PMI Global Insights

By: Michele Mattera, PMI-ACP

I had the pleasure of presenting at the PMI Global Summit Series Europe event held in Barcelona on April 7–8th. My presentation, titled “Navigating Multicultural Dynamics in High-Performing Research Teams,” explored my perspectives on this crucial topic, drawn from years of experience in diverse research environments across Europe. Interestingly, the subject resonated strongly with project managers from various industrial sectors. This talk aimed to underscore the significance of cultivating cross-cultural competencies through practical guidelines that can empower both managers and team members to recognize and address cultural biases, ultimately enhancing team performance.

In today's interconnected world, many project teams operate within multicultural environments. My presentation addressed the critical question of how to leverage the richness of diverse teams while mitigating potential misunderstandings arising from cultural differences. The core problem lies in the often-unrecognized cultural biases that can impede communication, collaboration, and ultimately, team performance.

Key takeaways emphasized the importance of proactive strategies, including honing active listening skills to truly grasp varied viewpoints, embracing adaptability in the face of evolving cultural dynamics, and cultivating empathy to forge stronger cross-cultural bonds. Furthermore, the presentation underscored the need to strategically prepare for cross-cultural interactions to minimize friction and to foster a psychologically safe space where open communication and effective conflict resolution can thrive. These guidelines serve as a practical framework for enhancing collaboration and maximizing the potential of multicultural teams.

Q&A

Question: Your topic is very interesting, and I have the chance to work with a multicultural team. I really agree with your guidelines, as I already do what you have identified as takeaways. But the problem is that my team is not responding. What can I change to make them share?
Answer: Thank you for this insightful question. It's understandable that even when applying these guidelines, you might encounter initial reluctance from your team. Building a truly open and communicative environment takes time and consistent effort. As a manager, one powerful step is to lead by example by openly sharing your own vulnerabilities and thought processes. This can help your colleagues understand you better and foster a sense of reciprocity.

Furthermore, consider referencing established cultural frameworks. During my presentation, I mentioned several, including Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions, Lewis's Cultural Behavior Dimensions, and Earley & Ang's Cultural Intelligence. We could also consider Trompenaars's Model of National Culture Differences. Introducing these frameworks can provide a neutral and objective lens through which to discuss potential differences in communication styles and expectations.

Importantly, revisiting the guideline of fostering a safe psychological space is crucial here. If your team members don't feel secure and trusted, they will likely be hesitant to share their thoughts and ideas, perceiving any attempt to encourage participation as pressure. Building this trust takes time and consistent demonstration of respect, empathy, and active listening. It's a gradual process, but by consistently embodying these principles and perhaps gently introducing cultural frameworks as discussion points, you can encourage a more open and collaborative team dynamic over time.

Question: During your talk, you mentioned that you include cultural awareness as “pillars” for your methodology. But in reality, how do you start a conversation about cultural awareness?
Answer: That's a great practical question. Initiating a conversation about cultural awareness doesn't need to be a formal or intimidating process. Think of it as creating opportunities for subtle exploration and shared understanding.

For instance, you could start with simple, everyday scenarios. Imagine a team tradition like bringing breakfast on a specific day. Instead of assigning it, you might casually ask on the preceding day: "What kind of breakfast treats would you all enjoy? Anything you particularly like – sweet or savoury?" This seemingly small question can open a window into different cultural preferences and spark curiosity.

You could also weave in broader questions more organically, perhaps during a team coffee break: "Thinking about your previous roles, what were some of the communication challenges you faced?" or "Have you ever been surprised by a cultural difference in a work setting?" You might even gently ask: "Have you ever noticed any cultural biases – either in yourself or in others – in past experiences?"

The key is to build trust within the team. If individuals feel safe and respected, they will be more inclined to share their experiences and perspectives. Remember that cultural frameworks are valuable tools for understanding and predicting cross-cultural interactions and for minimizing potential friction. By fostering open dialogue and demonstrating genuine curiosity about each other's backgrounds, you can gradually cultivate a stronger sense of cultural awareness within your team.

