Managing Global Projects; Don't Be a Tourist

Ladies first, No steamrolling, Swastika greeting cards....

No, I haven't lost my mind, and this isn't some weird form of free association. These are all examples of cultural misunderstandings that are pointed out in an insightful article from Computerworld.

It reminds me of that old series of TV advertisements with a "Don't be a tourist" theme (one example had Richard Nixon giving the "OK" hand gesture while getting off a plane in Latin America--and nearly causing a riot). Of course, I forget the product being advertised, so the ad couldn't have been too effective. But I digress.

In all seriousness, having done quite a bit of travel myself, I can vouch for the importance of avoiding the stereotypical American trait of steamrolling your ideas or values, or assuming everything works as it does here in the U.S. (yes, I realize not ALL Americans are like that, but a sad number are).

Better to engage people's input, and have them be part of the solution. A little bit of humility and cultural awareness (and, dare I say, learning at least a few phrases of a foreign language) goes a long way. It's especially important when managing projects that span geographic and/or cultural boundaries.

Here's the article from Computerworld (and just so nobody thinks I'm picking on Americans, the article shows that cultural misunderstandings are a global issue) ...

Culture Clash - Computerworld