Influence of culture on project practices: Insights from Australian project managers in UAE
Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues
ISSN: 1753-7983
Article publication date: 9 November 2010
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to explore the workplace behaviours of Australian project managers working in the UAE, as examples of Western cultural adjustment.
Design/methodology/approach
A 49‐question survey was developed using SurveyMonkey. This software was used to collect and analyse all the data, accurately and reliably.
Findings
For Western expatriates, working in the UAE (which is a Muslim country with different cultural and religious standpoints) can sometimes prove challenging. No matter, how good technically the project manager may, those individuals can still fail if they are unable to adapt to a foreign culture and if the right team dynamics are not realized. In order to act appropriately, they need adequate expatriate preparation and cross‐cultural training which can reduce or even prevent expatriate failure.
Research limitations/implications
Employing the survey method means that some critical characteristics cannot be successfully captured and follow‐up questions cannot be asked. Further studies should explore the issues identified in the present study, using, for example, the case study approach.
Originality/value
The findings of this paper could potentially help organizations understand how to help their expatriate project managers to succeed; in return, this will save the organizations thousands of dollars as well as the organization's and the project manager's reputation.
Keywords
Citation
Cerimagic, S. (2010), "Influence of culture on project practices: Insights from Australian project managers in UAE", Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues, Vol. 3 No. 4, pp. 277-288. https://doi.org/10.1108/17537981011089578
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited