-cultural teams in organizations
From the research findings it was found that cross-cultural teams played a significant
role in organizations. It was also understood that cross-cultural teams provided wide
variety of benefits’ to the organizations for attaining competitive advantage in the
industry. It also helped to cater the demands of the organizations globally and also
developed innovative products and services. In the literature review Shin et al. (2012)
reported that enforcing cross-cultural environment in the organizations provided
them with wide scope for innovations and also allowed the leaders to take effective
decisions in the work place. Thus both the secondary and primary results integrate
with each other. Thus it can be noticed that the main objective of the study was
attained by the researcher beneficially.
Objective 2: To analyze the factors that influences the effectiveness of cross-cultural
teams in organizations
It was identified from the findings of the research that the factors that influence the
effectiveness of cross-cultural teams in organizations were Diversity Champion’,
‘inspiring the Future’, team quality, communication, coordination and internal
mentoring programmes. It was also found that as most of the employees opined that
the team spirit and pride of the group was included in the factors that influenced the
effectiveness of Sainsbury’s cross-cultural teams. It was also found that group pride
and team spirit also enhanced the effectiveness of cross-cultural teams in
29. organizations. Rauch (2013) and Mach and Baruch (2015); Sembdner (2011) in the
literature review responded that the effectiveness of cross-functional teams highly
helped to deliver heterogeneous knowledge, communication, innovation, improved
innovation performance through increased creativity and teamwork quality etc.
Therefore it can be identified that a similarity occurs among the secondary and
primary information. And the second objective of the research study was
constructively attained by the researcher.
Objective 3: To assess the importance of cross cultural teams in nourishing
innovation in Sainsbury’s
It was understood from the findings of the interview that importance of cross-cultural
teams highly played a significant role in nourishing innovation in Sainsbury’s. The
digital lab an innovation process lead by a cross cultural-team highly helped the
company. From the findings of the survey it was obtained that as most of the
employees’ rated the effectiveness of Sainsbury’s cross cultural teams in fostering
innovation in the workplace as effective. Bouncken and Kraus (2013) in the literature
review reported that after the implementation of the cross cultural team of
Sainsbury’s it developed ‘Digital Lab’ which highly helped in developing innovative
products and services. Therefore it can be noticed that a correlation happens among
the secondary and primary data findings and the third objective was attained by the
researcher successfully.
Objective 4: To provide recommendations for improving cross cultural teams of
Sainsbury’s
The final and the fourth objective of the research study were to provide
recommendations for improving cross cultural teams of Sainsbury’s. This has been
provided by the researcher in the next section of this chapter.
5.3 Recommendations
The last and the fourth objective of the study were to provide recommendations for
improving cross cultural teams of Sainsbury’s. Based on the findings attained from
the interview and survey analysis the researcher has provided following appropriate
recommendations for improving cross cultural teams of Sainsbury’s.
30. To improve the cohesion factors for enhancing the quality of the team
The researcher has recommended Sainsbury’s to improve the cohesion factors for
enhancing the quality of the team so that it highly helps the company to achieve the
goals and objectives in an effective manner thereby fostering the innovations.
To improve communication and coordination among the cross cultural
teams
It was found from the research findings that the cross cultural teams lacked
communication and co-ordination. Thus the researcher suggested improving the
communication and coordination among the diverse cultural teams for enhancing the
effectiveness and quality of the team members.
To effectively motivate and train the diverse cultural team for enhancing
innovation level
The researcher has also recommended effectively motivating and training the
diverse cultural team for enhancing innovation level by adopting various motivational
and training programs. It was also recommended to enhance the efficiency of the
internal –mentoring training program Of Sainsbury’s for improving the performance
level of the cross-cultural teams so that they highly contributes towards business
innovations of the organization.
5.4 Research limitations
Due to the hindrances created by the cost and time the researcher had to reduce the
size of the samples to 2 managers and 30 employees of cross-cultural teams of
Sainsbury’s. The reduction in the sample size highly affected the quality of the data
collected and increased the possibilities of biasing in the study. Another limitation of
the study was induced by the descriptive analysis method. The researcher also
faced limitations in accessing the secondary data due to the inconsistency of the
secondary sources.
5.5 Recommendations for future studies
The researcher has recommended future researchers to adopt more number of
samples as small sample size adversely affected the reliability and validity of the
accumulated data. And it was also proposed to future researchers to adopt data
analysis techniques like regression analysis, correlation analysis etc. For getting
31. generalized conclusions the researcher recommended future researchers to adopt
more number of organizations. The researcher also suggested future researchers to
access wide range of secondary sources for getting an in-depth insight and
knowledge about the research topic and the research issue. For improving the
reliability of the research study the researcher proposed the future researchers to
include more research strategies such as case study, observations etc.
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37. APPENDIX
Interview questionnaire for the managers of Sainsbury’s, UK
1. In your opinion, what is the importance of having a strong cross-cultural team
in organizations?
2. What are the factors that you think that played a major role in influencing the
effectiveness of cross-cultural teams in Sainsbury’s?
3. How do you comment upon the adequacy of cross-cultural teams in
nourishing innovation in your organization?
4. Is the cross-cultural team in your firm is effective in fostering innovation in the
workplace? Do you have any suggestions for further improvement of cross
cultural teams at Sainsbury’s?
38. Survey questionnaire for the employees of Sainsbury’s, UK
Dear Participant,
I am glad to have you with me for my study. I greet you to reveal your experience
with Sainsbury’s to me. You have been selected for this survey analysis as you been
an employee of Sainsbury’s. My study topic is based on the importance of cross
cultural teams for innovation in the workplace and Sainsbury was selected by me for
my research. Kindly share your opinions on Sainsbury’s to me.
You are free to skip the survey at any time you feel discomfort with the analysis.
Please note that you will require a time of 10 minutes to answer the questions.
Thank you for your time and willingness to participate in the survey.
1. Please mention your age
22-30 years
32-40 years
42-50 years
Above 50 years
2. Please mention your gender
Male
Female
3. How long have you been the part of Sainsbury’s?
Less than a year
1-4 years
4-8 years
Above 8 years
4. What is your opinion about the cross-cultural teams in Sainsbury’s?
Excellent
Good
Average
Not up to the mark
5. Please rate the following on the basis of main contributions of cross-cultural
teams in Sainsbury’s (1- bad, 2- average, 3- good and 4- outstanding)
39. 6. In your opinion, which is the major initiative that has heralded the innovation
orientation in Sainsbury’s?
Nectar Loyalty Card
Sainsbury’s Digital Lab
‘Inspiring the Future’ campaign
Diversity Champion Programme
Others
7. According to you, what are the major factors that influence the effectiveness
of Sainsbury’s cross-cultural teams?
Team work quality
Interpersonal attraction of team members
Commitment to the team’s task
Group pride and team spirit
Communication
Coordination
8. How do you rate the effectiveness of Sainsbury’s cross cultural teams in
fostering innovation in the workplace?
Highly effective
Effective
Contributions of cross-
cultural teams
Bad Average Good Outstanding
Enhances creativity or
innovation
Enhances level of participation
in decision making
Improves team work quality and
ethic
Low uncertainty avoidance
Foster interaction process
Deliver heterogeneous
knowledge
40. Moderate
Not at all effective
I make sure you that the information you provide to me will be secured on your
privacy and confidentiality complying with the Data Protection Act of 1998. I also
guarantee you that this information will not be used by anyone else without your
consent. The information will be used only for academic purposes.
Thank you,
Name : SAAD KIDWAI
E-mail : saad.kidwai8@hotmail.co.uk
Contact No : +447761308551
