Corporate Culture in a Multinational Company- A Comparative Case Study between a Turkish and a Swedish Organization

Abstract: In a world where the number of multinational companies is growing, the creation of one shared global corporate culture has become essential to hold a company together. International companies strive to convey their corporate culture globally, in order to enable shared values and beliefs across borders. However, is a collective view of the corporate culture possible to achieve? The objective of this thesis is to identify potential differences of the corporate culture in a multinational company by comparing its Swedish and Turkish organization, and furthermore explain why these potential differences exist. The results of the research demonstrate that the members of the two organizations interpret the corporate culture differently although some cultural elements are similar. This result in two different actual corporate cultures, that mainly varies in hierarchical structure, communication, and entrepreneurial spirit. The authors explain the differences by the variation in national cultures and how those affect the behavior of the organizational members. Different cultural groups experience different things and 'the same things' differently. In conclusion, the authors suggest that a shared view of the corporate culture across borders is impossible to achieve. Further on, they consider that a unified corporate culture is not necessarily required and a strong corporate culture is rather achieved through a balance between local adaptation and global belonging.