Cross-Cultural Design Collaboration Between Nigerian and Chinese Industrial Designers: Dynamics, Frictions, and Knowledge Transfer

The intensification of Chinese investment in Nigerian manufacturing and consumer markets has generated unprecedented cross-cultural design collaboration between Nigerian and Chinese industrial designers, yet the dynamics, knowledge transfer patterns, and cultural frictions within these collaborations remain entirely unstudied. This doctoral research conducts the first systematic investigation of cross-cultural design collaboration between Nigerian and Chinese industrial designers, contributing original empirical knowledge and theoretical frameworks applicable to South-South design collaboration scholarship. Drawing on cross-cultural management theory, knowledge transfer frameworks, and design practice research, the study employs a multi-site qualitative methodology combining embedded observation of six joint design development projects, in-depth interviews with forty-eight Nigerian and thirty-six Chinese designers and project managers, and analysis of collaboration artefacts including design briefs, prototype documentation, and communication records. Grounded theory analysis of the resulting dataset identifies four dominant collaboration dynamic patterns: productive tension, productive complementarity, asymmetric knowledge extraction, and cultural impasse. The study introduces the concept of Design Translation Friction to theorise the specific challenges of cross-cultural design meaning-making distinct from general cross-cultural management friction. An original Cross-Cultural Design Collaboration Protocol is developed, specifying practices that sustain productive exchange while mitigating asymmetric knowledge extraction and cultural impasse risks. The Protocol is validated through structured review by practitioner panels in Lagos, Abuja, and Guangzhou. Contributions advance cross-cultural design research, South-South development scholarship, and design diplomacy theory. Keywords: cross-cultural design, Nigeria-China collaboration, knowledge transfer, design friction, South-South cooperation.