Closing

I had a great time presenting at the PMI Global Summit Series Europe event in Barcelona, and I truly valued the engaging questions and discussions that followed. For those who couldn't attend or wish to revisit the presentation, the full recording will be available on demand through January 30, 2026. You can find more details and access the recordings by visiting Global Summit Series Europe 2025. I look forward to continuing this important conversation and connecting with you all!

By: Erika Kiely, PMP

In April, I presented at the PMI Global Summit Series Europe 2025, a remarkable event filled with inspiring keynotes, thought-provoking sessions, and networking opportunities for project management professionals worldwide.

My session, “From Adversity to Innovation: A Journey of Resilience in Project Management,” focused on the intersection of personal resilience and organisational innovation. It was about how leaders and teams can turn moments of adversity into inflection points for transformation, even when the future is unclear.

What was the problem to solve?

Too often, project failure stems not from technical gaps, but from a team’s inability to adapt in the face of disruption, stress, or emotional pressure. This presentation tackled the need to equip ourselves and our organisations not just to manage adversity, but to grow through it.

Key takeaways from my presentation:

• Resilience and innovation are intentional practices. Project leaders must embed them into everyday culture and systems.
• Inclusive, tech-enabled workplaces foster adaptability and trust.
• Our legacy as leaders is shaped into adversity. Reflecting on this deepens our ability to guide others with clarity and empathy.

Several participants reached out afterward, some in tears expressing deep gratitude for the vulnerability and honesty in the session. Their words reinforced this truth: fear is real, but regret is dangerous. The cost of inaction, silence, or playing small is far greater than the risk of showing up with authenticity.

Here are five of the most powerful questions I received post-session, along with my responses:

1. How can project managers help their teams build resilience?
It starts with psychological safety. Create an environment where people can speak openly, name challenges, and know they won’t be punished for failing forward. Practical tools include pre-mortems, ongoing retrospectives, and risk simulations. But none of it matters without trust. Culture is your foundation.

2. You talked about innovation emerging from adversity. What’s an example?
In one project, a sudden regulatory change threatened to stall a major product rollout. It felt like a dead end. But by shifting to Agile, bringing legal into sprint planning, and encouraging radical transparency across functions, we co-created a new, more resilient workflow. That pressure revealed better ways of working we would’ve never explored otherwise.

3. What strategies help keep projects aligned with business goals during uncertainty?
A Strategic Alignment Matrix is a simple but powerful tool; it forces prioritisation based on direct impact to business value. Pair that with LEAN principles, and your initiatives stay nimble and purposeful, even as the conditions shift.

4. How does culture influence risk management?
Culture determines whether your team surfaces risks early or hides them until it’s too late. A culture of trust and empowerment encourages people to flag issues without fear of blame. That’s where real project stability begins. You can have all the risk registers in the world, but if your people are afraid to speak, you’ll still fly blind.

5. How do you continue evolving your leadership style after a major career milestone?
Leadership isn’t static, it breathes. After any milestone, I take time to reflect, reassess my values, and ask for honest feedback. I’m anchored in Servant Leadership, and that means consistently recalibrating how I can better uplift, empower, and advocate for the people I lead.

Closing

I had a transformational time presenting at the PMI Global Summit Series Europe 2025, and I’m especially grateful for the heartfelt responses that came after the session ended. Those quiet, emotional moments reminded me of why we do this work — not just to manage projects, but to build legacies rooted in courage and care.

Thank you for continuing the conversation about resilience, innovation, and human-centered leadership in project management. Let’s keep growing together. The full presentation is available on demand through January 30, 2026. Visit the Global Summit Series Europe 2025 site for access.

