Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Multiculturalism remains a desirable, yet challenging, dream to realize in the modern workplace. Field research was conducted to investigate multicultural dynamics at a multinational, multilingual organization, headquartered in Japan. This ethnographic case study documents sensemaking cues U.S.-based subsidiary employees used to understand the meaning of their own cultural identity status within the multinational organization’s culture. Findings revealed that subsidiary employees perceived conflicting cues from the organization, which created an ambivalent sensemaking environment with both “Green Lights” (indicating support for multiculturalism) and “Red Lights” (indicating resistance to it). The study offers insights into a liminal stage that can exist between pluralism and multiculturalism within a single organization, documenting ambivalent cues, and advancing research on sensemaking in multicultural contexts.
Authors: Rebecca J. Greer, Ryan S. Bisel
Institutions: University of Kentucky, University of Oklahoma
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7204083248