Introducing Project 3535: lessons learned from a multicultural collaborative research project on the work-family interface

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the ways in which Project 3535 represented a "best practices" approach in cross-cultural research with respect to theory and methodology as well as team processes. It also focuses on the team processes and present lessons learned from managing a multicultural collaborative research team. The theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches of Project 3535 were publicly announced in the early onset of the project in a publication. The authors have accumulated a great deal of knowledge about cross-cultural differences to develop and test a priori hypotheses/models concerning the role of culture in observed phenomena. The time of "safari researchers" visiting exotic places but staying aloof to the local culture has passed. In the 2016 meeting of the World Economic Forum, a global survey revealed that work-life balance was the top priority in choosing a job, second only to salary/benefits/financial incentives.