Project Management: Environmental Factors -- Effect on Project Implementation
How do environmental factors
come affect project implementation?
Environmental factors come in the following varieties:
- Legal/Political: Is the country in which the project is
being implemented politically stable? What kind of government controls
are imposed on projects? Do government officials have to be “compensated”
to win their approval? (Often a situation in third-world countries. “Bribery”,
in the Western connotation of the word is also common in China). What
are the ecological laws – how will hazardous materials be handled – what
are the pollution standards? What is the crime rate of the country? Are
there threats from extremists or terrorist groups? This could be an issue
if, say, an American company were to implement a project in Libya or
Afghanistan.
- Geography/Climate: Implementing a construction project in the jungles
of S. America could be a grueling task for all project participants.
The Panama Canal was a good example of a project that demonstrated the
difficulties of working in adverse conditions. Indeed, many individuals
became ill or lost their lives due to exhaustion or malaria. Today, projects
implemented in harsh geographies or climates entail high cost and complex
planning. Geographical conditions can have an indirect impact on project
members. Imagine working in Alaska during the summer: a time when there
is 20 hours of daylight. A “southerner” not used to these conditions
may find it difficult to sleep well – this could impact the project as
loss of sleep may affect performance.
- Economic: In the country in which the project is being implemented,
what is the GDP? Is the economy faltering? If so, there may be fewer
sources of capital funding. Other factors such as balance of payments,
currency fluctuations, exchange rate, hyperinflation, population growth,
education level of the workforce and market size can influence project
choices and operations. The hyperinflation of the late 1990’s in SE Asia
is an example of a time not good for foreign project investment. However,
China is ripe for projects as their economy is growing at a steady rate,
partially due to an educated workforce. India, although a third-world
country, holds a surplus of skilled, low-wage workers. Especially attractive
to Western interests are its ever-growing share of computer programmers.
Microsoft implements many programming projects in India to capitalize
on the low-wage factor.
- Infrastructure: Can the country provide the required services to complete
the project? For example, a heavy-industry project needs a great deal
of electrical power and a good transportation system (to provide a steady,
reliable source of raw materials). Telecommunications or software projects
need dependable telecommunication networks. Other “indirect” infrastructure
items may be schools for project team members’ children to attend.
- Culture: Possible the biggest hurdle that PM’s face when working in
a foreign country. Differences in language, religions, philosophies,
or ethical/moral differences can – if not well prepared for – impair
or ruin a project. For example, when it comes to dealing with a foreign
language, there are many idioms or idiosyncrasies that native speakers
use (and take for granted). If a foreign PM is unfamiliar with these
semantics, he/she may not be able to negotiate effectively. Religious
unfamiliarity may also present problems. For example, a female PM working
in a Middle Eastern (Islamic) country will need to cover her head and
her body above her ankles. To do so otherwise is considered disrespectful
and vulgar.
Why is it important to honor the customs and traditions
of a country when working on an international project?
Honoring the customs and traditions is a way of showing respect. In order to
gain respect and cooperation of others, one must demonstrate it his or
herself. This can sometimes mean sacrificing one’s own principles and traditions.
In many cultures, this act of sacrificing is also a viewed as an honorable
gesture. Also, learning to adapt to working amongst others of different
and cultural background only increases the individual’s skills in dealing
in cross-cultural environments. For example, working traditions in Mexico
can conflict with the traditions followed in the US. A US project manager
may find their “open-ended” schedules a dramatic change from the very strict
and timely project schedules we are used to in his home country. However,
concentrating on human relationships rather than timely schedules is the
tradition in Mexico. If the US PM were to push for a stricter schedule,
he/she may be perceived by the Mexicans as being cold and ineffective to
work with. A PM must be able to shift paradigms.
What is culture shock? What can you do to reduce the negative effects
of culture shock?
Culture shock is a “natural psychological disorientation” that
many people experience when going to work in a different culture
How much an individual is "shocked" depends
upon how different the country is in which the project is being implemented.
For example, if an American PM was asked to lead a project in the UK, he/she
may not have much adapting (shock) to deal with. The language, religion
and culture are all very similar there. Having spoken with some British
individuals, they tell me that people from the UK identify themselves more
with the US than their native continent, Europe. The same situation holds
for Americans working in Australia or New Zealand. However, the degree
of culture shock is many times higher if one is being transposed to a culture
very different than in the US. Take for example, tackling a project in
China. First there is the language barrier. Then, there are vast differences
in religion, philosophy, politics, food, and interpersonal relationships.
All of these traditions have to accepted or, at least tolerated, to one
degree or another in a relatively short period of time. Culture shock comes
from "a breakdown in your selective perception and effective interpretation system." An individual or a team is thrust into a situation where one's pre-established
norms don't apply (again, the degree of this depends on the country). It
may be a sink or swim situation. Therefore, adequate cross-cultural TRAINING,
prior to taking on the assignment, is essential.
Culture shock has four stages:
- Honeymoon: Start of the assignment in the foreign culture. This
tends to be a time of excitement.
- Irritability/hostility: The initial excitement is gone; differences seem
greater than expected; this could include differences in language, politics,
food, etc. This is a frustrating time – perhaps accompanied with a loss
of confidence.
- Gradual adjustment: Isolation and irritability is gradually reduced.
One tends to gain a new perspective on things.
- Adaptation: Most of the sense of disorientation is gone. One starts to
feel fairly comfortable in the new culture.
Some ways to manage Culture shock:
- Regular, physical exercise
- Healthy diet
- Meditation
- Create “stability zones”. These could include things that remind one
of home, such as listening to your favorite CDs, watching American TV or
movies (if available), talking to family and friends on the phone, or going
to an American restaurant.
How should you go about preparing yourself for an international project?
Preparation should be done with an adequate amount of cross-cultural
TRAINING, prior to taking on the assignment. The amount of training usually
depends on: (1) the length of stay in the foreign culture; (2) how “foreign”
the culture is. More advice::
"Information-giving Approach" (stay
less than 1 month):
- Area briefings
- Cultural briefings
- Watching foreign movies/books
- Use of interpreters
- “Survival-level” language training
“Affective Approach” (stay is 1-4 weeks):
- Culture assimilator training
- Role Playing
- Cases
- Culture shock reduction training
- Moderate language training
"Experiential Approach" (stay
is 1-3 years):
- Assessment center
- Field experience
- Simulations
- Extensive language training
The training topics should include: language, religion, dress
codes, education systems, holidays (national/religious), food and eating
schedules, family life, business protocols, social etiquette and equal
opportunity. The training format may vary from videos, books and seminars
to actual field pre-experience in the foreign land. In addition, I think
it is very important to associate with people from that country (if no
actual field experience is possible). If there are no representatives from
that culture/country at the organization where one works, it is possible
to go the local university and seek out members from that culture. There
are usually international organizations or coffee houses on campus that
international students participate in. This type of interaction, I feel,
gives a perspective second only to actually visiting the country.
