Purpose: Our purpose is to study how language proficiency and cross-cultural adaptation affect ethnically diverse teams in their cross-cultural communication competence. Methodology: The data was collected through six interviews of team members working in a product development project in a multinational company. The interviews were conducted in March of 2012. The data analysis followed an interpretative thematic analysis inspired by Boyatzis (1998). To analyze the data we have utilized some steps of the thematic analysis. With the analysis it was identified that ethnically diverse teams build language proficiency and cross-cultural adaptation. Findings: The findings from this research indicate that cross-cultural adaptation and language proficiency should be considered as important dimensions of cross-cultural communication competence within ethnically diverse teams. Language proficiency remains a challenge for many ethnically diverse teams and should be included in studies related to communication. Employees’ ability to adapt to the current environment and culture has an essential impact on team communication. Research limitations/implications: The research was done in a Multinational company based in Sweden within one team at Electrolux AB, therefore implications from our study may not be applicable to all ethnically diverse teams in Multinational companies globally.

台灣中小企業的發展歷程，從創造台灣經濟奇蹟的原始動力到1980年代後期起，因國內外環境改變而面對嚴重的挑戰並歷經重大的改變。直至今天更因全球化的衝擊，正面臨嚴苛的考驗。其中能成長為跨國大企業者，實在寥寥可數，而大部份均歷經生存與滅亡的不斷輪迴。加上台灣企業逐漸大型化，大型企業開始獲得台灣經濟的主導權，中小企業在台灣經濟的比重逐漸降低。然而，在全球供應鏈上，台灣不論是大型企業或中小企業大部份均只是扮演中段生產與代工的角色，供應鏈上的上游原料與材料技術卻無法占有一席之地。這樣的現況我們似乎只歸因於市場機制的優勝劣敗而鮮有進一步的具體解決方案與實際創新商業模式之深入探討。然而，從一些成功的案例我們發現其實有一些具特異性與價值性資源及能耐的中小企業在面對常態資源不足，市場生態丕變、與組織對應不良的困境中，善用自己的核心能力，從理論與應用科學的發展、核心能力的延伸與擴張，競爭策略的預應彈性與組織能力的強化做為變革的基礎，逐步發展其成功的創新商業模式。 本研究以”台灣中小型科技公司之競爭策略與競爭優勢”為架構，以” 噴墨列印產業 ”之利基創造為導入實例，進行對台灣中小企業科技核心能力的認知，應用策略、經營模式、與變革創新的階段性探討與分析。期能從競爭策略的面向，提出問題與理論驗證，並提出一成功營運模式的研擬。此外，再以其在高競爭障礙市場的成功實績，進一步探討台灣中小企業如何善用獨持資源與策略轉折，創新創造利基市場，由小做大，建立跨國的成功創新商業模式，甚至建立自有品牌。最後，期望本研究的理論參據與實績驗證的內容和建議對台灣中小企業在困境中的力爭上游能有所助益。 / Since the time of creating the original driving force of Taiwan's economic miracle to late 1980s, the development of Taiwanese SMEs has been facing serious challenges and experiencing major changes due to rapid changes in domestic and international environment. Even today they are facing a more severe test because of the impact of globalization, and very few of them are able to grow to large multinational companies while most of them have been going through the continuous cycle of survival and extinction. Furthermore, Taiwanese enterprises have become larger in scale gradually, and large companies have begun to gain dominance of Taiwanese economy. The proportion of SMEs in Taiwanese economy has gradually reduced. However, in the global supply chain, most of the enterprises in Taiwan, no matter SMEs or MNCs, play the role of “ production and OEM/ODM” and rarely place the upstream of the supply chain as suppliers of raw materials and technology. This current situation seems to be attributed to the market mechanism fitness and few further specific and practical solutions have been discussed and conducted earnestly into the innovative business model in depth. However, from a number of successful cases, we discover that there are some SMEs, who are capable of core competencies and special advantages yet inadequate resources and capabilities, the changing market ecology, and the plight of organization corresponding ability, have successfully developed their own business models by their core competencies and the development of theoretical and applied science, the precise implementation of extension and expansion of core competencies and the strengthen of pro- action flexibility of competitive strategies as well as the capability of organizing, and gradually achieved the innovation and progressive development of the unique successful business model. In this research, the technical core competences, application strategies, innovative transformation and new business model of Taiwan's SMEs will be carried into analysis and discussion based on the framework of " competitive strategy and competitive advantage of High-Tech SMEs in Taiwan " setting the foundation of "The ink jet printing industries" as an illustration. For each stage of competitive strategies, the questions will be presented with theories to verify, and the simulation of successfully-operated models will be brought out. In addition, from the successful examples in high competitive barrier market, this research will further explore how good Taiwanese SMEs are by using the core capabilities and strategy transition to gradually innovate the global niche market with successful innovative business models, and even establish their own brands. Finally, I hope the theoretical reference, content and recommendations of performance verification can be helpful to get through the plight of the striving SMEs in Taiwan.