Use of Semiotics in an Emic Research: Opportunities and Implications

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to depict the use of semiotics for an emic research on the impact of cultural diversity on knowledge sharing in multicultural teams (MCTs). Empirical data through in-depth interviews was obtained from 59 Indian team members of an Indian product software company that operated globally. Semiotics was used as an interpretive tool to gather an emic perspective on this data. Three major semantic codes were drawn through the process of analysis. Each of these codes focused on the major research questions of the study. These codes bear important implications for the literature describing the impact of cultural diversity on team performance in MCTs with specific reference to India. The chapter validates the use of semiotics as an appropriate method for data analysis, thereby bearing important implications to the realm of qualitative research methods. It purports that words and expressions used by employees are important sign categories capable of providing emic insights into pertinent issues of cultural diversity that can impact on knowledge sharing in MCTs.