Project Management: Leading Global Teams & Cultural Diversity

This essay discusses the importance of managing cultural diversity in global project management, particularly when leading teams with members from different countries. It highlights the challenges and conflicts that can arise due to cultural differences, language barriers, and varying ethics. Effective project managers must develop cultural competence, break down barriers, and foster trust within the team. The essay explores ways project managers can lead multicultural teams, including accommodating different work schedules, intervening in conflicts, assigning roles effectively, and avoiding artificial divisions. It also emphasizes the importance of clear and straightforward communication, utilizing appropriate channels, and promoting awareness of cultural differences. The advice provided to individuals working in culturally diverse teams includes avoiding stereotypes, remaining open-minded, monitoring team dynamics, and breaking down communication barriers to maximize contributions from all team members. In conclusion, managing cultural diversity is essential for project success, requiring project managers to be proactive in addressing challenges and fostering an inclusive environment.

Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project management
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

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1. Introduction
The main focus of the paper is on the scenario as per which the project manager is
leading within a global project that have team members from different countries. The project
mainly aims to showcase how the cultural diversity in the contemporary project management can
be managed effectively. While working with a project team that have different members of
different culture, it is important for the managers to manage the diversity effectively by utilizing
different types of strategies as well as methods. Moreover, it is identified that the paper also
focusses on the ways that are generally used by the project managers while communicating
successfully within the multicultural team and additionally provides proper advice for the
individuals who works within a multicultural team for dealing with the challenges.
2. Discussion
2.1 Reason behind the management of cultural diversity in project management
It is found that presently the projects are very much complex and therefore they generally
need proper culturally as well as functionally mix project team. According to Hajro, Gibson and
Pudelko (2017), effective teamwork is generally considered as the key for the success of all the
different phases of the project lifecycle and if issues related to cultural diversity occurs then it
generally impacts the success of the project negatively. In addition to this, it is quite challenging
to overcome the underlying prejudices between the various cultures. While working with the
multicultural team generally arises a number of challenges as well as issues which are mainly
linked with the difference in ethics as well as culture can occur that can further create conflict
within the entire project (Furukawa 2016). The other types of challenges that occur within the
team includes language barriers, cultural differences, technical challenges as well as issues

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related with decision making. In order to manage the conflicts as well as challenges that are
linked with the multicultural team within the project therefore it is necessary for the project
manager to undertake effective steps. It is found that for successfully progressing the entire
project with the help of the project team by reducing conflicts then it is the responsibility of the
project managers to manage cultural diversity effectively (Guilherme and Dietz 2015). This is
mainly done by the project managers by successfully developing proper cultural competence that
further enhances the ability of understanding as well as communicating with the different
cultures by effectively interacting with other cultures
2.2 Ways in which the project managers lead the multicultural project team
The project managers generally need to lead the multicultural team of the project by
utilizing a number of steps. According to Ozga et al. (2018) it is important for the project
managers to break down the cultural differences as well as language barrier that exists within the
team. As the project managers need to work with the multicultural team therefore, they must
proactively accommodate various types of work schedules by working around all the cultural
customers such that the entire project can be leaded by the project managers efficiently (Mitchell
and Westbrook 2016). On the other hand, the project managers must have the proper ability of
intervening in order to keep proper focus on the original cause of the conflict and for helping
different parties for successfully understanding the root cause of the problems. In addition to this,
fostering norms of trust by getting the team together face to face for discussing the project issues.
Moreover, in order to lead the multicultural team, it is also important for the project managers to
assign proper roles and responsibilities as well as benchmark for each of the project team by
successfully revising it necessary while the entire project is generally progressing. Furthermore,
it is also the responsibility of the project managers for successfully avoiding the creation of the

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artificial division between the various project team members so that the entire project is lead by
the project manager efficiently (Neal et al. 2019).
Additionally, it is identified that for leading the project efficiently, the project managers
need to manage the multicultural team properly understanding the culture and how diversity in
culture is important for the workplace. Moreover, identification of stereotypes as well as
development of useful cross-cultural diversity within the project is generally necessary for
successfully dealing with the entire project (Paletz, Sumer and Miron-Spektor 2018). In addition
to this, promotion of the acceptances as well as awareness within the organizations are generally
helpful in properly creating a multicultural environment for achieving the project goals as well as
objectives effectively. All these steps need to be undertaken by the project managers effectively
for successfully leading the entire project quite effectively.
2.3 Ways in which project managers communicate with the multicultural project team
In order to communicate successfully with the multicultural project team, it is very much
essential for the project managers to utilize proper communication channels. It is found that
selection of proper communication channels is generally considered to be important for the local
as well as virtual teams (Joshee et al. 2016). The tools for communication should be selected that
generally fits with the framework of the project team. While communicating with the people who
are from different geographical locations as well as cultures, it is quite necessary for the project
managers to communicate with the positive attitude so even if they do not have proper
knowledge of the vocabulary the project team can be able to understand the main aim of the
communication. In addition to this, it is necessary to elaborate or discuss the points of the project
quite clearly as well as in a very much descriptive manner.

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It is opined by Seidl et al. (2015) that communicating within the multicultural workplace
needs to know the diversity. The project manager needs to hear the perceptions as well as ideas
of the project team in order to resolve a problem or while making decisions within the project.
One of the best ways to deal with the multicultural team is to keeping the communication simple
as well as straightforward so that the project team members can easily understand the objectives
behind communication (Saylık, Polatcan and Saylık 2016). In addition to this, the executive of
the project needs to be trained in order to properly improve the presentation skills that generally
applies to communication within the entire organization. Moreover, with the help of proper
communication, the project team can be capable for properly providing effective opportunities
in order to deliver the project with appropriate value so that no conflict within the project arises
due to improper understanding about the project needs and requirements (Sauer and Visintainer
2016). Each team members needs to properly understand the procedure for making proper
decision within the project team. Additionally, prioritizing communication with the management
style is necessary for successful communication.
2.4 Advice provided to an individual who generally work for managing the team that is
culturally diverse
Proper advice is needed to be provided to the project tea, so that the project manager can
be capable of managing the culturally diverse team by further maximizing the contribution from
each of the project manager (Mitchell Jr and Westbrook 2016). Avoiding stereotypes within the
project team needs to be avoided by getting aware about the various cultural difference as well as
stereotyping. It is quite necessary to remain aware about the various types of business norms by
remaining open-minded for the entire project team for further avoiding misconceptions. On the
other hand, it is stated by Neal et al. (2019) that as a team leader for managing the culturally

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diverse team, it is quite necessary to monitor the team dynamics quite effectively. In addition to
this, the individual who manages within the multicultural team generally needs to break down
the barriers by uncovering the issues as well as problems that the project team is facing due to
communication styles. Proper steps as well as strategies needs to be taken by them so that the
barriers generally get reduced (Guilherme and Dietz 2015). Furthermore, utilization of simple as
well as straightforward way of communication should also be used by the project team for
successfully understanding the project goals as well ad objectives.
3. Conclusion
It can be concluded from the entire paper that management of multicultural diversity
within the contemporary project management is considered to be very much beneficial in order
to deal with the conflict that occur within the project as the team members generally belong to
different culture. The paper also reflects that the project manager needs to break down the
cultural differences as well as language barrier that exists within the team in order to resolve the
challenges and for leading the project successfully. Moreover, the project managers need to
effectively communicate by using simple as well as in a straightforward way so that the project
teams do not faces issues in understanding the objective behind the communication.

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