2.2 Introduction

Culture is a notoriously difficult term to define and explain. In fact, it has become common to use the term as an explanation for many different phenomena. With regard to culture, it is important to stress that when we speak of cultural affiliation, we take it to mean not only nation states but our membership of a whole range of collectives such as age, gender, role, profession, region, education etc. Everyone is a member of many different cultures, some of which influence us greatly and some to a lesser extent. Each of us is therefore a ‘part’ member of many cultures. These cultures and thus collectives are not only numerous and lack sharp boundaries, but are also dynamic, and shaped by the constantly changing relationships and interactions between people.

If this is so, then how can we capture culture and interculturality? And what does this mean in the context of virtual teams? These are the questions we will explore in this session. Let us start by examining the concept of culture itself.