D 39 BU Business Management in the Built
D 39 BU – Business Management in the Built Environment Culture and Ethos Dr. Turker Bayrak
Structure of Delivery § Project Culture & sub-cultures § The impact of culture(s) on project outcomes
Introduction to Culture § Culture is a difficult concept to identify but of potentially great importance in the study of organisation & project behaviour.
Culture - Definitions § “How things are done around here” § The underlying assumptions about the way work is performed § What is acceptable & what is not acceptable § What behaviour & actions are encouraged & discouraged
Culture – Definitions (1) “A distinctive pattern of values & beliefs which are characteristic of a particular society or sub-group within that society”.
Culture – Definition (2) § “A group of people whose shared beliefs and practices identify the particular place, class, or time to which they belong” § The collection of traditions, values, policies, beliefs, & attitudes that constitute a pervasive context for everything we do & think in an organisation
Culture Vs. Climate • Climate: the beliefs, & attitudes held by individuals about their organisation (Brown, 1998) • Culture: The collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the member of one organisation from another (Hofstede, 1994)
Culture - Impact • Culture influences the behaviour of all members of an organisation, including the project team. • Culture affects issues such as – – – how decisions are made, who makes them, how the group responds to external/outside stimuli, how people are treated, what is important, etc.
§ Managing construction project is about harnessing the various cultural forces at play on construction projects to the benefit of projects, and hence clients, in meeting their objectives.
Levels of Culture (Edgar Schein) § Level 1: Artefacts: These "artefacts" are at the surface, those aspects (such as dress) which can be easily discerned, but are hard to understand. § Level 2: Espoused values: Beneath artefacts are "espoused values" which are conscious strategies, goals and philosophies. (Values derived from solving a problem successfully can be transformed into a beliefs) § Level 3: Basic underlying assumptions: The core, or essence, of culture is represented by the basic underlying assumptions and values, which are difficult to discern because they exist at a largely unconscious level. Yet they provide the key to understanding why things happen in a particular way. These basic assumptions form around deeper dimensions of human existence such as the nature of humans, human relationships and activity.
Types of Organisational Culture There are different ways of classifying Culture. e. g. : – Role culture – Task culture – Power culture – Support culture – Achievement culture – Social culture – Ethnic culture
Culture: Examples • Architects • Engineers • Quantity Surveyors
Culture: Examples § Architects: § Aesthetic culture, which may be seen by other project team members as “airy fairy” § Engineers: § A culture of inflexibility § Quantity Surveyors: § Pedantry & conservatism § Clients: § Unknown….
Corporate or Organisational Culture Power Culture: Based on survival and valuing strength, decisiveness and determination. Leader is strong and charismatic. Support Culture: Based on community and valuing mutuality, value, service and integration. People cooperate and trust. People are viewed as worthwhile human beings by the organisation.
Corporate or Organisational Culture Achievement Culture: Based on self expression and valuing growth, success and distinction. . “People manage themselves”. A sense of urgency at attaining goals and values. Role Culture: Based on security and valuing order, stability, control and profit. Performance judged against written descriptions. As long as you meet requirements, you are ‘safe’.
Ethnic Culture § Ethnicity and racial heritage of project participants will provide variations in their expectations and behaviour throughout the project
Ethnic Culture • It may be necessary to adjust project programmes, working time, and milestone dates to accommodate ethnic and cultural sensibilities of contributors (E. g. noon devotions by Muslims or Hindu, observance of the Sabbath, etc. ). • The PM must be aware of and understand the reasons for these variations and moderate both his leadership style and communication methodology as required.
Culture Paradigms 1. Blame Culture • This culture cultivates distrust and fear, people blame each other to avoid being reprimanded or put down. • This results in no new ideas or personal initiative because people don’t want to risk being wrong.
Culture Paradigms 2. Multi-directional culture • This culture cultivates minimized cross-department communication and cooperation. • Loyalty is only to specific groups (departments). • Each department becomes a clique and is often critical of other departments which in turn creates lots of gossip. • The lack of cooperation and Multi-Direction is manifested in the organization's inefficiency.
