How grounded theory can open new doors to international management research.

This article discusses the use of grounded theory methodology (Glaser & Strauss 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1998) in international management research. Grounded theory aims at generating an understanding of social phenomena in the form of theoretical frameworks, which are derived from (“grounded in”) empirical data. We introduce certain challenges that arise when qualitative methodology is employed in international management research and propose that grounded theory methodology, with some adaptations, can meet these challenges. In order to illustrate our points, we present two examples from our own research activities. The first study deals with managerial decision-making and explores country-specific models of participation in five European countries. The second study concentrates on power development in virtual multicultural teams. The findings of the two studies suggest that grounded theory methodology is a powerful research tool that is particularly well suited for the exploration of meanings and cultural issues inherent in all areas of international management.