Volume 29, Issue 3
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.951
Impact of Cultural Diversity in Multi-national Project Teams: A Case Study in Chinese Cultural Impact
Abstract
In the face of ever-increasing globalization, the question of how to manage culturally diverse project teams efficiently and successfully was never likely to be settled easily. It has been shown (Pagan, 2009) that 92% of project team members believe that cultural diversity exists in their teamwork, 60% think that cultural diversity impacts project management, and 83% hold the view that cultural impact is relevant to the performance of project teams. The research aims to help overseas project managers to obtain greater insight into the impact of culture on project teams and so manage them more effectively. The literature review context presents the general concepts of cultural factors and cultural barriers. Through a case study of an international project team including Chinese participants, the Chinese cultural impact on project teams will be explored. In addition, a comprehensive behaviours model has been provided for overseas project practitioners. Finally, in the ‘Recommendations’ section, use of the quantitative research method, and further case studies, were suggested as being of likely benefit to future work along these lines.
Keywords
Cultural diversity, Multi-national project team, Case study, Chinese cultural impact