Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Cross Cultural Case Study- One Cross Cultural Conflict Issue Examined

Dear friends,

It is already Wednesday of Cyberweek 2010. Here on the LiSimba blog we are looking at what is actually a case study that could be talked about and analyzed for many weeks in a client setting. We have lifted only one aspect of the case study for what is here a brief look at the case. We are applying the Best Practices to work toward a resolution of the cross cultural concern in this global work setting.

Yesterday in our blog we were introduced to the individuals who work on the management team for the Monterrey, Mexico, project. The introductions gave us many insights into the many national cultures and their core values represented on the management team.

We have raised only one issue which at first sight may not appear to be a cross cultural issue, but in actuality is a clear cross cultural concern on this project management team. Why is the delivery of below standard raw materials to the job site a cross cultural concern?

As we discussed earlier, Best Practice Number One requires that each person on the global work setting learns to understand him/herself and his/her national cultural values that are at the core of all of their work behaviors in the global work setting. With one's own understanding of oneself regarding our national cultural values, we are then required to learn the national cultural values of each national culture represented on the mangemant team, and of the those working on the global work setting.

As a result of Best Practice Number One, it is likely then that the core values of the various national cultures represented on this global work site are different from each other. Perhaps the degree of difference between the various national cultures is large enough, as such differences are clearly measureable through extensive research applied in such work settings, as Best Practice Number One teaches when applied in its full strength. With the varying degrees of difference in the core national culture values in a now normal global project management team, the cross cultural concerns become clear and are commonly in the double digits when counting the number of such concerns.

Best Practice Number One is fundamental to and informs all of the other Best Practices. Here Best Practice Number Two is important. This Best Practice requires the creation of a critical awareness of the impact (in each global work setting) of cross cultural concerns on the financial outcome of the global work opportunity. To resolve the one concern we have raised in this work setting it is fundamental to realize that the cross culturally appropriate resolution of this issue will have a high impact on the daily and long term financial outcome of the Monterrey job site . The daily financial influence will be seen in how one keeps the project moving forward on its daily completion schedule. The long term financial outcome will be seen in the completion of the project on time with no over run costs due to delays from many potential sources. These sources of delay, one of which is the delivery of lower than contract grade of raw materials to the job site, come together in the end to determine the financial success of the project. The knowledge of the cross cultural national cultural values of each person working at the site can if applied appropriately, minimize any risk of financial loss on a daily and long term basis.

Best Practice Number Three requires acquiring a critical awareness (on a daily and long term basis) of the impact of cross cultural concerns on the present and potentially future work opportunities. Maximizing this present work opportunity and thus hopefully creating more future work opportunities through the work collaboratively completed in the future in Monterrey, can lead to future work opportunities for all working on the job site.

Please apply the Best Practice Number Three to our case study, especially to our concern with the delivery of below agreed upon grade of raw materials to the Monterrey jobsite?

We will talk about this tomorrow on our blog and as we do, we are working toward the potentially cross cultural successful resolution of the issue we are examining this week.

We look forward to you experiencing our Simulation online which can give you a score on aspects of your present cross cultural management skills.

Warm regards,

Jane

Jane E. Smith
LiSimba Consulting Services, Inc.
Building Relationships for International Business Success
www.lisimba.com
jsmith@lisimba.com
Telephone: 612-802-1240

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