The importance of cultural differences to British construction professionals working internationally

Research in the field of construction management is increasingly focusing on the issue of culture and, in particular, cultural differences, as a feature of the environment within which construction activity takes place. Indeed, the unique nature of construction means that, the cultural dimension is, arguably, more important for this industry than any other. Culture pervades every aspect of the procurement and production process and is new and different for each project. Previous research has investigated organizational, professional and industrial cultures but, with the increasingly global nature of the industry, the added dimension of national culture is taking on an ever greater importance. The few studies investigating the effects of culture in relation to construction managers would indicate that culture has an important effect on their ability to successfully manage in an international and multi-cultural working environment and that they respond poorly to the cultural differences they encounter. A survey, collecting numerical and textual data, was carried out among British construction professionals currently working internationally. Surprisingly, the findings would appear to refute this assertion. The sample showed a keen awareness of cultural differences and considered their ability to deal with these as more important than other job related characteristics.