Preventing Communication Misalignment in Multicultural Hybrid Engineering Teams

Abstract

The adoption of Global Delivery Models (GDMs) and hybrid work arrangements has transformed how communication and coordination are carried out within project-based organizations (PBOs). Although these structures enable organizations to leverage larger competence networks and achieve greater flexibility, they simultaneously increase the complexity of communication, coordination, and alignment between geographically dis tributed units. The aim of the thesis is to examine how communication challenges emerge and how leaders structure communication and feedback to facilitate shared understanding in multicultural hybrid project-based engineering teams. The study was conducted in collaboration with a Scandinavian engineering consultancy operating through a Global Delivery Model. The empirical material consists of 22 semi-structured interviews with project managers, discipline leaders, and engineers across Sweden, Denmark, Poland, India, and Lithuania, as well as observations of project meetings. Using a qualitative and abductive research design, the study explores communication and coordination processes in multicultural and geographically distributed engineering teams. The findings indicate that communication challenges are primarily related to differences in how information is interpreted across cultural, disciplinary, and geographical boundaries rather than to a lack of communication itself. Communication misalignment was found to emerge through implicit assumptions, differing expectations regarding hierarchy and feedback, linguistic inconsistencies, and reduced contextual awareness in hybrid settings. The results further demonstrate that leaders can support alignment through explicit clarification, continuous verification of understanding, adaptive communication practices, and regular follow-up.