The impact of culture on project management

We all shuffle between ‘s’ and ‘z’ when shooting emails to our Indian/British and American counterparts. We do ‘realize,’ or should I say ‘realise’ that language is just the tip of the iceberg. Culture plays a profound role in how we think, how we act, and how we blend with others around us. Of course, project management isn’t insulated from the influence of culture. In this episode of the Implementation Stories, Alex Scholz talks about the impact of culture on various aspects of project management.

Meet Alex, our global citizen

It wouldn’t be wrong to call Alex a truly global citizen. His mom is Russian, his dad is German, and he is married to an Australian. Work has taken him to Russia and Kenya. He has spent some time in Australia. Now he is back in Germany working for an Indian SaaS behemoth called Freshworks.

Life at Freshworks

Alex leads SI Partner Enablement for Freshworks from Berlin. He joined Freshworks in 2016 as the first Engagement Manager, and today the professional services team includes more than 200 members around the globe. Alex works with Technology Partners, Project Management, and Professional Services, which implements projects for Freshworks customers. To simply put, he helps customers meet their expectations from the purchased products.

Cultural differences, yes it exists

Alex shared a study by Hofstede, a famous Dutch psychologist who carried out research and identified five core cultural values that vary across societies and countries.

According to Hofstede, the core value includes:

1. Power Distance: How does one conform to the hierarchy? E.g., In Europe, it’s perfectly ok to question your boss, which may not be the case in a typical Indian structure.
2. Social vs. Individual influence: Do you think about an individual or societal gains? Alex observes that the more developed a country becomes, individuals, go inwards and think about them first.
3. Uncertainty Avoidance: Certain societies are more risk-taking than others. E.g., The Germans are risk-averse, and that explains why they have a strong insurance system.
4. Perception: The way one takes feedback and criticism changes from culture to culture.
5. Long term thinking: Individuals coming from different backgrounds value time differently. Some believe in the long term, while others believe in the short term.

Unsaid responsibilities of a project manager

Making a project plan, carrying out follow-ups, documentation, and reporting are expected from a project manager. However, certain unsaid responsibilities come with the title.

Alex believes that if taking center stage is what ticks you, then choose sales over project management. As a project manager, you’re supposed to support your team, unlock bottlenecks, challenge yourself and your team using 5 Ws(who, what, where, why, when), and trust your team.

P.S. Don’t question your team in front of the client as it shows distrust and lack of knowledge.