ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a review of the literature on the effects of cultural diversity on innovation in international teams. Innovation is generally defined as the implementation of new ideas or new combinations of elements previously considered separately. It differs from invention because it includes marketing or integration into a social environment. The information available to the team is all the greater as each member maintains links with a variety of external people. Postcolonial literature argues that cultural differences tend to be overvalued as an explanatory factor for diverse teams and that the power relationships inherent in organizational situations are to be considered first. The chapter presents a case study of a technical and organizational innovation in a project to build a tramway line in Algeria involving international teams. The case analysis shows how cultural dimensions and power games combine to give meaning to the commitment of the different actors in the dynamics of innovation.
