Considering Culture in Project Management

Note: This was originally posted in a discussion as part of a Boston University Metropolitan College graduate-level course in Project Management with Professor Richard Maltzman.

Culture needs to be considered when planning an international project. If there is a large cultural distance, it can become one of the biggest challenges for the project (Rodrigues & Sbragia, 2013). Multicultural issues can be tied into the project management constraints of risk and resources (Schwalbe, 2018). Like any risk, this can be managed. Cultural distance can be managed through planning, training, team selection and team development.

The project manager should be more experienced, traveled and multicultural. Multicultural training either at the organizational or project level can ensure the team has multicultural competence.

Communication can be challenging due to both language issues and cultural respect. Further, expectations and assumptions can be incorrect. It is important for the project manager to understand key differences, such as the different understanding of time across cultures and local customs.

As part of an international organization, I manage projects with our teams in Europe and Asia. I act as a liaison for these teams across our broader organization, which is primarily based in the United States.

In one instance, I helped one of our European sales directors escalate to our head of global sales to resolve an issue. In this instance, my role was primarily to articulate what the director and I had aligned on, leveraging my communication skills as a native English speaker.

Finally, additional studies have created different measurements for how countries compare with regard to assertiveness, gender differentiation, future orientation, performance orientation and humane orientation (Javidan & House, 2001). These present different areas where cultural differences can affect projects or organizations.

References

Javidan, M. & House, R. (2001). Culture Acumen for the Global Manager: Lessons from Project GLOBE. Organizational Dynamics. Vol. 29 No. 4, pp. 298-305. Retrieved September 17, 2020 from: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.bu.edu/bsi/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=2581f2bc-eca3-4871-a9ae-12107b3bf013%40sdc-v-sessmgr03&bdata=JnNpdGU9YnNpLWxpdmU%3d#AN=4795160&db=bth

Rodrigues, I. & Sbragia, R. (2013, February 11). The Cultural Challenges of Managing Global Project Teams: a Study of Brazilian Multinationals. Journal of Technology Management & Innovation. Vol. 8, p38-52. 15p. Retrieved September 17, 2020 from: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.bu.edu/bsi/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=1361420d-32e9-4ecb-902e-c093d85743d3%40sdc-v-sessmgr01&bdata=JnNpdGU9YnNpLWxpdmU%3d#AN=124588826&db=bth

Schwalbe, K. (2017). An Introduction to Project Management, Sixth Edition. Minneapolis. Schwalbe Publishing.