A strong global culture is essential for productivity in multinational companies; however, a 12-year study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management reveals that many firms face barriers to success. Some global companies are hindered by a headquarters-centric approach that focuses on one-way communication from the corporate headquarters to the global outposts, while others view global culture on a linear continuum of weak to strong, while ignoring the complexity of cultural patterns within their organizations.