Creative Commons

This dissertation was written as part of the MSc in Strategic Product Design at the International Hellenic University. This study aims to investigate the imp act of multiculturalism on virtual/semi - virtual project collaboration. The assessment of the main factors that influence multicultural project performance, the interpretation of the challenges that observed among the multicultural team members, the clarifi cation of members’ different work mentality concerning their cultural background and the examination of project outcome in multicultural environment are the objectives of thi s dissertation topic. In order to answer the aforementioned, a structured qualitat ive research , based on a questionnaire in combination with in - depth interviews, has been con ducted . The sample group consists of f our ( 4 ) Greek managers experienced in multic ultural/cross - cultural virtual/semi - virtual project management, having key roles a t their companies and organizations. Results of the survey analysis shows that multiculturalism may influence negatively team’s performance and operation. Effective communication and individual trust are the main elements which are affected, while, in terms of impact on project outcome, project delay and extension of scheduled plan is the most common consequence.