Building a Hybrid Culture in Multinational Military Operations: The Perceptions of Eufor Peacekeepers on Collaboration and Negotiation for a Better Information Sharing

Information sharing describes the exchange of data between various organizations and people. A hybrid culture based on collaboration and negotiation may pave the way for better information sharing within an organization. In the meantime, the nature of the organizational work is changing with the help of globalization, technological developments, complexity and today’s sophisticated social and political problems. To remain competitive and to gain an advantage of these developments by solving conflicts effectively (Hocker and Wilmot, 2009), some new “multinational collaborative work arrangements” are being established both in civilian and military multicultural working environments. These working environments are also in place for military multinational military operations (Pedersen, 2001). In fact, if the cultural diversities are being managed well, organization can use advantages of this situation. In this case, the concepts “collaboration” and “negotiation” have become much more vital to manage the intercultural process effectively, to prevent some misunderstandings and create a better information sharing between the partners.

The research questions of this study are;

 

• How diverse military groups in a multinational military operation are united under one umbrella to achieve a better information sharing?
• What are the similarities and differences in definitions of “negotiation and collaboration” across different cultures?
• How to create a “third-hybrid culture” in multinational military operations?

The methodology of the study is based on qualitative research methodology. An interview to explore these research questions -designed by the writer while he was the Chief of Capacity Building Department at EUFOR in 2012- was applied face-to-face to 55 peacekeepers of 13 different countries within EUFOR Peace Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April-October 2012. The gathered data will be analyzed by “content analysis” method to find out the answers to research questions and to propose strategies on a better information sharing within the light of the findings.