Echi da Berlino - pmi-nic.org · “Culture like software is a program. Culture is a collective...

Echi da Berlino25 giugno 2018

A Brazilian project experience from an Italian project manager’s perspective

Paola Mosca, Project Manager

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Your presenter today

Paola Mosca, PMP®

Management Consultant , Business&Life Coach

PMI Southern Italy & PMI Central Italy &

PMI Northern Italy Chapter Member

PMI Southern Italy Chapter President

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Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this session,

participants will be able to:

◆ compare cultural differences

between team members and

various stakeholders;

◆ describe valuable skills to help

manage intercultural teams and

projects.

Paola Mosca

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The theory –Some suggestions from Literature

The practice –My experience & On site studies

The practice – Off site studies & my proposal

Conclusion

Presentation Flow

Paola Mosca

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What is it typical of another cultural contest?

A. Technical tools for communication can be focused on the

language transfer, either written or spoken.

B. It is preferred a sort of communication that reduces the

number of additional and useless information.

C. A message has no meaning without the complete

understanding of the surrounding contest.

D. In order to understand a message, no information regarding

personal history or opinion is needed.

Some questions from PMP exams

Paola Mosca


Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimension of Individualism refers to…

A. The degree of dependent relationships between individuals.

B. The significance of the person versus the group.

C. The identification with the gender role of an individual.

D. The tolerance for ambiguity or uncertainty in the workplace.

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The theory

What are the Project Manager’s tools

How can the theory

help us when you

have to deal with

different cultural

environments?

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• Appendix 3 – PMBOK GUIDE 5th edition(2013)

The theory

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• Appendix 3 – PMBOK GUIDE 5th edition(2013)

The theory

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9. Resource management – PMBOK GUIDE 6th edition (2017)

The theory

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9. Resource management - PMBOK 6th edition (2017)

The theory

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13. Stakeholder Management- PMBOK 6th edition (2017)

The theory

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“Culture like software is a

program. Culture is a collective

mental program generated by a

group of people in a given

environment and consists of a

series of instructions.”

The paradigm of Universal Project Management was questioned from

The echoes of the silent language of Project Management(1997)

“The instructions permeate our

behavior and whatever we do:

they tell us what to do and what

not to do. Consequently every

atom of our PM practices is

guided by cultural instructions”

The theory

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“Culture like software is a

program. Culture is a collective

mental program generated by a

group of people in a given

environment and consists of a

series of instructions.”

The paradigm of Universal Project Management was questioned from

The Echoes of the silent language of Project Management(1997)

“The instructions permeate our

behavior and whatever we do:

they tell us what to do and what

not to do. Consequently every

atom of our PM practices is

guided by cultural instructions”

The theory

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The aspects to consider:

• Relations with the context

• Space / time orientation

• Nature of people

• Orientation to activities

• Focus on responsibilities

From the unicultural to the awareness of diversity

The theory

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What are we going to do?

The practice

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Video

I was involved in a project that took

me to the biggest Brazilian city, Sao

Paulo, a huge metropolis with more

than 25 million inhabitants

I ended up at the edge of another

world..

I didn’t know anything about the

country..

The Experience

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The Experience

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The team I had to deal with was mainly

composed by local people, around 150,

whose target was getting know-how and

skills about an Italian product.

Both the team and I, had to gain mutual

trust and be on the same wavelength.

The Experience

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The Experience

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The first sensation was loss, confusion and paralysis.

The Experience

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The Experience

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Language, non-verbal

expressions, customs

and traditions were the

encountered

obstacles

The Experience

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Mutual false friends caused a chain of

misunderstandings

The Experience

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misunderstandings

The loss left me speechless

The Experience

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misunderstandings

The loss left me speechless..,

mute

The Experience

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The Experience

I decided to define my priorities to

overcome the “empasse”…

What was my main priority?

- Creating the right conditions to

motivate people..

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The Experience

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Open questions?

• How to avoid a project failure?

• How to obtain the team & stakeholder trust?

• How do I have to be? To be myself or not?

• What are the expectations?

The Experience

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What was I aiming at?

• Full comprehension of the language

• relationship with colleagues and customers

• living daily life and situations connected even

outside working hours

The Experience

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............I realized that I was …

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selfawareness notes

Paola Mosca

A language course was the

first tool to gain trust and

"words" by renouncing the

"comfort zone" of business

English

selfawareness notes

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Words were not

and are not

enough to

understand the

reality in which

we are living

selfawareness notes

With the Power of

the words I began

to interact

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The empathy phase had started…

selfawareness notes

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Than I obtained and provided

feedback, even if I continued to

make mistakes…

Errors and feedback are the

basis of learning……..

… learning

selfawareness notes

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…Little by little words and gestures

gave me the voice

and some improvements appeared

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… learning ….listening….

selfawareness notes

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....finally I found out that without the real possibility to

communicate

.

... I had been deaf too !!

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selfawareness notes

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selfawareness notes

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The culture of a nation is

defined on the basis of

its values, its norms, its

beliefs, its attitudes, its

behavior and its

conception of the world.

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selfawareness notes

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Trompenaars 7 dimensions

on site study

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on site study

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The Hofstede’ dimensions

His last book deals with

organizational culture, which is

a different structure from

national culture, but also has

measurable dimensions, and

the same research

methodology is used for both.

on site study

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on site study

Italy

Brasil

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Power distance

• How important is it for you to have

a leader to whom you are

respecting?

• How important is it for you to

consult with your boss in decisions

concerning your job?

• According to your experience, how

often subordinates are afraid of

contradicting their own boss?

degree of tolerance for

hierarchical or unequal

relationships

?on site study

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• The collaborators expect being

told what to do

• More supervisors needed

• The ideal boss is like a good

father

• The chief-collaborator relations

are emotional

power distance

• Managers trust experience and

theirs collaborators

• Collaborators expect to be

consulted

• The ideal leader is a democrat

competent

• Chief-collaborator relations are

pragmatic

LOWHIGH

on site study

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Power distance

The Brazilians have a great respect

for hierarchy, whereas the Italians

seem to be more reluctant to the idea

of control

Based on my experience

this means they tend not to

antagonize with their boss, to

follow in any instruction, even

though this doesn’t mean they will

do whatever is asked them to do

Hofstede’s

dimensions

on site study

Italy

Brasil

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Individualism

• How important is it to have

sufficient time for one's personal or

family life?

• How important is safety at work?

• How important is it to do an

interesting job?

• How important is it to have a job

respected by the family and by the

Friends?

?

degree emphasis

placed on individual

accomplishment

on site study

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High

• The use of the word "I" is

encouraged;

• Everyone is born to take care

only of himself and his small

family;

• Individual interests prevail over

those of the group;

• The ultimate goal is the self-

realization of each individual;

Low

• “The use of the word "we" is

encouraged;

• People are born in extended

families;

• Group interests prevail over

individual interests;

• The ultimate goal of societies

is harmony and consensus;

• Patriotic ideals.

individualism

on site study

Paola Mosca

The Brazilians, far different from

the Italians, have a greater

need to share and feel

themselves part of a group


It means that they need trust

and good relationships,

generally speaking a relaxed

work environment to produce

better.

Hofstede’s

dimensions

on site study

Individualism

Italy

Brasil

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Masculinity

• How important would it be to have

a recognition for good

performances?

• How important would it be to be

surrounded by pleasant people to

work with?

• How important would it be to live

in a desirable area?

• How important would it be to have

the possibility of promotion?

?

degree of stress

placed on materialism

on site study

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High

• Challenges, earnings, awards and

promotions are important

• In the family, fathers take care of

the facts and the mothers of the

feelings

• Honors based on equity

• You live to work

• Strong and aggressive

management

• Stricter society

Low

• Relationships and quality of life

are important

• In the family, fathers and mothers

take care of facts and feelings

• Acknowledgment based on

equality

• You work to live

• Management based on

consensus and intuition;

• More permissive society

Masculinity

on site study

Paola Mosca

The Brazilian are half the way

between career ambitions and

competition on one side, care

for the others and quality of life

on the other hand.


I saw if they have to choose

between a meeting in a later

hour and going at home ,

typically they choose the

second one

Hofstede’s

dimensions

on site study

Masculinity

Italy

Brasil

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• How often do you feel nervous or

agitated?

• Is a good manager who don’t have a

precise answer to all the questions that

a subordinate can raise regarding their

work ?

• Should not the rules of a company or

organization be infringed - even when

the employee believes that breaking

the rules is for the good of the

organization?

? Uncertainty Avoidance

degree to which

individuals of a specific

society are comfortable

with uncertainty and the

unknown

on site study

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High

• he uncertainty inherent in life is a

constant threat that must be

fought

• Stress and anxiety at high levels

• Ambiguous situations and

unknown risks are feared

• many laws or precise norms

• Less innovative capabilities, more

applicative

Low

• Uncertainty is normal :every day

we accept it as it is

• Low level stress and anxiety

• ambiguous situations and unknown

risks are easy

• Few laws and precise rules

• Better inventive skills, less

applicative

Uncertainty Avoidance

on site study

Paola Mosca

Like the Italians, the Brazilians live

the contradiction between the real

need for rules, laws and

regulations of their social life and

the actual incapability to respect

them.


Both of them need relaxing

moments to reduce their stress,

such as several coffee breaks,

conversations with friends and

colleagues

on site studyHofstede’s

dimensions

Uncertainty Avoidance

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Italy

Brasil

Paola Mosca

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Long Term Orientation

• In your private life, how important

is it to help a friend?

• In your private life, how important

is thrift? (not spend more than

necessary)

• How proud are you to be citizens

of your country?

