Page 320 - Global Project Management Handbook

16-8 MANAGEMENT OF GLOBAL PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

Time Separation
Differences between the time zones of multiple sites that are geographically dispersed are
called time separation. Because of this temporal separation, the working hours of the
sites may overlap, more or less. This difference in working hours, or temporal distance
(Carmel and Agarwal, 2001), holds back the use of synchronous communication that is
essential in collaborative SDW. Although the power of asynchronous communication
(e.g., e-mail) is increasing continually, it pales in comparison with the ability to commu-
nicate synchronously (e.g., face-to-face meetings) to convey the speed and tone of voice,
facial expressions, body language, etc. (Jarvenpaa, 1998). For example, in a project
involving sites in Canada and Germany, an e-mail message took 16 hours to reach the
destination, resulting in an increased coordination effort—and cost (Kogut and Meitu,
2000). For these reasons, synchronous communication can help to solve misunderstandings
faster and prevent problems, thus having an impact on project coordination and control
and, ultimately, project cycle time.
Temporal separation often determines the allocation of work across sites, that is, the
task-allocation strategy (Carmel, 1999). The less overlap time (i.e., larger temporal separa-
tion) between the sites offers the advantage of longer development hours when deploying the
follow-the-sun strategy. Ideally, the follow-the-sun approach can shrink the project-
development cycle time by 50 percent (Carmel, 1999).

Language Differences

VGS teams are highly likely to have team members who speak different languages, which
affects the selection of communication media and the effectiveness of communication. In
particular, non-native English-speaking people prefer asynchronous communication (e.g.,
e-mail) to synchronous (e.g., videoconferencing) (see, for example, Carmel and Agarwal,
2001; Keil and Eng, 2003) because asynchronous communication allows them time to
digest input and express their thoughts. However, asynchronous communication often
results in delayed or complicated problems because it can take days for back-and-forth
discussions (Carmel and Agarwal, 2001) as opposed to synchronous communication,
where miscommunication and misunderstanding can be resolved quickly in real time.
Moreover, miscommunication may occur easily in both asynchronous and synchronous

types, reducing communication effectiveness and affecting project control, leading to
project delays and other problems.

Cross-Cultural Differences

Two major roadblocks in VGS projects are differences in the corporate culture and in the
ethnic cultures of team members. Corporate culture is a set of values shared by the orga-
nizational members, reflected in mechanisms such as management practices (e.g., project
management methodologies, rewards, hiring, promotion, etc.). When the cultures of par-
ticipating organizations in a project differ, there is a potential for culture clash, thereby
decreasing coordination, control, and performance results. If different sites are parts of
the same organization, of course, the impact of corporate culture lessens.
Ethnic culture is the collective mental program of the people in an environment and
encompasses a number of instructions (Hofstede, 1984) that tell us what we should and
should not do. They are also embodied in what we have created—our family structures,
forms of social organizations, companies, laws, etc. (Hofstede, 1980) and even our project
management practices.