Samarbejdskultur og organisatorisk udvikling i en global organisation: At skabe en fælles kultur på tværs af Grønland og Danmark

Abstract

When organizational collaboration takes place across national and cultural boundaries, it challenges existing ways of working, communicating, and learning. This thesis presents a qualitative case study of Royal Greenland, focusing on employees’ experience of collaboration culture. We address how previous colonialism can continue to influence the present, in an organizational context. This thesis explores the dynamics of intercultural collaboration between the Greenlandic and Danish departments, using the concept of organizational learning alongside a theoretical framework of Michel Foucault’s concept of power and Sara Ahmed’s theory of affect and diversity. Royal Greenland serves as an ideal case study due to its role in bridging these two distinct cultural worlds, with complex power relations shaping internal cooperation. With inspiration on Sandra Harding’s view on standpoint and Donna Haraway’s concept of situated knowledges we reflect on how knowledge is shaped by both our own and the participants’ positions. We use Jürgen Habermas’ distinction between the lifeworld and the systemworld to understand how everyday experiences and values interact with formal structures and rules in the organization. Through methodological triangulation, we examine the challenges and opportunities for organizational development within this context. This research is based on 11 interviews with 12 employees from both the Greenlandic and Danish departments, alongside a document analysis of Royal Greenland’s new strategy, Inua 2027. Our findings indicate that employees at Royal Greenland experience power asymmetries in the collaboration between the Greenlandic and Danish departments. These asymmetries are primarily systemic and embedded in organizational structures, communication norms, and decision-making practices. Findings also indicate that employees attempt to counterbalance these dynamics through strategies rooted in their lifeworlds such as bridge-building practices. These dynamics reflect the postcolonial legacy and highlight the challenges of implementing genuine inclusion. However, the results also suggest that Royal Greenland holds a latent developmental potential: if employee experiences are acknowledged and valued, they can serve as a foundation for organizational change and inclusive transformation. This thesis conclude that Royal Greenland’s collaboration culture is marked by postcolonial power asymmetries and cultural misrecognition. Despite this, employees show strong commitment and engage emotionally and relationally across departments. These experiences hold potential for organizational learning if truly acknowledged. Keywords: Collaboration, Culture, Postcolonial structures, Power, Affect, Diversity Organizational change, Organizational learning.

Kolofon: Denne side er en del af AAU Studenterprojekter — Aalborg Universitets studenterprojektportal. Her kan du finde og downloade offentligt tilgængelige kandidatspecialer og masterprojekter fra hele universitetet fra 2008 og frem. Studenterprojekter fra før 2008 kan findes i trykt form på Aalborg Universitetsbibliotek.

Har du spørgsmål til AAU Studenterprojekter eller Aalborg Universitets forskningsregistrering, formidling og analyse, er du altid velkommen til at kontakte VBN-teamet. Du kan også læse mere i AAU Studenterprojekter FAQ.

A master thesis from Aalborg University

Samarbejdskultur og organisatorisk udvikling i en global organisation: At skabe en fælles kultur på tværs af Grønland og Danmark - Et casestudie i Royal Greenland A/S

[Collaboration Culture and Organizational Development in a Global Organization: Creating a Shared Culture Across Greenland and Denmark - A Case Study of Royal Greenland A/S]