Question

Discuss at least three ways of first recognizing and three ways of managing cultural differences on global projects.

Answer 1

Culture can be defined as a set of values and believes which people follow in a society. Different origins follow different cultures and Every citizen considers his/her culture to be the best

The below are the three ways of recognizing cultural differences on global projects.

1. Personal Space: Right from greeting each other to a thank you note, culture plays a major role in any organisations management system. Even small gestures have positive or negative effect on business. Hence cultural differences on global projects can be recognized through people’s gesture, personal space, communication etc.

2. Negotiating styles: Negotiation is a process through which two people get into argument to arrive at a desired result. Different national people negotiate differently and culture play a major role in it Being empathetic towards each other’s culture is a must for any business negotiation and it is a great way to recognize culture difference

3. Ethical behaviour is following set of values or morals which are set by the community and which are termed to be good. Example: Honest, Equality and fairness etc. Each person may have different assumption for ethics and this act as a way to figure out culture difference.

The below are three ways of managing cultural differences on global projects:

1. One way through which managers can manage cultural difference is through framing global cultural strategies which includes policies keeping in mind all countries the business operates. This will positively impact the firm’s organization goals at a multinational level.

2. In order to focus and capture different countries culture, managers should create interest by training employees about a countries culture, political status and legal status. Since this is a must for a successful business the integration process happens naturally.

3. By visiting and allowing the team to visit the countries where the company operates helps in understanding different culture and thereby manage cultural differences on global projects: