Furber, A; Smith, S D and Crapper, M (2012) A case study of the impact of cultural differences during a construction project in Ghana. In: Smith, S D (ed.) Proceedings of 28th Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2012, Edinburgh, UK.
Abstract
The lack of native engineers in developing countries means that often foreign engineers have a role to play in implementing the water and sanitation systems for rural communities as needed to meet the Millennium Development Goals targets for access to clean water and sanitation facilities. However, cultural differences between foreign engineers and local communities can lead to ineffective project management where these differences are not identified and managed successfully. A case study of a water and sanitation project undertaken in the Eastern Region of Ghana, with a British engineer and project manager, is used as the basis for exploration of some of the issues that arise when engineers work cross-culturally on this type of project. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions are used as a conceptual paradigm through which to understand the behaviours and actions observed during the case study. The aim is to identify possible explanations for why cultural tensions arose during the project as a step towards understanding how these tensions might be reduced or eliminated in future projects in similar cultural contexts. It is found that cultural differences between engineer and community at the case study project led to issues with communication and implications for the effectiveness of different management structures. Findings may have broad relevance and help other engineers avoid some of the pitfalls of working in a cross-cultural context.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | culture; developing countries; Ghana; hofstede |
| Index terms: | construction project, project manager, dimension, engineer, developing country, exploration, case study, water and sanitation, paradigm, millennium development goals, cultural difference, Ghana, effectiveness, project management |
| Subjects: | education and knowledge transfer, project management theory and practice, environmental health, profession, environmental resource management, health monitoring assessment and metrics, production management, Geography, development economics, cross-cultural studies, data collection methods, international law, performance management |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Roles and Professions, International Construction, Research Practice, Sustainability, Legal Issues, Project Management, Health and Safety, Geographical Context |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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