X-Culture is collecting huge amounts of data. We are tracking over 2,000 variables: longitudinal, multi-level, multi-source, multi-method. Just about anything related to international teams and virtual collaboration – we measure it.

We have dozens of papers in development based on the data, but there are definitely many more good publications hidden in our database.

Additionally, I have been collecting datasets as part of the “mega-analysis” study and have now amassed over 100 original datasets related to measurement of culture and cross-cultural team dynamics. This project is now morphing into the WikiDemix.org data sharing platform. It is expected that this crowdsourcing approach will allow us to create a huge depository of data related to various International Business topics and beyond.

The problem is that even though over 480 IB professors have participated in X-Culture and most of them are interested in research, we never have time to talk about research. When we meet at conferences, we run from a presentation to presentation and don’t have time to sit down and talk about new research papers.

Plus, at conferences, we never have time to just sit down and talk. We run from a session to session for several days and come back home, at best, with a bunch of business card and don’t even remember the people who gave us those cards.

As you know, the 2016 AIB-SE conference was on a cruise ship. That experience was different. Quite a few X-Culture professors attended the meeting and we got to know each other much better and we spent much more time talking about research ideas and collaboration. Instead of running from a session to a session, we had breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. We had a day off on Cozumel where we went (together) to see ancient Mayan ruins, crocodile sanctuaries, snorkeling, played golf, attended performances, had lovely discussions about work and life, and more.

In those few days, we had gotten to know each other more than in the previous few years of communicating online and seeing each other at conference sessions. Plus, we brought home lots of interesting research ideas that came from those discussions.