Cross-cultural management in multinational project groups

Abstract

This paper aims at better understanding the dynamics of international project groups by grasping the strategies project leaders set up to cope with cultural diversity. Three kinds of cross-cultural practices emerged from the comparative study of European project groups: (1) to draw upon individual tolerance and self-control, (2) to enter into a trial-and-error process coupled with relationship development and (3) to capitalize on transnational corporate or professional cultures. An alternative method to enhance the functioning of cross-cultural projects is also suggested. It consists in the construction of cross-cultural patterns based upon a structured examination of the cultural sense-making processes of project members. The paper concludes on the necessarily culture bound approaches of cross-cultural management in transnational project groups.