Among the
classic TV shows that viewers with cable can watch today is the
1960s sci-fi series "The Twilight Zone." A memorable episode
entitled "People Are Alike All Over" involved a spaceship carrying
two U.S. astronauts on a mission to Mars. One of them, named
Marcusson, had a sunny outlook and believed that people would be the
same everywhere. The other astronaut, Conrad, was less optimistic
about the likely nature of otherworldly creatures.
As luck would have it, their vessel crashed and Marcusson (the
optimist) was killed. Alone on an unfamiliar planet, Conrad was
fearful about what lurked outside his marooned spaceship. Finally,
he ventured out to find creatures that appeared both human and
friendly. He was struck by their hospitality and overjoyed when they
led him to a specially constructed residence with all the comforts
of an American dream home circa 1960.
It seemed too good to be true; as Conrad soon found, it was.
Conrad discovered that his new dwelling had a curious difference—it
had neither windows nor doors. His new home was actually a cage, and
he was the Martian zoo's newest exhibit, aptly titled "Earth
Creature in Its Native Habitat." As the show ends, he shouts
bitterly, "You were right; people are alike everywhere!"
Given the growing globalization of the world economy, it's
fortunate that working with multi-country organizations is not as
full of unpleasant surprises as those faced by astronaut Conrad in
his close encounter with Martians.
Whether the goal is to expand products, markets, or services,
more companies are thinking and acting globally. Implementing
strategies across cultural and national boundaries can pose daunting
challenges, albeit ones different from those faced by the "Twilight
Zone" astronaut. In keeping with the shift toward global
initiatives, here are some lessons learned that could help your
company's long-distance journey.
1. Location, Location, Location
Perhaps the number-one
challenge in managing global projects relates to logistics of
distance and time. Time zones may be the most vexing issue when
dealing with multiple locations. It takes considerable effort to
keep disparate time zones in mind while in the midst of a complex
project. When it's lunchtime where you are, it's hard to remember
that it may be only 5:00 a.m. for your colleagues across the
ocean—or vice versa. This adds a serious wrinkle when handling
otherwise routine tasks, such as scheduling meetings.
There simply is no avoiding the need to accommodate time
differences. Invariably, someone is required to start much earlier,
or stay much later, than normal. It takes diligence and compromise
to ensure that people get the right information at the right time
under these circumstances.
While technology can ease the burden of international
communications, there are situations where face-to-face meetings are
the most effective option. A short-term focus on managing expenses
has to be balanced with the longer-term need for effective
communications. Rigid rules that limit face-to-face interactions,
imposed in the interest of reducing project costs, will ultimately
hamper success. The cost of not having face-to-face meetings can be
far more injurious to a project in the long run than the one-time
expense of planes, cars, and hotels.
When long-distance travel is involved, it is imperative that
clear meeting objectives be set in order to ensure that outcomes are
achieved. Any project that involves global interactions needs the
flexibility to adjust communication methods to deliver desired
results, along with a commonsense approach to balancing those
results with expenses.
2. Jurisdictional Differences
Companies with locations
in multiple countries must comply with local rules and regulations
while adhering to applicable international standards. Local legal,
accounting, and other requirements must be understood by all key
stakeholders, particularly when the rules differ widely from the
home jurisdiction. In this instance, what you don't know can
have grave consequences; it's never safe to assume that things are
the same everywhere. Have you heard the one about the project leader
dispatched from the home office who arrived at the overseas location
only to find a dark and empty office? A quick check beforehand would
have revealed that a regular work day at home was a holiday in the
other country. Things like this really happen, and sometimes
misinformation can have an impact far worse than a scheduling
mishap.
Taking new requirements dictated by local laws into account can
be complex and time-consuming, amplifying the challenges inherent to
all large projects. Rigorous processes are needed to deal with the
increased risks that flow from multinational initiatives.
3. People Separated by a Common Language
George Bernard
Shaw famously described England and the U.S. as "two countries
separated by a common language." Anyone with practical experience in
both countries knows the truth in his observation. The same words
can mean different things, and different words can mean the same
thing. The English wait in a queue, while Americans wait in a
line; an English schoolchild ends a recitation of the
alphabet with the letter zed, while an American child ends it
with zee; the list goes on and on, including different
spellings for the same words. Acronyms only increase the opportunity
for misunderstanding.
Standardizing terminology and spelling conventions might sound
like a marginal activity, but it is essential for effective
communications. When initiatives span multiple languages,
communication challenges mount. Charts and diagrams can add visual
clarity to communications, but there is no avoiding the need to
agree on verbal and written communication standards at the outset of
a global undertaking.
4. Stakeholder Management
Engaging and communicating
with key stakeholders is, of course, a necessity for any effective
initiative. Doing this well in a single location can be challenging,
and even more so when done across vast distances or through
different languages.
Understanding how, and how often, to engage with stakeholders and
taking the time to reflect on their cultural preferences in terms of
communication style and content takes on tremendous importance for a
global project—building bridges with key stakeholders helps grow and
sustain commitment across project locations.
Similarly, setting up project governance for multinational
projects has its own set of challenges. For example, there may be
distinct differences in project management methods and protocols
used in various markets. Understanding local methods for managing
projects (which provides the framework for everything from
coordinating people and activities to designing and supervising the
project to defining key roles and responsibilities within the
project) is vital to reinforcing a local sense of ownership and
accountability. Being sensitive to cultural differences helps build
trust and cooperation among newly formed teams.
In reaching agreement on project governance, it is also important
to remember that governance provides the context—not the content—for
any project. Deference to cultural differences in managing projects
should in no way trump the need to drive for results day in and day
out. Achieving balance between the "how" and the "what" of the
project is particularly important when managing across multiple
cultures and geographies.
5. Sponsorship and Managing Information
Getting
organizations in different countries to share data isn't easy. Add
to that the fact that the data itself will almost certainly be
formatted differently and contain localized variables (for example,
currency values will be unique to the jurisdiction) and the task
becomes that much harder.
Agreeing on how to align disparate data and developing shared
conclusions about what it means is much easier when you have the
endorsement and support of a local executive sponsor. All the
planning and communicating in the world cannot take the place of a
highly engaged local executive who can lead (or push when necessary)
to help the team find common ground.
Thankfully, most global initiatives face a far better outcome
than the one experienced by the astronaut who ended up in a Martian
zoo exhibit. Working on a multi-country project has its challenges,
but it also provides exposure and insight to different cultures and
ways of achieving business results. It requires more logistics
planning, more diligence to discover the differences among
jurisdictions, and more care in designing and scheduling
communications.
Approached as an adventure, a global project can be the
professional opportunity of a lifetime, with lasting friendships
across national boundaries being only one of many fringe benefits.
Getting results based on shared vision and values, regardless of the
participants' nationalities, offers the chance to prove that people
really are alike all over.
