Project Management...Globalization And Cultural Diversity

Project Management… Globaliza4on and Cultural Diversity

Jorge L. Vargas, PMP

Introduc4on

•  Background –  Globaliza:on is a phenomenon involving the integra:on of economies,

cultures, governmental policies, and poli:cal movements around he world.

–  Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, etc. (Edward BurneF Tylor, Primi%ve Culture 1871)

•  Purpose –  Create awareness on why Globaliza:on and Cultural Diversity issues are

important for Project Managers.

•  Expecta:ons –  Ini:ate the learning process on how to improve our cultural intelligence,

as it applies to Project Management.

–  Present some of the ac:ons, tools, and techniques that will help develop cultural intelligence in a globalized environment.

Outline

EADS A380 Program Overview

•  Who’s EADS (European Aeronau:c Defense and Space Company) –  Is a large European aerospace corpora:on that develops and markets civil

and military aircraU as well as communica:on systems, missiles, space rockets, satellites and related systems.

•  What’s the A380 –  The largest passenger airliner in the world providing sea:ng from 525 to

853 people (depending on configura:on) and a range of 8,200 nau:cal miles.

•  Key Aspects –  Direct compe::on to Boeing’s 747 –  Highly sophis:cated avionics (Glass Cockpit) –  Use of advanced composites (Carbon, Glass and Quartz Fiber)

EADS A380 Program (con4nued)

EADS’s A380


•  Challenges –  11B Euro project delayed 2 years –  2B Euros in cost over runs –  Issues with wiring, wing’s strength, change control, etc. –  But the most cri:cal issue was…intercultural

–  Customers…unhappy with delays

–  Aerospace market…wai:ng

•  EADS was looking for delay’s root cause –  Performed an intercultural survey

(Ar:cle by Ian Stokes, 2006 Olsen Conseil, Two Billion Euros of Hurt)


Intercultural Survey Findings

•  French –  Respeceul of hierarchy –  Preference for a centralized execu:ve –  Less formal in their communica:on and decision making

•  Germans –  Extremely precise and organized

–  Respeceul of hierarchy –  Prefer collec%ve decision making


Intercultural Survey Findings (con4nued)

•  Bri:sh –  Totally focused on financial priori:es –  Indirect, informal, imprecise, unclear

–  Pragma:c, wanted prac:cal solu:ons

•  Spanish –  Strongly patrio:c and proud –  Considerate, relaxed, open, crea:ve, coopera:ve –  Tendency to be vague and unreliable


Intercultural Survey Findings -‐ Conclusion

•  Percep:ons between team members highly stereotyped –  French: Wanted a strong man at the top

–  Germans: Wanted more consensus

–  Bri:sh: Lament the absence of an economic solu:on

–  Spanish: Felt somehow inferior or not considered as equals


Intercultural Survey Findings -‐ Major Issues

•  Geographical –  Domes:c vs. Interna:onal

•  Ethnocentric –  Our way vs. Their way

•  Work styles –  Organized vs. Disorganized

•  Language –  Verbal and Physical

Bridging The Gap How do we bridge the Intercultural gap?

Let’s see…

Culture – Introduc4on

•  What is culture? –  A collec:ve programming of the mind which dis:nguishes the

members of one category of people from another (Geert Hofstede).

–  Lens through which we look at the world (Tom Verghese).

•  Culture is learned not inherited •  Culture influences:

–  How to dress –  How, what, and when to eat –  How to show feelings –  Marriage customs

–  Religious ceremonies

–  Leisure :me

•  We oUen fail to understand our own culture

Culture – Human Mental Programming Model

Personality

Culture

Human Nature

(Hofstede 2005)

Specific to individuals

Specific to group or category

Universal Inherited

Learned

Inherited and learned

Culture – The Three Culture Model

Our Unique Culture

Na:onal Culture

Personal Culture

Corporate Culture

(Adapted from Gardenswartz, Row, Dight & Bennett, 2003)

Culture – Components of Cultural Intelligence (CQ)

Behavioral Skills

Mindfulness Knowledge

(Thomas & Inkson, 2004)

CQ

Culture – Characteris4cs of Cultural Intelligence

•  Understanding of self •  Understanding of others •  Openness •  Humbleness •  Curiosity •  Hardiness •  Genuineness

Culture – Examples of Cultural Behaviors

•  Stereotyping

–  Categoriza:on that organizes our experience and guides our behavior towards groups (“Are they deaf?, They don’t understand!”).

•  Ethnocentrism

–  Belief in the inherent superiority of one’s group and culture (blocks the exchange of ideas and skills among people, it is polarized against others).

•  Parochialism –  Viewing the world solely through one’s own eyes and perspec:ve (“I’m always

right”).

•  Ethno-‐rela:ve

–  Understanding and seeing our culture as equal among other cultures (strive to accept, adapt, and integrate).

•  Reality

–  We unconsciously stereotype other’s

–  Others stereotype us

Culture – Intellectual Sensi4vity

Denial Defense Minimiza:on Acceptance Adapta:on Integra:on

Ethno-centric Ethno-relative

Tools and Techniques – Managing Cultural Diversity

“My Culture’s Way”

“Their Culture’s Way”

Cultural Dominance

Cultural Avoidance

Cultural Accommodation

Cultural Compromise

Tools and Techniques – Do’s & Don’ts Do Do Not

Analyze the iden4ty and background of the person whom you will be working.

Shout as your associates were deaf, or speak too fast.

Be prepared with informa4on about your country… facts and informa4on about you.

Use slang or terms borrowed from sports or other cultural context, e.g. “catch-‐22”

Respect your associates’ effort and willingness to communicate in your language.

Speak so slow that you are insul:ng; use idioma:c phrases, acronyms, or complicated sentences.

