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This paper aims to analyze the skills and attitudes development of multicultural teams. In todays’ environment, business interconnectivity and multicultural societies are becoming the normal way of living. Although students are increasingly facing multicultural learning environments, their awareness and willingness or harmonious and productive learning in these environments need to be prepared for in a systematic manner. Therefore, it is necessary that the students are conscious of their commonalities and differences with other students to gain cultural competence. Students’ progress in developing their cultural intelligence is determined by co-operative social skills and the amount of interactions in a multicultural environment.

The research was conducted using a quantitative methodology. The questionnaire development roots in a students’ self-assessment scheme proposed by Armstrong (Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania) covering the progress made during the participation in an intercultural project.

The research findings relate to attitudes toward developing and sharing knowledge, stress, learning and task orientation, intercultural communication and cultural awareness skills related to the impacts of culture on the different ways of learning when working in multicultural teams. The study confirmed that knowledge gains and competence progress are higher in international teams compared to national teams.

To provide for better differentiation as to the student profile, e.g., nationality, cultural categories, a larger sample size is suggested.

The study might be seen as a road map for universities and international companies alike for imparting cognitive, affective and behavioral competencies.

This study complements previous studies investigating the phenomenon of stress with multi-cultural complexity in more long-term durations. It implies stress factors to appear also in short-term multi-cultural exposures.

Effectively managing the cultural environment is an important stepping stone towards international business success. Cultural problems, especially between partners coming from diametrically different cultural categories represent one of the key challenges of knowledge management in international business co‐operations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of controversial cultural attitudes on collaboration and the use of most diverse knowledge capital of employees being regarded as a key resource for innovation and competitive advantage.

Based on a comprehensive literature review, the very extensive data collection phase, applying the case study method, was carried out over a 13 month period. It mainly consisted of in‐depth interviews requiring 23 of them to reach theoretical saturation, non‐participant and participant observation (seven), focus groups (four) and fieldtrip notes in two culturally diverse Russian and Austrian research settings. Theoretical sampling was used to select the participants. The grounded theory method of constant comparative analysis was used to analyze the gathered data.

The attitude towards sharing the precious resource of diverse employees' knowledge regarded as a prerequisite to international business success is influenced by national cultures. Protective attitudes for knowledge sharing limit the growth of humans' and the company's development. This paper suggests that providing the appropriate knowledge management tools and environment, especially referring to the soft aspects of emotions, will enhance and even change former institutionalised and ingrained patterns of behaviours. Therefore, the paper sheds light on the knowledge sharing contingency depending more on a social‐cognitive state rather than a static hierarchical status.

The paper poses two innovative organizational memory conceptualizations based on respondents' needs and demands entailing a synthesis of knowledge management and interpersonal interactions to achieve the highest level of efficiency and high degrees of knowledge sharing and absorption. It bridges the gap of purely knowledge based and unemotional management tools towards a lively and engaging tool. This would appear to be the first time that an investigation of this type has been conducted explaining culturally influenced factors of knowledge management in Eastern and Western European co‐operations.

In order to win the global race for innovation as a source for competitive advantage, many companies enter into any kind of business co‐operation. Beyond intending to grow merely quantitatively, co‐operation partners should target to commonly create new knowledge and to transfer knowledge as a basis for qualitative growth. This apparent deficiency of practitioners is compounded by a lack of theory and empirical research on intercultural knowledge transfer. This task becomes even more daunting, when co‐operation partners transcend borders, and the knowledge transfer process becomes impacted by national cultures. This paper aims to present empirical research that illuminates the effects which national cultures have on the transfer of knowledge between Central/Eastern Europe (CEE) using Russia as a case study, and Western European partners.

The paper applies a phenomenological approach applying grounded theory for data generation and analysis. The research method is a case study, and as research techniques 11 interviews with senior Russian managers and academics were conducted and three participant observation events in Russian settings were chosen. The researchers applied a fundamental shift from a mere comparative study of cultural differences to the study of interactions.

This stage of the research presents a reflection on Eastern perceptions on Western knowledge transfer methodologies related mainly to the content of the knowledge as well as the attitudes when transferring knowledge. In addition, a self‐reflection on the characteristics of the Russian knowledge receivers is provided.

Limitations of this research refer to a lack of differentiation as to ownership, type of co‐operation, company size or industry type. It has to be underlined that the focus of the research was to concentrate on the holistic problems that were not sufficiently addressed in previous research. On this basis more specific and differentiated further research can be conducted.

This research aimed to develop an understanding of why Eastern and Western European partners experience different barriers when transferring and receiving knowledge and provides recommendations to overcome the barriers. It facilitates an understanding of the feelings and obstacles in the learning process between Russian and Western European partners serving as a reflective and eye‐opening starting point for urgently required theory generation and change of attitudes. The paper contributes to the development of a coherent body of knowledge in the field. Contemporary authors criticise the lack of research on a dyadic level and theory on intercultural knowledge transfer. This research addresses these shortcomings by having selected respondents that are currently involved in Eastern/Western co‐operations and by comparing Eastern and Western perspectives at a later research stage.