Assignment task:
Think of an organization you are familiar with. This can either be your current or former employer or an organization that a family member or friend is working for.
Degree of internal integration. This is the extent to which relationships within an organization are co-operative and well co-ordinated. It is the extent to which the sharing of information and ideas is promoted and achievement of common objectives and goals is supported. A lack or low level of internal integration is conducive to the proliferation of strong sub-cultures and competitive relationships between functional and departmental groups leading to organizational tensions and conflict. This is especially counter-productive for international projects which span geographically widespread subsidiaries and numerous functions.
Autonomy and involvement.This is the extent to which individuals have the authority and freedom to exercise control. The dimension also touches on the degree of authority the organizational members have to make decisions about the way in which they perform their jobs. Project managers with their management team need to have sufficient autonomy to react flexibly to changing circumstances, which is often the case in international projects. Project managers also need to have sufficient authority to decide on resources allocation and performance rewards.
Adaptability: speed, innovation and risk. Adaptability and innovation inevitably involve risk. Like autonomy, a willingness towards risk taking involving decision-making under pressure are conducive to project management performance.
Employee welfare, fairness and trust. The employee perceptions of justice or fairness concerning how they are treated with regard to pay, promotions and individual consideration have important consequences for organizational performance. This is particularly important in international projects where employees from different national cultures, different educational backgrounds, different organizational entities, and different functions tend to have different views on adequate employee treatment and fairness. Trust is the prerequisite for efficient co-operation in international projects.
Diversity. Ethnocentricity, or the belief that one's own culture is superior to those of other employees or team members, has been consistently identified as a barrier to efficient management of international projects. The tendency to judge 'what is different is wrong' is counter-productive to building trust, as it strongly shows disrespect regarding diversity and heterogeneity. An international project culture needs to be built on ethno-relativism. What is different has to be considered and evaluated openly. Ideally, organizational members value diversity to the extent that they fuse differences to something new, more creative, and more effective.
Assignment questions
Q1. Analyze the organization's culture using the above five (5) cultural dimensions. Assess each dimension using examples and/or illustrations when available.
Q2. Conclude whether this organization has an appropriate culture for managing international projects successfully. Justify your conclusion.