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Global project management: Communication, collaboration and management across borders Drawing inspiration from the 17th-century samurai Miyamoto Musashi who developed the Nitoryu style of handling two swords at the same time, this workshop will address the challenge of being assertive, quick, and to the point in one culture, while succeeding in being unassertive, patient, and somewhat indirect in another. Learning outcomes • Understand the framework for effective cross-cultural project management • Discover tools and techniques in Trust building, conflict resolution, influencing, negotiating Communication channels management Project meetings organization Use of the English language Selection of Human Resources Knowledge sharing for a project team that spans different locations, time zones, cultures and languages. Topics • Cultural dimensions analysis • Global project leadership • Communication • Project structure • Collaborative tools
Citation preview
Global Project Management Communication, Collaboration and
Management Across Borders
George Liakeas, PMP
Page 1
Preface◘ Organizations are taking advantage of geographically distributed skills, round-the-clock operations, and virtual teams while struggling to obtain acceptable levels of efficiency and quality from global projects.
Page 2
Program Objectives (1 of 3)
◘ To journey into the world of multiculturalism.
◘ To comprehend the global aspect of interculturalism.
◘ To understand different cultures in this era of global environment.
◘ To comprehend the challenges & opportunities of intercultural negotiation.
Page 3
Program Objectives (2 of 3)
◘ Identify opportunities strategies in a diverse workforce.
◘ Manage to interact fruitfully with people of unique values & backgrounds.
◘ Enhance your competitive positioning through understanding the different values of people.
◘ Expatriates: tips for adaptation in an intercultural environment.
Page 4
Program Objectives (3 of 3)
◘ Enrich your organizational strategies & outcomes.
◘ Improve interactivity in a cross-cultural environment.
◘ Understand the religious beliefs & practices that shape behaviors.
◘ Underline stereotypes & prejudices that take place into our understanding of other cultures.
Page 5
Global Environment This is the era of global interactivity.
Countries, businesses, institutions, organizations, & individuals interact nationally & internationally.
Organizational management no longer runs as usual.
Businesses, organizations, & institutions are delineating their management approach on global perspectives.
Page 6
Global Project challenges◘ Distant Locations◘ Number of different organizations◘ Country cultures◘ Different languages◘ Time zones
Page 7
Perfect communication can result in total misunderstanding
• A high context culture information is either in the physical context or internalized in the person with less communicated in the explicit words or message
• Leaders of global projects must be bilingual
Page 8
• Restrict the use of English words to their most common meaning
• Select words with few alternate meanings (e.g. accurate instead of right, 1 vs. 27 meanings)
• Become aware of alternate spellings (e.g. organization, centre)• Conform to basic grammar rules more strictly• Avoid terms borrowed form sports (“can’t get to first base”) or
literature (“catch-22”)• When addressing someone you do not know well, keep the
tone formal while expressing personal interest or concern
Page 9
Use of the English language
Build Intercultural Relations (1 of 9)
■ Sense of Respect■ Patience■ Listening ■ Silence
■ Observation■ Openness■ Divergence■ Minimize Antagonism
Page 10
Consider This
“Culture Shock”♦ This term was first introduced by Kalervo Oberg
in 1954.
♦ Culture shock includes anxiety & feelings caused by surprise, uncertainty, confusion, & disorientation.
♦ Anxiety caused when people have to operate within a different & unknown cultural or social environment.
Page 11
Trust Building
The belief or confidence in a person or organization's integrity, fairness and reliability (Lipnack & Stamps)
• Identify the level of trust required based on the project complexity, project schedule, number of different locations, number of different cultures, number of different organizations and number of new relations
Page 12
Diversity Activities and Ice-Breakers• Who I Am
This activity allows the learners to share their culture roots and to learn about each other.
• I Want You To Know Share the experiences of various cultural groups and listen to one another.
• Getting To Know You To learn about each other.• The Herman Grid To discover that first impressions of people are not always true.
Page 13
Diversity Activities and Ice-Breakers
Page 14
Long-term trust
Depending on the level of PM maturity, either
• Organize a lessons-learned session to identify aspects that contributed to increasing the level of trust, or reduced it.
• Organize an informal event and identify the comments that relate to trust.
Page 15
Conflict
• The unitary perspective sees consensus as the ideal state, and conflict as a malfunction with harmful effects on projects. Resolution consists of identifying and eliminating the root causes of conflict
• People from individualist societies are educated under the pluralist perspective and see conflict as positive . Resolution consists of reconciliation of different parties interests, using plan, objectives and strategies
• The interactionist perspective sees group cohesion as bad, and encourages both conflict stimulation and management of conflict
(Buchanan and Huczynski)
Page 16
Definition: Culture
Page 17
‘Culture is what is left if you forgot all else’
Eduard Herriot
‘Culture is what is left if you forgot all else’
Eduard Herriot
Definition: Culture
Page 18
Collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another(…)The mind stands for the head, heart and hands - that is, for thinking, feeling, and acting, with consequences for beliefs, attitudes and skills(…) Culture in this sense includes values (Hofstede, 2001)
Collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another(…)The mind stands for the head, heart and hands - that is, for thinking, feeling, and acting, with consequences for beliefs, attitudes and skills(…) Culture in this sense includes values (Hofstede, 2001)
Definition: Culture
Page 19
Our own culture is like water to a fish. It sustains us. We live and breathe through it (Trompenaars, 2005)
Our own culture is like water to a fish. It sustains us. We live and breathe through it (Trompenaars, 2005)
Cultural aspects basic model
• Sense of self• Communicational language• Dress and appearance• Food and eating habits• Time and time-consciousness• Relationships• Values and norms• Beliefs and attitude• Mental process and learning• Work habits and practices
Page 20
Culture and project management
• Symbols• Heroes• Rituals
• Values: Tendencies and preferences over different aspects of social or professional life.
Page 21
Cultural Dimensions (Hofstede)
• Power distance– How individuals from different cultures handle the fact that people are unequal.
• Individualism and collectivism – Classifies countries according to their relationship between individuals and societies.
• Masculinity and femininity– Degree of gender differentiation. Ideals are economic growth, progress, material success and performance.
Page 22
Cultural Dimensions (Hofstede)
• Uncertainty Avoidance– Reflects the resistance to change and the attitude to taking risks
• Long-term Orientation– People from short-term oriented cultures tend to give high importance to values such as quick results and give more attention to personal stability.
Page 23
Cultural dimensions matrix
Page 24
Page 25
Dilemmas
"Imagine you're in a car driven by a close friend of yours. He's speeding - going 50mph where you're allowed to go 30mph - and he hits a pedestrian. It comes to court and the lawyer of your friend says, 'Don't worry, you're the only witness.' Two questions: first of all, what is the right of your friend to expect you to testify to the lower figure? And, secondly, should you lie?"
Page 26
Cultural Dimensions (Trompenaars)
• Universalism vs. Particularism – Defines how people judge the behavior of their colleagues.
• Individualism and Communitarianism• Achievement vs. Ascription• Neutral vs. Affective• Specific vs. Diffuse• Human-Nature relationship (internal vs. external control)
• Human-Time relationship Page 27
Page 28
Cultural framework
Page 29
Cultural framework
• Low Context: Be quick & to the point, Be prepared for rational arguments
• High Context: There are many ways to get things done, respect a person’s title, age, background connections
• Predictability-oriented: Be specific and precise• Uncertainty-tolerant: Be prepared for vagueness, recognize that it
may take longer to make decisions• Monochronic: One activity at a time, schedule in advance, be
prompt, relationships are subordinate to schedules, follow initial plans
• Polychronic: Do more than one activity at a time, appointments are approximate, schedules are subordinate to relationships
Page 30
Cultural framework
• Group focused: Show patience for time taken to consent, negotiators agree tentatively & then consult with superiors, Importance is on lasting relationships
• Individual focused: Prepare for quick decisions, negotiators can commit, importance is on meeting the objective
• Equalitarian culture: Respect knowledge and information of the counterparts even if they are short of influence, use the title that reflects your competency
• Hierarchical culture: Respect the status and influence of the counterpart, even if they are shirt of knowledge, use the title that reflects your degree of influence in the organization.
Page 31
Corporate cultures
• The incubator is both person oriented and egalitarian. It is highly creative, incubating new ideas. Sharing excitement with fellow innovators
• The guided Missile : equalitarian, task oriented culture => there is a multidisciplinary project, and the team work aims at bringing it to a successful end. Meeting team objectives and group goals
• The family : the oldest form. It is hierarchical: the gap between “parents” = owners and “children” = employees is wide. Fulfilling your obligations to colleagues
• The Eiffel Tower : It does precise, detailed and routine tasks without errors. Fulfilling your job description as specified in advance
Page 32
Cultural frameworkMiyamoto Musashi & Nitoryu
Page 33
How to integrate• Always use culture in the context of business• Start with the business issue and then look into its cultural
aspect• Frame issues into dilemmas.
