The Impact of Language Asymmetry on Knowledge Sharing in Multicultural Virtual Teams

You are invited to take part in a research study for a master’s dissertation at the University of Glasgow. The study explores how language differences within multicultural virtual teams may influence psychological safety and knowledge sharing.


You are eligible to take part if you:

·l are aged 18 or above;

·l have worked or studied in a multicultural team;

·l have collaborated partly or fully online with team members;

·I have used a shared working language, such as English, within that team.

The following questions are used to confirm whether this questionnaire is relevant to your experience.

Have you ever worked or studied in a team with members from different cultural or national backgrounds?
Did this team collaborate partly or fully through digital technologies, such as email, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, WhatsApp, WeChat, or other online platforms?
Did this team use a shared working language to communicate?
Was your experience in this team within the last three years?
What was the main shared working language used in this team?

Please think about one specific multicultural virtual team that you have worked or studied in.

For this questionnaire, a multicultural virtual team means a team in which:

·l members came from different cultural or national backgrounds;

·l members collaborated partly or fully online;

·l members used a shared working language to complete tasks.

Please answer the following questions based on this specific team experience.
What type of team was this?
Approximately how many members were in this team?
How long did you work or study with this team?
How virtual was this team’s collaboration?
What were the main communication channels used by this team? Please select all that apply.
Was the shared working language your first language?
How would you rate your own proficiency in the shared working language used by this team?

Please indicate the extent to which you agree with each statement based on the specific multicultural virtual team you selected.

Scale:

1 = Strongly disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neither agree nor disagree

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly agree

In this team, differences in language fluency affected who participated more in discussions.

Members with stronger skills in the shared working language had more influence in team communication.

Some members seemed less confident to express ideas because of their language proficiency.

Accent, grammar, vocabulary, or fluency differences affected how seriously some members’ contributions were taken.

Language ability created unequal opportunities for members to express their views.

Some members hesitated to share knowledge because they were worried about how they communicated in the shared working language.

Members with weaker command of the shared working language had the same opportunity to contribute as other members.

In this team, members felt safe to ask questions when something was unclear.

Members could admit mistakes or uncertainty without fear of negative judgement.

Members felt comfortable expressing different opinions in online discussions.

It was easy for members to ask others for help.

Team members respected contributions even when they were not perfectly expressed.

Members felt able to share incomplete or developing ideas for discussion.

Members were worried that speaking up could make them look incompetent.

I regularly shared task-related information with other team members.

I shared my experience or know-how when it could help the team.

I proactively offered suggestions or ideas through online communication channels.

I helped other members understand information they needed to complete team tasks.

Team members exchanged useful background or contextual knowledge, not only formal task information.

I was willing to share incomplete ideas for discussion with the team.

 I often kept useful knowledge to myself rather than sharing it with the team.

Section 5: Demographic and Control Variables

The following questions are used only to describe the sample and support data analysis. Please do not provide your name, organisation name, or any information that could identify you or other people.
What is your age group?
What is your current status?
What is your highest completed level of education?
Which broad field best describes your team experience?
Which region are you currently based in?
How many languages do you use regularly for study or work?
Have you previously had experience working or studying in international or multicultural teams before the team you selected for this questionnaire?
Overall, how frequently did this team communicate online?
If you would like to add any brief comment about communication, language differences, psychological safety, or knowledge sharing in multicultural virtual teams, you may do so below. Please do not include names or identifying information.

Thank you for taking part in this study.

Your response has been submitted anonymously. Your participation will contribute to a better understanding of how language-related differences influence communication and knowledge sharing in multicultural virtual teams.
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