ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with methodological issues in international HRM research exemplified by an ongoing research project by an academic research team based in Vienna.1 The objective of our project is to investigate the differences and similarities in co-operation patterns of work groups in different cultures and countries. From a methodological point of view we chose the qualitative approach as a promising basis for cross-cultural research. Qualitative research means that the emphasis lies on processes and meanings. It emphasizes the socially constructed nature of reality, the relationship between the researcher and what is studied and the situational constraints that shape inquiry (Denzin and Lincoln 1994:12).