– Chart the dilemma so that the line can be cracked– Make the dilemma as specific as possible – Stretch the dilemma (positives & negatives)– Reconcile the dilemma (How can value X give more of
value Y)• Look into all levels and not only national• Create the process for constructive dialog• Celebrate the similarities while working on the differences• Work on key-issues and not all issues
Page 34
How to integrate• Be sensitive to other ways of :
– thinking– feeling– acting
• To be able to deal effectively with:
– customers– suppliers– clients– bosses– employees
Page 35
Stakeholders
• Persons and organizations whose interests may be positively or negatively affected by execution or completion of the project (PMI)
• People or groups who are interested on the performance and/or success of the project, or who are constrained by the project (ICB)
Page 36
Stakeholders commitment framework
• From ignorance to awareness• Understanding• Support• Involvement• Commitment
Page 37
Project Knowledge base
Page 38
Communication templates
• Colors• Drop-down menus• Automated filtering• Include legends and explanations• Allow identification of location
Page 39
Communication requirements matrixStakeholderInformation
Sponsor Steering committee
PM Project Coordinators
Members Customers Partners
Project Status
WP status
Org
Logistics
StandardsTemplates
Plan
Page 40
Stakeholders communication channels
Page 41
Communication techniques
• Project virtual room divided to levels with hyperlinks
• Status meetings– Stakeholders (changes on the register and their impact)– Communication plan– Validity of assumptions– Schedule– Issues & Corrective actions– Risks– Changes– Quality– Procurement– Minutes
Page 42
Global Project structure
• Centralised • Distributed with local Coordinators
• Distributed with functional Coordinators
• Round-the-clock project management
Page 43
Global team member’s skills
• Global communication• Global experience• Global thinking• Culture awareness• Technical capabilities in the communication tools• Self-discipline• Personal Confidence• Tolerance for ambiguity• Self-motivation• Self-efficacy• Organization• Concentration• Reduced social interaction• Openness and flexibility
Page 44
Global Collaborative networks
• Interests• Corporate cultures• Maturity levels on project management
• Maturity levels on processes and procedures
• Collaborative tools and communication techniques
Page 45
Global Collaborative networks
• Establish the purpose of the program/project• Prepare team charter• Define roles and responsibilities• Agree on common systems, structures, policies,t ools and
methods• Define a shared goal• Understand the different values and styles• Identify training an coaching needs• Organize social activities that allow relationship building and
the creation of informal networks• Monitor the effectiveness of the above
Page 46
Focus in communication infrastructure
• Ease of use and quality of telephones , email, audio and video conferencing, instant messaging, web conferencing.
• Documentation and procedures of technologies used.
Page 47
Communication recommendations
• Consider constant travelling, local holidays and vacations as possible reasons for delays
• Try to reply the important messages on the same day or provide an estimate on the reply date
• Remember to enable the ‘out of office’ message• Avoid acronyms, sarcasm, slang• Always state the time zone, date format you are referring to• Wait overnight to send emotional responses • Be careful when replying to messages sent to a large group of
people• Always include a short signature with contact details• Always keep the original text intact when forwarding a message• “Be conservative in what you send and liberal in what you receive”
(Hambridge)
Page 48
Communication recommendations
Avoid• E-mail for urgent information or requests• Adopting e-mails as the main communication tools, instead of
meetings, knowledge sharing tools and collaborative project management systems
• E-mail as a file transfer tool• Call after the e-mail• Create as many informal events as possible, especially in difusse,
low context cultures
Page 49
Communication recommendationsAudio conferencing• Issue the meeting request in advance along with the telephone number
details• Limit the duration to two hours by dividing the meeting into logical sections
(3h for video)• Commence the conference facilities prior to the starting time• Confirm that every invitee has joined• Speak slowly and clearly• Use mute when not talking• Proactively engage participants, note who is not participating , and invite
them by name to confirm their agreement, or voice their opinion• Capture all action points, confirm their ownership, and expected completion
date• When the time allocated is not enough, ask all if all participants are able to
continue.• Take special care for video conferencing (Conference room telephone
number, participants mobile numbers, allow time for technical issues)
Page 50
Project management software
• Network diagramming• Detailed schedule with colored indications• Milestone schedule• Risk log with automted warnings to owners• Issues log• Change control system• Progress report• Resources allocation • Integration with timesheet• Integration with financial systems• Schedule network analysis
Page 51
Seven sinsin a multicultural world
• Unawareness• Ethnocentrism• Amnesia• Professional myopia• Conceptual mix-up• Academic polemics• Level confusion
Page 52
Project management fundamentals
Be clear on the Business strategy including corporate objectives, business unit objectives, mission statements and vision
Have a concise elevator speech ready at all times Don’t waste time. It is the most precious resource Treat key projects as a portfolio of investments Clearly communicate key project deliverables and dates Clearly communicate and challenge key project assumptions.
They might be risks
Page 53
Project management fundamentals
Understand the project constraints Begin detailed project planning with clear formulation of
what has to be accomplished (product scope) and what has to be done (project scope)
Remember the triple constraint of scope, schedule and budget
Spend some extra time to turn unknown unknowns into known unknowns
Ask the tough EV analysis questions to determine if we are within budget and on schedule
Page 54
References
• Buchanan D. and Huczynski, A. (1997) Organizational Behavior : An introductory Text – third edition (Prentice Hall Europe, UK)
• Hambridge, S. (1995) Netiquette Guidelines (IETF)• Hofstede G. (2001) Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors,
institutions and Organizations across nations (Sage Publications, UK)• Lipnack J. and Stamps J, (1997) Virtual teams: reaching across space, time,
and organizations with technology (John Wiley and sons, USA)• Somers M. (2007) Coaching at work: Powering your team with awareness ,
responsibility and trust (John Wiley and sons, UK).• Trompenaars F. and Hampden-Turner C. (2005) Riding the waves of culture:
understanding cultural diversity in Business (Nicholas Brealey, UK)• Trompenaars F and Wooliams P. (2003) Business across cultures (Capstone,
UK)• Kerzner H (2004) Advanced project management: Best practices on
implementation (John Wiley & sons, USA)• Morrell M, and Capparell, Shackleton’s way (Penguin Books, 2001)• The world is flat, Friedman, T. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006• Managing cultural differences, Moran R. Harris P. and moran S. 2006
Page 55