Analysis of Intercultural Management Challenges: Ellen Moore's Project

This case study examines the intercultural management challenges faced by Ellen Moore while working with Systems Consulting Group (SCG) in South Korea. The analysis focuses on identifying critical management issues, including communication breakdowns, respect for hierarchy, and team building, and how these issues impacted project success. The study explores cultural dimensions like Power Distance Index, Individualism versus Collectivism, and Long-term Orientation to understand how these factors influence the workplace dynamics. The case highlights the importance of effective communication strategies, cultural sensitivity, and respect for hierarchical structures. The assignment proposes solutions such as establishing clear communication channels, providing cultural orientation for new recruits, and reinforcing workplace roles to minimize conflict and improve project outcomes, considering the perspectives of key players like Andrew Kilpatrick and the project management team. The conclusion emphasizes the need for adapting to cultural differences to achieve project goals.

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Case 2: Ellen Moore
A. Case introduction
Ellen has been working with Systems Consulting Group (SCG). She is working with a
team of several individuals. Ellen is living in a new environment in Asia with new
people and with different culture which gives the scope of the study. She is also
handling a project as Andrew and Mr. Song suggests. Ellen has been working on this
project and for four months, her team had not achieved. Ellen gives excuses based on
having no experience, background knowledge to take the project into completion
within the allocated time.
The analysis will be based on the analysis of Ellen Moore’s life in Korea and
the projects she had to manage. The life and the projects she carried in South Korea
will act as the base for the study. The hindrances towards successful project
completion are evident in the working environment of Moore. There are seen some
incidences where the cooperation and response to urgency was not satisfactory and
thus, the team in the Korean phenomena failed in its communication ties and roles.
B. Identify at least 3 critical management issues, evident from A, that need to be
solved in order to achieve the specified goal:
1. Proper communication strategies
People communicate even before they open their mouth. Communication is key in the
Korean setting as the case suggests. A well-established line of management need to
oversee that members of the working organisation has a well running or a smooth
channel for making their points and grievances known up to the top management. For
instance, the co-directors and the consultants and the senior consultants need to be
well versed on communication strategies. Communication will involve the process of
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coding and decoding. The speaker and the receiver or the audience must hold the
background organisational factors in consideration like, the good rapport between the
co-managers and other lower management levels, proper lines of instructions so that
no cases where the communication will lose direction or fail the group. The specific
goals to deliver the projects, like Ellen project with Mr. Park and other consultants
will be met. Team building and the analysis based research to fit in new environment
for Ellen will be the subject.
2. Respect for the hierarchy in the work place
The respect of people’s hierarchical position is inevitable for the workers at different
positions. Ellen testifies how they had to consult the client team member before
getting to their offices. The status and the position should be valued as a part of the
culture.
3. Team building
In Ellen’s life in Korea, there were some issues that are noted. Teams are integral
parts of work environment. Koreans value team work and they put emphasis on team
building. Ellen and other workmates are seen to enjoy themselves far from work
places during their set time. It is aimed at boosting the team members’ relationship.
4. Evaluation of the cultural phenomena in the working environment
Familiarizing oneself with the knowledge on culture of the people around you is very
important. Ellen for instance experienced some difficulties in coping with South
Korea situation. In this part of Asia, the culture was different from the one in
America, t6he language was also different. Mannerism, and business etiquette has a
big difference. Scot Adams however is an example of a different figure. With his
knowledge in Korean culture, he could at times do better than Ellen in business,

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C. Choose the most critical issue from B (which needs to be solved as priority)
and justify why it has priority:
The means and the strategies should be solved first. People need to talk in an
orderly manner and understand each other if they have to realize their set goals.
Shouting at each other and talking ill of the other should be condemned in any
management organization. For instance, Ellen encounters shouting of the project
directors like Andrew Kilpatrick and Mr. Song to an extent that Ellen is wondering
how the meeting is going on. Andrew seems to be so loud and never accepting other
people’s ideas or either listening to them. Andrew’s behavior is confrontational and in
Korea, it was not acceptable.
D. Key players involved in the most critical management issue discussed in C (list
Andrew Kilpatrick is one of the individual involved in this matter. He is a co-
director but seems to be poor in communication. There is poor coordination created
between him and other co-directors in the SI project team. The project management
team is also involved in the communication aspect. When there is evident shouting
and the co-managers are confronting and disagreeing on what the way forward should
be, they confuse the consultants due to conflict of interests.
E. Identify appropriate cultural dimensions (they can be from different models)
that impact the 3 most critical management issues listed in B:
One of the culture dimension is the Power distance index (PDI). The
dimension impacts the hierarchy issue in management. The model outlines the
relationship that exists between the higher and the lower degree of index in
leadership. Ellen attests to the concepts of this model when she shows the relationship
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between the co-directors and the clients managers who cultivates on their status and
positions with prestige.
Individualism versus Collectivism can be another model that influence the
issue of team building. There is a recommendable levels of group formation in the
portrayed Korean context. There is a group of consultants, a group of managers and
also the co-directors. The society7 values the concept of “we” than “I”.
Long term Orientation versus Short term is also a model that can explain the
cultural issue of evaluating the existing culture of the studied phenomena. The model
shows the lower degree index of short term that illustrates how traditions are honored
and kept. The longtime aspect shows the changing culture of a society. It impacts on
the Korean culture that is valued and how it is inevitably changing.
F. Describe how are these 3 most critical management issues perceived by each
key player from their cultural perspective
The three critical management issues are perceived differently by both
individuals and organization. Individuals such as Andrew Kilpatrick seems to break
communication principles from the sub conscious mind. He is not aware of what he is
doing. It seems as his personality trait. Other people like Ellen are treating it with
suspicion though, he himself can’t find fault in him.
The organization management team of co-directors and co-managers perceive
issues of hierarchy and culture as normal. It is a part of what their culture holds and
they seem to have embraced it. For the case of hierarchy for example, they are okay
with confidentiality and the status given through their positions. Other people like
Ellen are now adapting.
G. Use your conclusions from F to propose effective solutions to your 3 most
critical issues, justified with the same cultural dimensions used in F. Explain how
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your solutions will make the achievement of the goal (see p. 1) possible. Explain
how it will be handled by each key player and why the solutions will be accepted
by them.
For the case of good communication strategies, I would recommend an
establishment of an appropriate line management that can be able to discuss issues
from the co-directors and reach the consultants efficiently. Proper training on ways of
discussions and fairing motions in the meeting should be implemented to curb
unnecessary noise and loudness like the one Andrew Kilpatrick portrays.
On the issue of existing cultural heritage, I would recommend that a new
recruit in a foreign place to be oriented in to the cultural aspects and be left to
synthesize and practice slowly by slowly.
The management issue of hierarchy should be observed. I would recommend
that workers in an organisation to stick to their roles and have respect over one’s
position. It would minimize the conflicts between the workers of different capacities.
Presentation (formatting, spelling, grammar)
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