Dealing With Cultural Dispersion: a Novel Theoretical Framework for Software Engineering Research and Practice

Software development is fundamentally a team-driven process; researchers in software engineering have identified various human and social factors that can significantly impact it. Culture emerged as a critical element, and the diversity deriving from cultural differences can be highly impactful both positively and negatively. Despite existing knowledge about how culture influences software development, limitations persist. Most importantly, a unified and comprehensive (grounded) theory of how cultural differences influence and are managed in software development has yet to exist. This lack has two significant consequences: (1) it makes research on culture fragmented, leading to the continual definition of new concepts that do not allow state of the art to advance significantly, and (2) it reduces the ability of the research to be transferred to practitioners since there is no framework designed to be understood and used by them. To address the above-mentioned limitation, this work proposed a theoretical framework of "Dealing With Cultural Dispersion," which focuses on challenges and benefits originating from cultural differences and strategies for dealing with them. Such a framework was developed through a qualitative study using an iterative research approach, including interviews and socio-technical grounded theory for data analysis. The proposed framework was designed to reveal the tangible effects of practitioners’ culture in software development, allowing software teams to (1) clearly understand the problem and (2) implement the correct strategy for addressing it. Additionally, researchers can use this framework as a foundation to (deductively) develop a more robust and comprehensive theory in this field.CCS CONCEPTS•Software and its engineering → Software organization and properties;•Social and professional topics → Cultural characteristics; Geographic characteristics.LAY ABSTRACTSoftware development is a collaborative process influenced by human and social factors. Cultural diversity has a profound impact, both positively and negatively, on this dynamic field. However, current research lacks a unified theory addressing how cultural differences affect and are managed in software development, resulting in fragmented knowledge and limited applicability to practitioners. To bridge this gap, this study introduces the "Dealing With Cultural Dispersion" framework. Developed through qualitative research methods, including interviews and socio-technical grounded theory, the framework sheds light on challenges and benefits arising from cultural differences in software teams. It serves a dual purpose: providing practitioners with a tool to understand and address cultural issues in their projects, and offering researchers a foundation to develop a more comprehensive theory in the field. By employing a holistic approach, the framework allows software teams to gain a clear understanding of cultural influences and implement tailored strategies for effective collaboration. This not only addresses current limitations in research but also empowers practitioners with a practical framework for navigating cultural diversity in the realm of software development.