Cross-Cultural Project Management for International Construction in China - Assignment Example

of the of the of the Assignment 2E Question One Part (a) The following issues need to be taken into consideration by an American manager while dealing with a Chinese team. The effectiveness of any global organization is critically dependent upon the presence of proper communication and intercultural understanding. Such organizations have a healthy working environment with productive collaboration among the culturally diverse staff. In the absence of sufficient intercultural understanding, the competence of the organization is placed in jeopardy (Yuan 188). Chinese culture and other cultures that enjoy a high social conscience, favor team work and arrive at decisions on the basis of group consensus. The North American culture, is quite contrary to this and accords great importance to individualism and individualistic reactions. The member of these cultures are intrinsically not team players (Pheng and Leong 308). As such, it is incumbent upon project managers to develop the skills necessary for successfully interacting with individuals whose behavioral traits are affected by distinct cultural primacies. In the context of the global marketplace, project managers require efficient communication skills, competent leadership skills, suitable interpersonal skills, adaptability, and technical and functional powers (Pheng and Leong 308). Part (b) The following issues can be deemed as cultural differences that may cause a communication breakdown between an American manager and his Chinese team. Cross cultural management includes communications, dispute resolutions, organizational and national culture, and negotiations. Culture consists of an intricate whole that is comprised of arts, beliefs, customs, knowledge and morals. It also includes the competencies and customs assimilated by individuals as members of society. Thus, culture denotes a distinctive way of life of a group of people, as a comprehensive motif for existing (Pheng and Leong 307). Asian societies attach considerable importance to human relationships and the avoidance of confrontation. This is in marked contrast to the Americans, who do not deem personal relationships to be of greater significance, whilst conducting business. It is the proclivity of the Americans to swiftly and directly focus upon the subject matter or issue at stake (Pheng and Leong 308). This holds out the possibility of causing personal and public discomfiture to the people of other cultures. Part (c) The following discussion reveals the problems resulting from poor communication between an American manager and his Chinese team. Lack of proper communication can develop into major issues. For instance, an American manager had stated that her Chinese staff would not inform her if they failed to understand her. These employees would agree to anything that she said, without having the least idea regarding what she was stating. In another incident, an American manager stated that their firm’s quality engineer was not proficient in English. This resulted in her doing the exact opposite of what the manager had instructed her (Yuan 197). Similarly, absence of familiarity with the Chinese language can cause difficulties for Americans working in China. In one such instance, the American manager was in no position to make out if the staff were making business related or personal phone calls, during office hours (Yuan 197). Another American manager had to depend to a major extent upon a translator to convey his orders and views to the Chinese staff. This effectively deprived him of the level of control that he had desired to exert upon his staff. The connotation of any statement can vary with the context in which it has been made. This is especially true of situation specific statements or anecdotes (Yuan 197). Part (d) Dealing with a Chinese superior by an American manager. It is necessary for Americans to realize that the Chinese detest being touched by others, and this is all the more true with respect to strangers. Thus, the common mannerisms of Americans, such as hugging have to be eschewed. On the other hand, in public queues, it is commonplace to be pushed. This should not provoke offense. The Chinese do not have the habit of standing in queues or being courteous to strangers in public places (Millet). While dealing with a Chinese female superior, an American manager should be careful to avoid touching her and should not attempt to hug her. In addition, the female Chinese boss may not be courteous to an American manager, as he is a stranger to her. These problems can take place while dealing with a lady Chinese superior. Question Two Part (a) The following discussion reveals the cultural issues to be taken up by an American manager working with a Brazilian team. National culture exerts a major influence upon the thinking process and decision making of mangers. This has been suggested by the existing literature relating to management. Several interviews conducted with eminent global scientific projects have disclosed the disparities between managers. These differences were, in general, the result of their hailing from different nations (Shore and Cross 62). Some of these disparities related to predilections pertaining to budgetary commitment, education, family, geographic distribution of work, management structure and pay equity issues. As such, these preferences could be correlated to national culture, and this served to indicate the significance of culture in the project management process (Shore and Cross 62). Moreover, a significant amount of familiarization is necessary for creating trust and promoting the free expression of ideas. In Brazil, projects tend to have a high degree of hierarchical distance. However, managers tend to prefer a less vertical association with team members. Furthermore, officials from foreign countries have frequently expressed their discomfort, and have expressed difficulties with taking initiatives (Rodrigues and Sbragia 46). These officials prefer and expect a leadership that is formal and direct. In addition, the Brazilian companies are at a clear disadvantage, due to the absence of higher proficiency in foreign languages, among the majority of the population. In addition, their mother tongue, Portuguese, is employed infrequently in international business (Rodrigues and Sbragia 47). Part (b) The following issues may be taken into consideration for avoiding a cultural confrontation between an American manager and his Brazilian team. A project manager has to necessarily possess global cultural sensitivity. This is crucial for resolving project lifecycle issues. One of the major problems encountered by management relates to the substantial hierarchical distance. This causes professionals