Introduction
The research paper selected and why it was selected
This paper review focuses on a research paper dubbed Framework for managing multicultural project teams, which was authored by Edward Godfrey Ochieng and Andrew David Price.
The gist of the submission under review is the effective handling of a multicultural construction project team to tap into the synergies that accrue from such teams while simultaneously balancing the accompanying challenges. The paper review examines the subject matter in the developed and the developing world, thus giving a comprehensive perspective on the subject.
Structure of report
The review sets a very informative background and gives a detailed explanation of the methodology. The methodology is followed by a comprehensive discussion of the findings and a conclusion.
Summary of purpose, rationale, and related literature
Purpose / Rationale of the Research Paper
The paper under review was inspired by the view that in modern times, it has become attractive to run projects with the help of culturally diverse teams of workers. These teams can easily handle problems that could otherwise be very challenging to mono-cultural teams.
The paper seeks to make it plain that it has become attractive to work with multicultural project teams but the problem of integrating the members into a cohesive team presents a challenge that cannot be ignored. The main purpose of the paper is thus to address the question of balancing the two seemingly paradoxical factors in order to tap into the benefits of working with multicultural project teams (Ochieng & Price 2009).
The study was timed perfectly especially considering the view that the construction industry was grappling with the idea of constituting and managing multicultural project teams at the time the study was conducted.
In addition to its timely conduction, the study directly addresses the real issues that present the construction industry with an enormous challenge – the constitution and effective management of a multicultural project team. This gives the study a lot of relevance to the construction industry since it directly addresses the problems that are top on its agenda.
Clarity of the research question of research paper
Multicultural project teams are a common phenomenon in many workplaces today. However, in this paper, the authors chose to focus on multicultural project teams in the construction industry. Such a move clearly outlines the research problem because the construction industry is well known for its adversarial relationships between clients and project teams.
In addition, the construction industry has developed a reputation of unreliability. Therefore, the idea on which the authors base their research problem is that the construction industry is important to the economies of the developing as well as the developed world but despite this importance, the industry is reeling under image and reliability problems.
The research paper directly addresses the question of overcoming the numerous issues that have tarnished the image of the construction industry. The authors first set a study background upon which the research problem fits very well. The research problem is outlined in a manner that makes sense to anyone reading the paper.
It is true as pointed out in the paper that the construction industry has always had reputation and reliability problems. The authors are on point when they note that the relationships between clients and project teams in the construction industry are adversarial. They effectively create a feeling of a problem that needs to be addressed.
Conceptual Foundations
The authors of the paper sought relevant literature to establish a reference point for their findings. It turns out that many studies have been conducted on the subject of multicultural teams. The key issues that stand out in the past studies include the idea that bringing multicultural project teams to work effectively across boundaries is an issue of concern today.
In effect, some authors argue that the shift of attention to multicultural teams is here to stay and for organisations to thrive under this arrangement; they should develop teams that can effectively function across different cultural settings. Thus, management of multicultural project teams has taken a prominent position in the agenda of human resource managers.
Another idea that emerges in the literature is that the integration of multicultural project teams presents a challenge for both clients and project managers. Multicultural teams draw strength from their diversity to outperform mono-cultural teams but this diversity is again their main undoing. This is because the various cultural backgrounds from which the team members originate lead to different belief systems and values. With a variety of perspectives over the same issue, it becomes challenging to move forward collectively.
The paper also reviews literature on the financing of projects that involve multicultural teams and points out the challenges as well as the remedial measures that can be taken by project managers. In the conclusion of the literature review, the authors point out that despite the many challenges, which are associated with multicultural project teams, there is hope of managing them effectively.
The authors of this research paper took time to explore exhaustively the literature that deals with multicultural project teams. They highlight the benefits of these teams as well as the challenges. It is arguable that the literature review presented in this paper goes to great depths to ensure that the subject at hand is considered from all the possible angles. This gave the authors room to touch on many, if not all, the issues that one would want to know about the effective management of multicultural project teams.
Research Methodology and Design
Description and Evaluation
Research site / context
The study was conducted in the UK and Kenya to give it an all-inclusive face. The decision to set the study in a developed country and developing country simultaneously was very objective because the cultural setting of the two locations is different and contributed positively to the study’s results. The study focused on heavy engineering construction firms that operate in the pharmaceutical, energy, and petrochemical sectors.
Methods of data collection
The authors used direct interviews for two project leaders from each of the eight sampled organisations. This move ensured that the obtained information reflected the true practices of the organisations. Questionnaires were also employed in the verification and validation of the data obtained from the interviews.
Participants were expected the extent to which they agreed with the information from the interviews using a pre-determined scale. The questionnaires provided the participants with an opportunity to express their opinions in anonymity, thus it is arguable that they gave very objective responses.
Methods of data analysis
The paper uses a qualitative approach in addressing the research question. This approach was appropriate for the paper as the issue under consideration was best understandable in qualitative terms. This approach allowed the opinions and submissions of the participants to be directly factored into the study results without having to code them into percentages and other numerical representations.
Sample size
A sample of eight well-established heavy engineering organisations, which deal in a variety of construction activities in the pharmaceutical, energy, and petrochemical sectors, was picked for the study (Ochieng & Price 2009). All of the eight organisations had handled projects in both the developing and the developed world.
About two project leaders from each of the eight organisations were interviewed. The sample also captured organizations of different calibres in terms of size, status, and variety of projects managed to minimise bias as much as practically possible.
