Cultures Crossing: Emotional intelligence, Meet Cultural Awareness

  PM Network  

Variety might be the spice of life, but sometimes even the simplest cultural misunderstandings can sabotage a project team’s solidarity, as Ray Wu, PMP, recently learned.

The doctoral candidate in management at the University of Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona, USA, recently worked on an IT outsourcing project with Tata Consulting Services in India. Team members from India traveled overseas for training on the company’s organizational culture as well as its IT system. During the process, one Indian team member kept shaking his head from side to side.

This gesture has very different meanings for the two cultures.

“The American manager thought the Indian man was disagreeing with him,” says Mr. Wu, whose dissertation is on cultural and emotional intelligence. “The manager lost his cool and scolded the Indian team member and spoke with the Indian-based office supervisor about the incident.”

The outburst and lingering tension were unnecessary, of course. One key piece of the emotional intelligence puzzle was missing. “In the Indian culture, shaking your head is like saying, ‘Yes, I am listening and agreeing,’” he explains.

The relationship between the manager and team member was damaged before it even really had a chance to develop. “Other team members were present and overheard the exchange, making …

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