From The Hague to Paris to Montréal: Knowledge transfer and cultural synergy in a multicultural organization

Abstract

This article shows how knowledge transfer can be useful in the field of cross-cultural management, in particular to better understand what several authors call cultural synergy. Defined as the ability to take advantage of interactions between people from different cultures to create a dynamic of cooperation and innovation in multicultural organizations, the concept, however, lacks some empirical illustration. Through an unusual field of research, we propose to draw lessons from an artistic organization, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, involved in the remounting of the Kaguyahime ballet by Czech choreographer Jiří Kylián, which will require the collaboration of a Dutch artistic direction, Quebec technicians, dancers from several countries and Japanese and Quebec musicians (Canadian). The focus on knowledge sharing at the center of this encounter allowed us to identify some steps and mechanisms that could be useful both in the theoretical conceptualization of cultural synergy and, from a practical point of view, in its concrete implementation. This will allow us to highlight that, in order to promote, the individuals involved, guided by a management team, will mobilize different identities to create the contact points necessary for cultural synergy.