Kivrak, S; Ross, A; Arslan, G and Tuncan, M (2010) Construction professionals' perspectives on cross-cultural training for international construction projects. In: Egbu, C (ed.) Proceedings of 26th Annual ARCOM Conference, 6-8 September 2010, Leeds, UK.
Abstract
Cross-cultural training has long been recognized as an effective method to facilitate cross-cultural interaction. Many global organizations provide cross-cultural training to their expatriates to increase productivity in international business. Cross-cultural training can significantly contribute to the success of international construction projects. It is critical in construction due to the increase in strategic alliances in this industry. Cultural training may also reduce the culture shock that people experience when entering a new culture. The research reported in this paper is a part of a wider study aimed at investigating the effects of cultural differences on construction projects. One of the specific objectives of this study was to examine construction professionals' perspectives on cross-cultural training for international construction projects. Within this context, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 53 construction professionals working in the New Doha International Airport Project. The researcher stayed in this project for 1 month for the purpose of data collection. The interviews took place over a 1-month period between April and May 2009. Based on the findings, all participants had never received formal cross-cultural training. The majority of the interviewees had gained cross-cultural skills through informal learning. Moreover, several recommendations are offered by the interviewees for cross-cultural training.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction professional; cross-cultural training; culture; expatriate; international construction |
| Index terms: | interaction, international construction project, construction project, construction professional, international construction, Doha, strategic alliance, cultural difference, productivity, interview, international business, informal learning |
| Subjects: | learning methods, strategic management, data collection methods, behavioral psychology, partnership management, cross-cultural studies, Geography, production management, professional development, management |
| Topics: | International Construction, Education, Geographical Context, Project Management, Research Practice, Information Management, Business Strategy, Stakeholder Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here