Technology exchange as a corner-stone of cross-cultural engineering management

The growing globalization of enterprise has raised many cross-cultural management issues that involve both national and organizational cultures. Solutions sought through joint ventures have led to synergistic success, or to culture-clash induced failures. One frequent failure mode is in the area of any envisaged technology transfer. A more mutually acceptable and sustainable concept of 'technology exchange' is proposed on the basis of the totality of technology, including organizational, human and information components. Such a technology exchange framework increases the probability of success of a joint venture, of its management and of the project itself.