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Examines the culturally‐conditioned localization process of a Japanese multinational in the United States. Analyses the case of a dialogical relationship between Americanism and Japanism as perceived and executed by organizational sub‐groups that paralleled the functional degradation process of a Japanese‐English technical translation task. While different organizational sub‐groups used different cultural markers such as “insider/outsider”, “woman”, and “Asian” as “legitimate” categories of people in the firm, their contending rhetoric against the others became remarkably similar in purpose and binary opposition. Advocates more sensitivity to multiple processes of intra‐ and inter‐subjective dialogues and schema creation, and to the ingenuity of social agents who attempt to push for their vested interest versus those of the others in the global, capitalistic, post‐colonial world order. Multiple interpretations of Asian businesses in the United States are part of this new “structuation” process.

Addresses the third culture perspective and the relevance it has for intercultural co‐operation. Highlights the Gersdam case, a joint venture of a West and East German company. Describes the open‐minded attitude of the Dutch researcher and the consequences this had for a better mutual understanding in the joint venture. Predicts the increasing importance of the third culture perspective for cross‐cultural management where imagination will be increasingly necessary.