of the host nation to develop a subservient attitude in the project. A submissive attitude, in this context, proves to be counterproductive and poses a major stumbling block to innovation and creativity (Rodrigues and Sbragia 46). In the corporate culture of Brazil, it is commonplace to find that workers are prepared to work overtime. One reason for this proclivity has been attributed to the presence of harsh winters and summers with resplendent sunshine. Hence, there is a sense of urgency among the workers to complete the project well within time and proceed upon a summer vacation (Rodrigues and Sbragia 47). In one project, it was soon comprehended that internalization was essential. This compelled the Canadian and American leaders to familiarize themselves with the local culture and skill of the various team members. With regard to the language of interaction, the Americans and Canadians with their superior command over English, made no effort to improve communication. On the other hand, the Brazilians made every possible effort to enhance communications (Rodrigues and Sbragia 47). Consequently, the meetings betwixt the subsidiary and the parent companies proved to be unproductive. This malaise was of such severity that the meetings were gradually discarded. Studies conducted in the developed countries showed that language did not have a major influence. However, in such nations, the population enjoyed a superior expertise over English (Rodrigues and Sbragia 47). A considerable amount of in – group collectivism prevails in the corporate sector of Brazil. This could explain their marked disapproval towards autonomous, individualistic and independent leaders. For instance, a manager in the petrochemical industry had stated that they disliked leaders who made decisions on their own, without taking the group into their confidence (Javidan, Dorfman and de Luque 76). Accordingly, American managers have to ensure that their decisions and actions are not construed as individualistic measures. These leaders have to ascertain that their group believes that it has been made a party to the decision making. It has also to be ensured that the members of the group feel that their responses and opinions have been considered by the leaders (Javidan, Dorfman and de Luque 76). Part (c) The following issues need to be taken into consideration while dealing with a Brazilian boss by an American team manager. Leaders in Brazil, are expected to transform their conduct towards employees on the basis of their social and organizational hierarchies. The Brazilians expect individuals in a position of authority to be dealt with in a deferential manner. The preference of the Brazilians is for a formal association between leaders and their followers (Javidan, Dorfman and de Luque 76). All the same, Brazilian managers expect their leaders to be maintain a distance, on the basis of class and status. Thus, these leaders are expected to be cognizant of class boundaries and to have due regard for them. As pointed out by some Brazilian managers, the white collar and blue collar workers tend to stay apart, not only at the work place but also beyond it (Javidan, Dorfman and de Luque 76). Question Three Ghanaian favourite Cuisine Red – Red (tripadvisor) Food is indispensable for life. Nevertheless, people exhibit strong likes and dislikes with regard to what they consume and the sensations derived by them from what they eat. Consequently, tourists and others tend to be quite selective with regard to what they view as suitable food (Amuquandoh and Asafo – Adjei 988). International tourists to Ghana had provided their stamp of approval for 17 of the customary comestibles. The most favored was the red – red and the least was the impotupotu. The common perception was that Ghana had the latent ability to develop a flourishing indigenous food industry that was founded on the seven most preferred food items (Amuquandoh and Asafo – Adjei 987). Fufu, and Wooden Mortar and Pestle (Cruickshank) After red – red the pride of place in Ghanaian cuisine has been allotted to fufu. However, it has been labelled as food that is not friendly towards the environment. Therefore, it has been decided to abstain from promoting it strongly for consumption by tourists. In traditional preparation procedures, fufu pounding is achieved by employing mortars and pestles that have been fashioned from wood. This has been seen to be a significant contributor to the deforestation of the nation. Consequently, fufu production has an adverse impact upon the environment (Amuquandoh and Asafo – Adjei 997). After conducting a preference analysis of Ghanaian food items, it was discerned that red – red was preferred around five time more than the other traditional food items. Therefore, restaurants, vendors of food, hotels and other food operators have to be made to realize that red – red should be a staple and constant item on their menus. In addition, red – red, upon being made the core food, will maximize the traditional food industry’s returns (Amuquandoh and Asafo – Adjei 999). If a Ghanaian colleague offered me a dish which is unattractive and which is not to my liking, I can politely reject the same by stating that the particular food item is allergic to me and will cause health problems if I consume it. As such, I will politely reject unattractive food served during my tour. Works Cited Amuquandoh, Francis Eric and Ramos Asafo – Adjei. "Traditional food preferences of tourists in Ghana." British Food Journal 115.7 (2013): 987 – 1002. Print. Cruickshank, Brian. fufu being pounded, Ghana. 2011. Web. 6 February 2014. . Javidan, Mansour, et al. "In the Eye of the Beholder: Cross Cultural Lessons in Leadership from Project GLOBE." Academy of Management Perspectives 20.1 (2006): 67 – 90. Print. Millet, Joyce. Chinese Culture, Etiquette & Protocol. 2008. Web. 6 February 2014. . Pheng, Low Sui and Christopher H Y Leong. "Cross – cultural project management for international construction in China." International Journal of Project Management 18.5 (2000): 307 – 316. Print. Rodrigues, Ivete and Roberto Sbragia. "The Cultural Challenges of Managing Globe Project Teams: a Study of Brazilian Multinationals." Journal of Technology Management & Innovation 8.Special Issue ALTEC (2013): 38 – 52. Print. Shore, Barry and Benjamin J Cross. "Exploring the role of national culture in the management of large – scale international science projects." International Journal of Project Management 23 (2005): 55 – 64. Print. tripadvisor. Barbaras Highlife Village Photo: red-red .. tipical food. 2014. Web. 6 February 2014. . Yuan, Wenli. "Effectiveness of Communication between American and Chinese Employees in Multinational Organizations in China." Intercultural Communication Studies XVIII.1 (2009): 188 – 204. Print. Read More