I have talked about how the “multi” factor, Multicultural and Multigenerational, plays an important role in projects and how project managers must be prepared to address team issues related to this phenomenon.
As project managers in a global environment, we are now more often expected to lead multi-regional projects. This adds the multicultural to the project — both national and organizational — that by itself adds can add complexity to projects.
Perhaps your experience is similar to mine when working with project teams in a global environment. My multicultural project team consists of senior stakeholders, a deployment team and a technical support team. All team members have varying experience in the organization, but also can come from very different cultural backgrounds.
Multicultural Competency
There can be a struggle when starting a project in a culture that you are not familiar with. How do you bring everyone together to share a common vision and commitment on the project delivery? I have learned that I need to develop strong cultural competencies to manage a multicultural project team effectively and to establish connections with the team members.
I like to use three tactics when on-boarding a multicultural team members:
- Explain the purpose and benefits of the project to help establish the bond between the team member and the project objectives. Stress the importance of his or her role and how his or her local experience and knowledge will benefit the project.
- Discuss any concerns that the team member may have, such as with language or customs. This can also help break the ice and show that you understand how difficult cross-cultural relationships can be.
- Emphasize what is important to you, whether it’s work ethic or communication methods, and why it’s important. Don’t assume that all of your expectations are globally understood.
When I manage a project abroad and lead a multicultural team, one of my preferred ways to build cultural awareness is by spending time visiting popular spots where the locals meet. For example, at restaurants, coffee shops, sporting events and shopping centers, you can observe customs, traditions and behaviors.
Your observations in those settings can help to answer your questions about the culture and help you to build multicultural awareness. But it’s just not observation that will help you. People are very proud of their cultures and customs and are often keen to help you understand them. This supports the need to build a rapport with your team, whilst also building your awareness.
It’s also important to understand your own culture’s norms and behaviors. That knowledge helps guard against interpreting another culture’s behaviors in terms of your own unexamined expectations.
As a global project manager, how do you manage a multicultural team?