As offices thought they had a plan to get back to offices in September and October, plans have been delayed. If these past 18 months haven’t been hard enough, now your organization needs to transform its business to adapt and succeed in the new normal world. Equipping leaders to quickly anticipate and react to the speed of change is one of the most challenging issues for organizations. At this point, burnout and attrition are other key challenges faced by organizations today. Do you need inspiration on how other project managers are dealing with change? If you do, you need to attend PMI’s Virtual Experience 6-7 October to rejuvenate your project management skills and learn from leaders to think differently so you can lead your organization through an ever-changing environment!

Hear from prominent rising leaders around the world who are spearheading impactful movements to determine what is needed to make real change. These inspiring sessions will help you to think differently and look out of the box to develop the solutions needed for your organization. PMI’s Virtual Experience has brought together a diverse group of influential speakers to share their experiences and outcomes. Get inspired by Fatima Ibrahim, Global Citizen's UK Hero of the Year, Gitanjali Rao, Young Inventor, Author, and TIME Magazine's 2020 Kid of the Year, and Jordan Chanesta, LGBTQIA+ Rights Activist, come together to discuss spearheading impactful global movements to make real change. Hear from author Peter Hinssen as he discusses his book, The Phoenix and The Unicorn: The Why, What and How of Corporate Innovation, and how organizations aren't afraid to reinvent and adapt to the new normal of digital disruption.

Join breakout sessions to hear how other project management leaders are managing change and learn from their best practices and mistakes. Sessions include:

• Measuring the Maturity of Your Digital Transformation Efforts: Christine Aykac,  Transformational Coach, Akuna Consulting
• Tools to Identify and Fix Trust Breakdowns in Project Teams: Yoram Solomon, Founder Innovation Culture Institute, LLC
• Change or Get Left Behind: Why Organizational Change Management Is Imperative Now: Nancie Celini, President, THINK-OCM.org
• Collaborative Leadership in the Age of Artificial Intelligence; Erik Agudelo, Founder of Play Learn and Develop.

In addition to all the great sessions and speakers, Virtual Experience Series 6-7 October has multiple ways to connect and network with the PMI global community. The Lounge chat is where you will meet attendees from all around the world. Join industry chats where you drive the conversation! Chats are focused on the following areas: Construction, Energy (Electric, Gas, Mining, Oil), Financial Services, Government/Legal, Healthcare/Pharmaceutical, IT, Manufacturing, Telecom, and Training/Education.

We are so excited for this powerful virtual event because we know how much change happens when our incredible community comes together from around the world to share these experiences. We’ve had past attendees tell us they’ve never felt more connected virtually — and that is something we are truly proud of and will continue to strive for.

Join us. Free for PMI Member, US$79 for Non-members. Register Now and we look forward to seeing you there!

PMI wrapped up the 2020 Virtual Experience Series this month. The VES is a new virtual event series that offered monthly virtual experiences from June – December this year. More information can be located at https://www.pmi.org/virtual-experience-series. You can still register for one of seven events or the entire on-demand series to gain access to all of the amazing speakers and content and up to 68 PDUs through 31 January 2021.

In the November program, I hosted sports strategists Katie Sowers and Craig O’Shannessy who discussed how they use data and insights to improve the play and outcomes of their athletes. By far, the number one takeaway of our virtual participants was the sharing of strategists’ “Why.” We received feedback such as:

• “The WHY is the fire that moves you every day to go from one point to another, looking forward for a better world.”
• “Thinking about your ‘Why’ when you do an activity or work helps us accomplish our task with good motivation and clarity”
• “The ‘Why’ has provoked deep thinking”

It is interesting how the “Why” prompts a journey into who we are and what motivates us. Nowadays with our COVID-19 challenging work environments, and the push to build new capabilities and skills, those individuals and organizations who are guided by purpose are shown to be more resilient, have stronger well-being and are more engaged (McKinsey)  . The list of benefits goes on.

“People don’t buy what you do. They buy WHY you do it.” ~ Simon Sinek

The “Why” is your purpose, cause, or belief.  And it’s not new.  Simon Sinek has been talking about “Why” for years. Remember this video? It’s hard to believe that Sinek’s groundbreaking Why video is now 10 years old!

