How do “invisible walls” become visible? Exploring the role of power dynamics in construction of subgroups in global teams

Abstract

Organizations often respond to the demands of global markets by using global teams. However, global team interaction is often hindered by the formation of subgroups and faultlines. While prior research has found that latent faultlines do not always become salient, less is known about the mechanisms that activate them into subgroups, as well as the ways in which power dynamics privilege certain groups and marginalize others. Drawing on intersectionality and Critical Cross-Cultural Management, and based on an ethnographic study of global teams in a high-tech organization, our findings reveal that team discursive practices shape when and how dormant faultlines (overlap of demographic characteristics) become activated into subgroups. Our analysis further suggests that while faultlines can make subgroups salient as “invisible walls” salient, they are discursively constructed – at both group and organizational levels – through power-laden discourses that shape whose voices are amplified or muted. This study contributes to research on faultlines in global teams by taking a discursive view of subgroups that highlights the role of power dynamics.