2. Seven Steps Toward Cross Cultural Proficiency
Solutions oriented
Understanding and respectful
Cross-Culturally competent in
Multi-Cultural contexts
Communicative, motivating staff
Engaged in the tasks at hand, flexible, building trust
Sensitive to the power of multi-cultural project teams
Sustainable in project management approaches
Successful Cross-Culturally Proficient Managers are:
3. Cross-Cultural Proficiency – Step One
Solutions oriented and open minded
about the requirements inherent in
conducting international business and
in working with a diverse staff
Successful Cross-Culturally Proficient Managers are:
Employee Scenario: What time and what day do I schedule an
employee review with someone from a different country/culture?
Client Scenario: What time, what day, where, do I request my
first time with a client whose project I am starting? In the U.S.
and overseas? What information do I need before reaching out?
Challenge Scenario: My plane is leaving in three hours and I want to discuss a project
issue that has come up unexpectedly. The issue is about a potential risk and litigation.
4. Cross-Cultural Proficiency – Step Two
Successful Cross-Culturally Proficient Managers are:
Understanding and respectful of multi-
cultural differences and focused on
maximizing project team similarities
Client Scenario – Case Study: My client asks me to replace
one of my most experienced project engineers on the job.
Who do I talk to, what do I ask, do I handle this differently in
the U.S. than I would in another country?
5. Cross-Cultural Proficiency – Step Three
Successful Cross-Culturally Proficient Managers are:
Cross-culturally competent in Multi-
Cultural business and social contexts,
including outreach to clients, sub
contractors, trade workers, and
stakeholders within project confines
Client Scenario – Case Study: I have a project that may
negatively affect a neighborhood close to the construction
site. How do I communicate the mitigation measures to be
taken by our company on behalf of our public sector client.
6. Cross-Cultural Proficiency – Step Four
Successful Cross-Culturally Proficient Managers are:
Communicative, motivating staff for
project delivery on time, under budget,
resulting in client satisfaction, a goal of
good business
Client Scenario – Case Study: Because our project manager and
our client went to the same university overseas, they share
similar interests. Our project manager is communicating directly
with our private sector client by e-mail, telephone, and in person
about project matters without including her immediate superior
and others at the company in the communication chain. She is
a good project manager, the job is going well, under budget, on
time, the client is satisfied. What is the best course to follow?
7. Cross-Cultural Proficiency – Step Five
Successful Cross-Culturally Proficient Managers are:
Engaged in the tasks at hand and
flexible in implementing methods for
getting things done efficiently, building
trust in diverse work and business
environments
Emergency Situation – Chain of Command Scenario – Case
Study: This is an emergency situation resulting from a hurricane.
My superior is not reachable and I have to make a quick decision
on asking the local elders for assistance in negotiating the use of
school buses to transport of supplies to the reconstruction sites.
How do I handle this chain of command challenge?
8. Cross-Cultural Proficiency – Step Six
Successful Cross-Culturally Proficient Managers are:
Sensitive to the power of multi-cultural
project teams and, effective in tapping
that power
Employee Team Scenario – Case Study: Our company has
been chosen to oversee the construction of a high profile
mixed use residential and commercial development in a
foreign country. We have never worked there. No one at our
company speaks the language except two junior engineers
who joined our company a few years ago. Should I tap
these two young engineers for this job? If so, In what
capacity should they be assigned to work there?
9. Cross-Cultural Proficiency – Step Seven
Successful Cross-Culturally Proficient Managers are:
Sustainable in project management
approaches essential for achieving
optimum success within the
geographical, regulatory, business
and community prerequisites for
each project
Challenge Scenario – Case Study: Much of the excavated
soil from our construction project is appropriate for fill in a
nearby highway project. Our client public agency and the
highway authority do not have a history of collaboration.
What should I do?
10. Cross-Cultural Proficiency – Seven Steps Recap
Solutions oriented
Understanding and respectful
Cross-Culturally competent in
multi-cultural contexts
Communicative, motivating staff
Engaged in the tasks at hand and flexible
Sensitive to the power of multi-cultural project teams
Sustainable in project management approaches
Successful Cross-Culturally Proficient Managers are:
11. Cross-Cultural Proficiency – Beyond the Dictionary
Seek individual and team perspectives
Understand and learn by listening and observing
to discern perception from reality
Create environments for communication
Collaborate to find cross-cultural solutions in
multi-cultural settings, situations, challenges
Encourage the celebration of cultural differences
Select words and actions thoughtfully
Send positive messages through concrete actions
The What, Why, and the How of
Going Beyond Dictionaries
To a Cross Cultural Spelling of Success
12. Your Cross-Cultural Proficiency – Discussion
Questions?
Thank You!
Emma Kowalenko, Strategic Planner
Cross-Cultural Proficiency Coach and Mentor, Lean 6σ
ekowalenko@kowalenkogroup.com
847-433-8747
