The outcome of an intercultural project cannot be determined in advance, but its success depends largely on the quality of the interpersonal relations.

Traditional views on project management are under challenge. Working with cultural diverse teams increases the ambiguity, complexity, and inherent confusion of project processes. In this most enriching but challenging context, the issue of Intercultural Project Management-competence (IPM) comes to the fore.
Living Stone developped with Stanwick Management Consultants a basic training package and coaching path 'Intercultural Project Management'-competence, recognized for its pragmatic, hands-on approach and focus on implementation.
It provides the beneficiaries with an understanding of how culture affects behavior and why cultures differ. Participants expand their communication skills and build confidence to create a positive working atmosphere.

• Cracking the matrix code
  Project management is born in an individualistic and low-context communication culture, aimed at setting up a temporary system and specific objectives. Accordingly, project managers assume a matrix organisation, all information is explicit, commitment to the tasks rather than to relationships. However, the large majority of the cultures are rooted in a collectivistic and high-context communication tradition. People are used to a hierarchical organisation structure, an implicit way of delivering information, be committed to people and human relationships, change plans easily and often.

• Target audiences
  • Project Managers (ICT, Operations, R&D, Finance,…)
  • HR Managers who want to broaden the corporate competence development curriculum
  • General managers and change agents engaged in international projects
  • All parties involved in business processes or cooperation projects across cultures.
• Most effective results:
  • To start with a need analysis (language and culture audit)
  • Tailor made IPM workshops in combination with our culture specific 'Working with ..' program (Chinese, Indians, the Flemish, ..)
  • Tailor made English language coaching: basic survival vocabulary and language use adapted to support teams, project managers, frequent travellers, project portfolio managers.

What they say:
"I worked in several projects with global teams. Sometimes, you ask other members whether they understand the problem or requirement, they answer, yes. But it's not the truth... "(Alan)
"A lot of Western managers are completely at a lost when they encounter a 'high-context' culture, where the subtext is the REAL message"(Rene)
“A project manager has a lot of responsibilities and not much power. The people he works with depend on other structures and even other cultures’’.

CONTACT & INFORMATION: Lutgart Dusar (lutgart.dusar@lscoop.com)

"Multicultural teams can potentially become the most effective and productive teams in an organization. Unfortunately, they frequently become the least productive. The productivity of a team does not depend on the presence or absence of diversity, but rather on how well diversity is managed. Because members of multicultural teams more frequently disagree on expectations, the appropriatedness of relevant information, and the need for particular decision making becomes vital for an organization's survival". Nancy J.Adler with Allison Gundersen, (2008), International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, Thomson South-Western, ISBN 13: 978-0-324-36074-5.