Ensuring the effectiveness of short-term missions
Many projects fail or are interrupted because of differences in approaches, value systems and client, supplier or multinational team member expectations resulting from dissimilar cultural references.A manager on a short mission is just as likely to experience culture shock as an expatriate. The brevity of the stay implies that he or she rarely has time to learn in country what has not been taught before departure.
This also applies to technicians, for whom a rule is as universal as the laws of physics, and who think cultural differences play a secondary role in the practice of engineering worldwide.
The challenges of intercultural communications, however, have different roots, from the meaning often assigned to gestures and body language, to the significance of what is left unsaid, to diverse types of power structures, to ways and customs…
Managers sent abroad maximize their chances to bring an international cooperation project to fruition – whether it be setting up a factory, selling products or services, outsourcing or buying – when they understand the fundamental aspects of the cultures in which they are going to work. This includes learning why others feel and behave differently and how to develop a relationship based on mutual trust.