• Are persistent efforts the safest

way to achieve results?

?

degree of the society's

attitude towards

traditional values

on site study

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High

• Respect for the circumstances

• Importance of personal adaptation

skills

• The most important values at work

• they include learning, honesty,

reliability and self-discipline

adaptability

• We feel guilty

Low

• Respect for tradition

• Importance of personal stability

• The most important values at

work include freedom, rights,

fulfillment and thinking about

oneself

• Concern about "losing face"


on site study

Paola Mosca

The Brazilians are not used to

achieving long-term targets.

They place themselves in a

hypothetical middle point.

Conversely, the Italians show a

deeper inclination towards

pragmatism and determination

in achieving their goals


dimensions


60

Italy

Brasil

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High

• Have fewer restrictions on

behaviour

• More likely to display

optimism

• Have a higher crime rate

Low

• Have more restrictions on

behaviour

• More likely to display

pessimism

• Have a lower crime rate

Focus on individual happiness

and well being, leisure time is

more important and there is

greater freedom and personal

control

Indulgenceon site study

Paola Mosca

The Brazilians are very

optimists and live up

their lives, whereas the

Italians tend to be more

pessimists and as a

result it gives rise to a

sort of cynicism.


dimensions

Indulgence

Italy

Brasil

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The Experience

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• Superficiality in

relationships

• Courtesy-Caution-

waiting

• Nervousness-Anxiety

• Hesitation

• Uncertainty

• Suspicion

• Low participation

• Who are the others?

• Will my skills be

enough?

• Will others accept

me?

• What will happen to

me?

• Which attitude should

I take?

• Let's see what

happens and how

others behave

The Experience

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The Experience

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The Experience

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The Experience

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I was still learning Portuguese ,

Even if I was moving in that world

while the team was developing

competition

The Experience

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we were creating

a new “

The Experience

Paola Mosca

• I needed to reach the

project’s goals...

• ..and to obtain

!

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The Experience

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Then we adopted

an agile control &

monitoring

approach , with

daily and weekly

status meeting to

align all

stakeholders…

The Experience

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…and to avoid potential critical

issues, managing the different

time zone between Italy and

Brasil and….

….

every day, the team was being

more and more self confident in

own abilities and competencies

The Experience

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• Confidence

• Appreciation

• Respect

• Mutual attention

• Affection

• Optimism

• Team spirit

• Pride of belonging to

the team

• Profusion of the

maximum personal

commitment

• Personal contribution

from all members

The Experience

Paola Mosca

The happy end

At the end the

project was a

success!

We celebrated !!!

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Video

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Off site study

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Off site study

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Off site study

Field research typically involves a combination of participant

observation, interviewing, and document or artifact analysis

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As the anthropologist uses

"cultural mediators" or the

old "interpreters" of positivist

ethnography,

even the PM seeks

comparison and comfort with

privileged witnesses who are

part of the community itself,

and are accepted by it.

Off site study

Subjects that allow us to get

in touch with the group and

its rituals.

• institutional witnesses (the

mgr account, or the TL)

• simple community

subjects (the team

members, or the language

teacher ..)

the key to access to the world

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The proposal

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The proposal

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starting an observation and

study phase: behavioral

differences between people

and cultures, as suggested

by the Hofstede paradigm

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The proposal

implementing a "participative

observation", as claimed by

Malinowsky, to support this

"learning phase", to ‘dive’

oneself into the society, and

be emotionally involved.

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The proposal

Setting up your own

team culture

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The proposal

Recycling the model

using feedbacks and

Lessons learned

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….

Conclusion

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Remembering that at the beginning of 2000 a research stream

formalized :

• The “ ” movement, which

attempts to understand project-based working in the context of

creating a better, more organized relationship between theory

(knowledge) and practice (experience) (Winter & Smith, 2006)

• Thus, a different philosophical stance,

rather than objective planning and control

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Conclusion

Paola Mosca

A project manager is supposed to act as a

Take home message

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Conclusion

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“Obrigada por tudo gente”

Thank you for your attention

Gracias

merci danke

teşekkürlerteşekkürler

спасибо

mulțumesc

хвалаευχαριστίες

dzięki

شكر

aitähkiitos tack

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References:

• Miloevic, D. (1999). Echoes of the silent language of project

management. Project Management Journal, 30(1), 27–39

• Project Management Institute (2013) A guide to the Project Management

Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), 5 ed. Project Management Institute

Newtown Square, PA.

• Hofstede, G. Culture’s consequences” (1980),

• Malinowsky, B - from Wikipedia

• Winter, M and Smith, C, (2006). Rethinking Project Management

(EPSRC Network 2004-2006)

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Echi da Berlino - pmi-nic.org · “Culture like software is a program. Culture is a collective...

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Transcript of Echi da Berlino - pmi-nic.org · “Culture like software is a program. Culture is a collective...