“Inspired leaders and inspired organizations think and act from the inside out.”  ~ Simon Sinek

A few years ago, the PMI leadership team performed an exercise to each identify their why, recorded their word and explanations, and posted it to our internal social media group for all staff to view. It was bold, vulnerable, and thought-provoking. My executive leader took his operating group through the exercise, inspiring thought, alignment and action. Every now and then, I’ll have a colleague update me on their “Why” as they clarify their purpose or even change it based upon a life event.

We are experiencing for the first time in history a movement whereby all generations are more likely to purchase from a purpose-driven company. If you are a leader in your organization, you need to clarify with your audiences your strategic vision, your purpose, and your values. Your #1 stakeholder group - your employees - want to understand your company’s mission for long-term value creation. Employees engaged in their company’s purpose and values are less likely to look for a different job. And you can help them by facilitating a workshop on finding their own “Why.”  Linking employees' passion to the organization's purpose is bound to increase engagement in the workplace.

Discussion topic for readers: As a project leader, we need to possess the leadership skills to drive our projects and teams. How does your “Why” fuel your work? Or if you haven’t explored your “Why,” how might knowing your why, and the why of your team members, impact your approach to the way you work?  

PMI EMEA 2019 is over and just slowly I start to realize what a great Congress it was. And foremost, it was a fantastic opportunity to meet fellow project managers from many different countries and backgrounds, share experiences, and celebrate PMI's 50^th anniversary. It has been a week since I arrived back home, enough time to organize some thoughts and reflect on the experience.

I initially attended the Congress to get more involved as a volunteer, learn from global thought leaders and practitioners, and to look out for inspiration. I have realized for why I am passionate about the profession of project management: It’s all about mind-set. Furthermore, it's the freedom of choice and personality to use a variety of tools, insights, methods, processes, and competences to achieve goals. The people I have met in Dublin all had these things in common: Personal drive, the willingness to communicate, being results driven, working passionately towards personal goals, and foremost: curiosity. These are exactly the traits that distinguishes a good project managers.

I can’t speak for the rest of the attendees, but inspiration is what I found. Most of the speakers transported a real passion for what they do and what they talked about. That’s probably the reason for why some sentences and learnings still occupy me every day at work.

Five key sentences from the Congress really got stuck and already made a difference in the way I look at projects in my organisations and at the effectiveness of project leaders today. I use these sentences to challenge my own thinking at work. They are thought anchors, not actual learnings. Maybe they will have an impact on how you go to work tomorrow, as well:

“People are drawn to their most dominant thoughts”: Change the way people think, then you can change the way people feel and act; it’s all about mind-set – Jamil Qureshi

“Key emerging competences in project management will be agility, customer empathy, advanced analytics, and curiosity”: Traditional roles will be disrupted by a more complex and uncertain environment organisations are embedded in, be part of that change – Hilary Baker

“Many companies measure how they implement change, but not the actual change itself”: A change is no longer a change when it is part of the DNA of the organisation. It is often difficult to attend change until full implementation as Management or Sponsors prioritise new initiatives, when change management projects are perceived to be completed. – Olivier Lazar

“The next big challenge will be to standardise terminology of agile beyond the small task group and define an integrated framework with the 3Ps: project, programme, and portfolio management”: The hype around agile methodologies is profound, however, they still fall short of providing an integrated framework in relation to the 3Ps on organisational level – Nicholas Clemens

“How does your behaviour support you in achieving your goals?”: The one who asks the right questions leads. The importance of coaching skills for effective communication cannot be underestimated for project managers – Maria Fafard

What do you think? Will these five anchors provoke your thoughts and actions, too?

Thank you Kristin Jones for providing me with the opportunity to volunteer as community correspondent at this years’ congress. I hope there will be a chance in the future to volunteer once more.

A big thank you also to my team of community correspondents, Emily, Stephanie, and Karthik – it was fun working with and learning from you. Hope to see you all soon.