1. Managing global project 1

2.  ”It is virtually impossible for multinational corporations to exploit economies of scale and scope, maximize the transfer of knowledge or cultivate a global mind- set without understanding and mastering the management of global business teams.” 2

3. 3 MNC GBT. SUB HQ SUB  In corporations with activities in many countries  Cross national borders  Cross hierarchical levels  Cross functional levels  Aims at utilization resources and above all knowledge at the geographically dispersed units AND  Temporary group constellations  Pre-defined frames  Pre-defined goals/quality

4.  Coordination across geographically dispersed business units  Experiencing participation  Ease the implementation of common corporate solutions at local business units  Creative solutions – reduces the risk standardization  Global use of geographically dispersed knowledge ◦ Knowledge connected both to the task and performance ◦ Give rise to new knowledge ◦ Possibilities on a further learning as knowledge can be shared and used on other projects and in the daily operations

5.  Concerning affected business units ◦ Loss of important competence ◦ Use of resources ◦ ”Knowledge is power” ◦ Unification around common goals/standards ◦ Not-invented-here syndrome  Concerning team members ◦ Geographically dispersed ◦ Cultural differences ◦ Language barriers ◦ Lack of common routines and norms ◦ ”Knowledge is power”

6.  Cultural differences  Language barriers  Standards – different requirements of each market  Different units have their own set of priorities  Time-zone differences  Obtaining buy-in to objectives of remote members  Poor development and communication plans  Clarity in responsibilities  Lack of sharing of problems when they arise  Delays caused by support systems

7.  Establish strategies for task and processes  Formal project start-up meeting  Regular face-to-face meetings  Establishing regular video-conferences  Judicious use of e-mail in circulating project information  Intra-net  Working with senior department management  Consider the degree of diversity in relation to the task

8.  Creating a sense of purpose ◦ What is the mission of the team? ◦ What are the goals of the team? ◦ Who should be a member?  Structuring the task ◦ To what degree needs the task be structured? ◦ What are the rules of the game? ◦ How important is time and how do we manage time? ◦ What work can be divided and then integrated? ◦ What can be done together/apart?  Assigning roles and responsibilities ◦ Who does what and is responsible for what? ◦ From where should the project manager be appointed and on what criteria? ◦ What is his/her role? ◦ Who needs to attend meetings?  Reaching decisions ◦ How should decisions be made? (vote, consensus, compromise) ◦ Who is expected to make decisions? (Team vs leader)

9.  Team building ◦ What is the mission of the team? ◦ How much time for and what form of social activates?  Choosing how to communicate ◦ What is the working language? ◦ How to address the imbalance in level of fluency? ◦ What kind of communication technology can be used? ◦ What is an effective presentation?  Electing participants ◦ How can one ensure participation of all members? ◦ To what extent and why are some members assigned more credibility? ◦ Is every members input considered? ◦ Who listens/who talks/who interrupts?  Resolving conflicts ◦ How should one manage a conflict? ◦ Is collaboration sought if not how to enforce it? ◦ To what extent should one compromise? How does one view negations?  Evaluating performance ◦ How and when do we evaluate? ◦ Is evaluation a two-way process? ◦ How direct can feedback be?

10.  Establish strategies for task and processes  Formal project start-up meeting  Regular face-to-face meetings  Establishing regular video-conferences  Judicious use of ICT for circulating project information  Working with senior department management  Consider the degree of diversity in relation to the task

11.  Aspects affecting performance ◦ The task  Creative  Computational  Coordination ◦ Dimensions of heterogeneity  Values  Cognitive schema  Demeanor  Language ◦ Curvilinear effects Hambrick et.al., 1998

12.  Diversity of values ◦ Positive for creative ◦ Neutral for computational ◦ Negative for coordinative  Diversity of cognitive schema ◦ Positive for creative ◦ Positive then neutral when more than demanded ◦ Positive then negative when more than demanded  Diversity of demeanors ◦ Negative for all three  Language (common working language) ◦ Limited knowledge negative for all three Hambrick et.al., 1998

14.  Understand business interdependencies  Respond to multiple cultures simultaneously  Recognize the influence of cultures at home  Willing to share power  Demonstrate cognitive complexity  Adopt a “cultural-general” approach  Rapidly learn and unlearn

15.  Professional knowledge ◦ knowledge of work methods and processes ◦ technical skills to perform certain activities  Social competence ◦ knowledge of human behavior ◦ empathy ◦ communication skills  Cultural competencies ◦ individual background ◦ experiences

16.  Through experience  Training and education  Feedback from the project team  Mentor-system  Interest organizations

17.  Make the project manager role legitimate in the organization  Cultural training  Create career paths for project managers  Develop remuneration/bonus plans  Make it possible for the project manager to develop leadership skills besides necessary skills in how to technically manage projects  Continuous follow-ups of how the departments/lines and the project teams co- operate

18.  Unclear or ambiguous goals/objectives  Ambiguous expectations concerning roles and responsibilities  Indistinct project structure  Deficient cultural awareness  Differences in commitment  Communication barriers  Poor co-operation and co-ordination across border  Poor leadership  High turnover off members  Suppressed conflicts Lack of trust

19.  Lack of trust  Managing lack of trust ◦ Schedule personal meetings ◦ Rotate and diffuse leadership ◦ Team-based rewards/bonus systems ◦ Build social capital  Communication barriers ◦ geographic ◦ language ◦ culture  Managing communication barriers ◦ Language and cultural studies ◦ Agree on common norms of behavior ◦ Decision-making resting upon data ◦ Develop alternative solutions ◦ Rotate the meeting locations (Gupta och Govindarajan, 2001)

20.  Support the strategic intents of identifying and recognizing knowledge in the MNC  Support the needs of leveraging local knowledge within the MNC  Enable economies of scale in knowledge development and sharing in the MNC

21.  Knowledge as tacit and explicit  Knowledge development ◦ To explore and learn new ways, while concurrently exploiting what they have already learnt ◦ Local knowledge development ◦ Global knowledge development  Knowledge sharing ◦ The provision as well as the reception of knowledge is shaped by the subsidiary sharing and the subsidiary receiving knowledge ◦ Local knowledge sharing ◦ Global knowledge sharing

22. Pre-existing knowledge PracticesInteractionCommunication Common denominators

23.  Initiation and planning ◦ The idea of leveraging knowledge on a global level ◦ Setting up the team ◦ Kick-off meeting  Actual development and progress ◦ Coordination of activities ◦ Communication and interaction mediated through different means, e.g. face-to-face meetings, ICTs  E-mail and telephone the most common ICTs ◦ Managing information and knowledge flows  Final phase ◦ The team member as bearer of knowledge ◦ The success of product launch is contingent upon the ability to incorporate local demands ◦ … at the same time, common product viable at a global market

24. Motivation The mix of skills Socialization ICTs Shared knowledge and understanding Knowledge development Knowledge sharing Understanding local demands