Ethical issues identified by the study
In the presentation of the data, the authors chose to withhold the names of the participating organisations. This decision was motivated by the need for confidentiality. This action is a good ethical consideration that features in this study.
In addition, to ensure that the information disseminated by the study was a true reflection of the state of affairs in the participating organisations, a verification and validation process took place after the analysis and interpretation of the results. The leaders of all the participating organisations confirmed that the study’s results truly embodied the practices and experiences of their organisations.
How the design could be adopted for own research
The research methodology and design employed by the authors of this study is very comprehensive. They endeavoured to consider all the aspects of research methodology thus ending up with authentic results. This approach is considered suitable for purposes of my future research since it presents the data in qualitative terms.
Distortion of the information could have occurred in the process of converting the responses to statistical figures but that was not part of the methodology. The methodology used in this study could still give the accurate results it gave any other time if strictly followed thus it appeals to me for use in my future research study.
Main findings and implications
Outline the main findings of the research
Scholars conventionally agree on the idea that for multicultural project teams to be effectively managed, commitment from the project manager and the client is vital. This assertion is based on the idea that the two entities provide leadership during the period of project implementation. Therefore, the study identifies several key factors that need to be considered if the cultural diversity typical of multicultural project teams is to be managed effectively.
The most outstanding of these factors is leadership style or approach. It emerged that leadership, as already noted, is crucial for the effective management of multicultural project teams. However, there was a difference in preference of leadership styles in the UK and Kenyan settings. In the UK, charismatic, inspirational, participative, and responsive leadership styles were preferred; however, in the Kenya, authoritarian, inspirational, and participative leadership styles were preferred.
While participants from the UK emphasised on participative leadership styles, those from Kenya argued that authoritarian leadership is suitable especially when the leader is fully equipped with the necessary knowledge about a project so that he/she does not have to rely on a specific team member for any specific task.
However, participants from both the UK and Kenya agreed that emotional intelligence is superior to technical knowledge when constituting a project team. This way, it seems the conflicts and misunderstandings typical of multicultural project teams may be minimal.
After constituting a project team, its development is the next most important matter. There was a consensus that after constituting a team, the first process in team building should be a professionally facilitated team-building exercise. It helps the team members to start the bonding necessary for their teamwork.
Facilitating cultural communication also emerged as one of the key factors that need consideration during this stage of project management because cultural differences often result in miscommunication and consequently misunderstandings. Within a project setting, a common language for official communication has to be set.
Mostly, some team members have trouble with the language that has been set but project managers need to be aware of this and find ways of reaching out to such team members and encourage them to make meaningful contributions (Claire et al. 2008).
Implications of the findings
The authors observed that leadership is vital in multicultural project settings. In case of failure by the leadership to provide guidance for the project team, it will automatically develop a working culture that may not necessarily be in tandem with the desired working culture. This implies that the project managers have no choice but to come out strongly and provide reliable guidance for the project team to achieve desired results. This can only be possible with activities such as teambuilding retreats as shown by the findings.
Such an activity helps in setting the stage for the development of team cohesion, which is vital for any team that seeks to achieve any meaningful results collectively. This assertion stems from the fact that study participants acknowledged that knowing other team members is a prerequisite to completing project tasks in time. By knowing other team members, their strengths and shortfalls are known so that they can only be allowed to handle tasks in which they are gifted to speed up the completion of the tasks.
Limitations
Alongside the factors that make multicultural teams effective, a major limitation that undermines teambuilding was identified. The paper identified this limitation as cross-cultural uncertainty, which mostly emerges during the initial phases of team building.
When the interaction during team building activities does not effectively bring down the cross-cultural barriers that exist immediately after the team is constituted, team members are sure of what to expect of other team members. This aspect means that important team attributes such as trust, mutual respect, and good interpersonal skills will be lacking in such a team. This scenario can lead to poor project performance if not identified and addressed in time by the team manager.
Another limitation is that since there is need for setting an official language for communication, non-native speakers of the language may have difficulty in communicating. This aspect becomes a limitation for such people since it hinders their ability to express their ideas effectively, which may interfere with their productivity. Project managers should be aware of this nature of challenges within the team and handle them objectively.
Conclusion
Highlighting the key points
The management of multicultural project teams, as seen from the paper, is a complex endeavour. It presents the project manager with a myriad of challenges right from the constitution of the team to its effective navigation through the vicissitudes of project implementation. However, the study identified key factors such as leadership approach, teambuilding, effective communication, and development of trust among team members as the ingredients of successful management of a multicultural project team.
Suitability of the design my future research
The study’s approach was very effective as it succeeded in addressing the salient issues on the subject matter. This makes it suitable for use in my own research study in future since using it will translate to capturing all the details of the research subject.
Reference List
Cheng, C, Chua, R, Morris, M & Lee, L 2012, ‘Finding the right mix: How the composition of self-managing multicultural teams’ cultural value orientation influences performance over time’, Journal of Organisational Behaviour, vol. 33 no. 3, pp. 389 – 411.
Claire, B, Halverson, S & Tirmizi, A 2008, Effective multicultural teams: Theory and practice, Springer, London.
Ochieng, E & Price, A 2009, ‘Framework for managing multicultural project teams’, Engineering, Construction, and Architectural Management, vol. 16 no. 6, pp. 527-543.