Culture Paradigms 3. Live and let live culture • This culture is Complacency, it manifests Mental Stagnation and Low Creativity. • People here have little future vision and have given up their passion. • There is average cooperation and communication, and things do work, but they do not grow. • People have developed their personal relationships and decided who to stay away from, there is not much left to learn.
Culture Paradigms 4. Brand congruent culture • People in this culture believe in the product or service of the organization, they feel good about what their company is trying to achieve and cooperate to achieve it. • People here are passionate and seem to have similar goals in the organization. • They use personal resources to actively solve problems and while they don’t always accept the actions of management or others around them, they see their job as important. • Most everyone in this culture is operating at the level of Group.
Culture Paradigms 5. Leadership enriched culture • People view the organization as an extension of themselves, they feel good about what they personally achieve through the organization and have exceptional Cooperation. • Individual goals are aligned with the goals of the organization and people will do what it takes to make things happen. • As a group, the organization is more like family providing personal fulfilment which often transcends ego so people are consistently bringing out the best in each other. • In this culture, Leaders do not develop followers, but develop other leaders. Most everyone in this culture is operating at the level of Organization.
Cross - Cultural Project Communications § § Discuss as a group what challenges there are in managing crosscultural communications? Are there any opportunities in cross-cultural environments?
Cross - Cultural Project Communications § Project communications present a challenge, even in "traditional" projects of a single organization operating in a mono-cultural situation - include potential barriers as a result of personality conflicts, interdisciplinary misunderstandings and professional rivalry.
Cross - Cultural Project Communications (cont…) § In multi-cultural projects, such challenges in communications increase exponentially, and further barriers begin to manifest themselves because of cultural differences. § It is natural for members of project teams to have diverse assumptions about the same phenomena, causing dissonance in perceptions. The danger is that this can result in a perceptible erosion of project performance.
Cross - Cultural Project Communications (3) § Recognise the impact of cultural factors on communications - verbal and nonverbal differences, and recognise cultural differences that could precipitate misunderstandings. § Meanings embodied in equivalent words can have quite different nuances
Cross - Cultural Project Communications (4) § Effective cross-cultural communications can actually encourage innovative thinking among players in a multicultural project to resolve potential communication barriers. § It can create ideas and generate alternatives
Corporate Culture: Constraints on Projects § A primary factor that may determine the success or failure of a project is the corporate culture § Project management professionals can face resistance to change if they are working with an organization that does not embrace change as part of its culture
How is the Culture Perpetuated & communicated? § The formal statements of philosophy and values of the organisation § The organisation’s design and structure § The organisation’s performance and promotion systems § The organisation’s internal systems and procedures (i. e. how things get done) § The criteria used for recruitment, selection and termination
Team and Project Culture (1) § Change demands adaptation & consequently cultural change § Organisations need to modify their culture to respond to internal & external events and changes
Team and Project Culture (2) § New projects and challenges § Attracting and retaining new talent § New tools and technologies § Staff turnover § Succession planning § Growth § Formation and disbandment § What has worked previously, may no longer be effective.
Team and Project Culture (3) § The unique nature of any project will necessitate a cultural shift in the project team assembled to deliver it. § The constituent parts of the team will bring with them the culture and behavioural norms of their ‘parent’ team or organisation. § The team will develop its own culture, style and behavioural norms.
Project Management and cultural Influences § Understanding cultural influences will assist the PM in achieving the desired project outcomes § Project management is itself a culture bound concept (Rees, 2000) § The principles of project management are more readily assimilated into some cultures than others.
Elements of Any Effective Change Plan How can you change an established culture effectively?
Elements of Any Effective Change Plan § Sense of Urgency § Creating a Powerful Change Team § A Clear and Concise Change Vision § The Change Communication Plan § Identifying Barriers and Addressing § Planning for and Creating Short-Term Wins § Staying the Course (not declaring victory too soon!) § Anchoring Change into the Culture
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