Be open minded and flexible. Judge or analyze others from your own cultural perspec4ve.

Listen ac:vely and test for understanding, and encourage your cross-‐cultural friends to do the same.

Become short-‐tempered or impa4ent if someone wishes to build a rela4onship with you before they get down to business.

No:ce non-‐verbal communica:on – watch people’s eyes, face and gesture to pickup non-‐verbal clues.

Underes:mate the importance of non-‐verbal communica:on – how you hold yourself, move, dress, use your hands, look at people; your inflec:on and facial expressions are important.

(The Invisible Elephant, Tom Verghese 2007)

Tools and Techniques – Do’s & Don’ts

Do Do Not

Respect other team members prac4ces related to religious and/or poli4cal affilia4ons and accommodate them in accomplishing the project schedule. This may include: prayer 4mes, observance of holydays, dietary restric4ons, dress code, etc.

Consider your loca4on’s religion and/or poli4cs and it’s prac4ces as the only ones.

Learn and be sensible to Ethnic issues that maybe present among team members.

Despise Ethnic sensi:vity or consider it not important.

Foster diversity in your team’s composi4on. AFribute team’s performance to Ethnic differences.

Respect and manage behavioral diversity. Manage behavioral diversity as a nuisance.

Understand that work pace varies among team members.

Take disagreement or work style differences as a personal acack.

Learn and adapt to diverse communica4on styles.

Let your emo4ons hamper communica4ons.

Tools and Techniques (con4nued) Language, Protocols, Knowledge

•  Learn to speak a relevant foreign language –  Fluency is not required –  Learn the six basics

•  Yes, No, Please, Thank you, Hello, Good-‐bye (English) •  Ja, Nein, BiFe, Danke, Hallo, Auf Wiedersehen (German)

•  Oui, Non, s'il vous plaît, Bonjour, Au Revoir (French) •  Pay aFen:on to formali:es and protocols (Handshakes, etc.)

•  Be a sympathe:c na:ve listener (Listen around the words) •  Target country knowledge

–  History Overview / Economic System / Social Structure and Ethnicity

•  Integra:on Ac:vi:es –  Workshops, games, training, etc.

Learning's

•  EADS A380 –  Learned, adapted and conquered –  A380 is a marvel of modern aerospace engineering

•  Cultural Intelligence –  Iden:fy your areas of opportunity and develop them into strength's

–  Cultural intelligence is a soU skill, nurture and develop it •  Mindset

–  Eager to learn about cultures, our own and others –  Understand that there is beauty in diversity –  Globaliza:on and cultural diversity are here to stay –  We have to learn to adapt… and benefit from it –  It requires ac:ve involvement

PM BOK 4th Edi4on

•  Chapter 1 -‐ Role of a Project Manager

•  Chapter 2 -‐ Project Life Cycle and Organiza:on –  2.3 Stakeholders –  2.4.1 Organiza:ons Cultures and Styles

•  Chapter 6 -‐ Project Time Management –  6.4.2 Es:mate Ac:vity Dura:ons: Tools and Techniques

•  Chapter 9 -‐ Project Human Resource Management –  9.1.1.2: Enterprise Environmental Factors

–  9.3.2: Develop Project Team: Tools and Techniques •  Interpersonal Skills

–  Empathy, influence, crea:vity, group facilita:on

PM BOK 4th Edi4on (con4nued)

•  Chapter 9 (con:nued)

–  9.3.2 Develop Project Team: Tools and Techniques

•  Team-‐Building Ac:vi:es –  Improve interpersonal rela:onships

•  Ground Rules –  Clear guidelines

•  Co-‐loca:on –  Most ac:ve project members in the same physical loca:on (If possible)

•  Recogni:on and Rewards –  Recognize and reward desirable behavior

•  Chapter 10 – Project Communica:ons Management –  10.2.2.3: Communica:ons Models

•  Appendix G.7 – Poli:cal and Cultural Awareness

References •  PMBOK Guide, A Guide To The Project Management Body Of Knowledge

4th Edi:on, 2008 Project Management Ins:tute, ISBN 978-‐1-‐933890-‐51-‐7

•  The Invisible Elephant – Exploring Cultural Awareness 2nd Edi:on, 2007, Tom Verghese ISBN 0-‐9775967-‐0-‐2

•  Gestures – The DO’s and TABOOs of Body Language Around The World Revised and Expanded Edi:on 1998, Roger E. Axtell ISBN 0-‐471-‐18342-‐3

•  Mul4cultural Manners – Essen4al Rules of E4quece for the 21st Century Revised and Expanded Edi:on, 2005, Norine Dresser ISBN 13-‐978-‐0-‐471-‐68428-‐2

•  Cultural Intelligence – A Guide to Working with People from Other Cultures 2004, Brooks Peterson, ISBN 13-‐978-‐1-‐931930-‐00-‐0

•  Cultural Intelligence – People Skills for Global Business Copyright © 2003 David C. Thomas and Kerr Inkson

•  Two Billion Euros of Hurt, Olsen Conseil Ar:cle by Ian Stokes December 28, 2006

Ques4ons & Answers

Acknowledgement's

•  Enid T. Vargas, PMP

•  Ing. José A. Rodríguez, PMP •  Juan P. Gu:errez, Director, Opera:onal Excellence, BMS Manay, PR

•  Debbie A. Bouwens, Process Systems Manager, BMS Syracuse, NY

•  Jessica González, PMP, Business Essen:als, Inc.

•  Customers & Associates

Quote…

•  "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

Charles Darwin

For Further Informa4on

Jorge L. Vargas, PMP Tel. (787) 644-‐5300

Email: [email protected] hFp://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgelvargas

Project Management...Globalization And Cultural Diversity

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