Intercultural Project Management: Challenges and Benefits

In today's global business environment, more and more Project Managers have to lead teams consisting of members from various cultural backgrounds. It is tempting to believe you can manage a global (maybe even virtual) project team the same way “you always have done it”. However, the cross-cultural makeup of project teams requires special tools, methods, considerations, as well as skills and attitudes from the Project Manager. If you want to capitalise on the chances a diverse team offers, while at the same time, avoiding the pitfalls lurking in such global endeavours, you have to develop a global mind set. Our presentation will give you a high-level overview of some of the most frequent challenges you face in your international work, and will point out some ways you can adapt to, and benefit from, cultural diversity in your projects. We will not focus on a particular country, but strive to share with you some general ideas that you can apply anywhere in the world