Project Management, 5th Edition

CHAPTER 22CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT¹

“A culture is in its finest hour before it begins to analyze itself.”

ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD, 1861–1947

22.1 INTRODUCTION

The concept of a culture arose from studies performed by anthropologists who studied ancient societies. A culture of a particular social group—such as a nationality, race, or, in modern terms, an organization, is essentially a “way of life” in that society. In this chapter the term culture is used to described the collective values, beliefs, customs, knowledge, practices, attitudes, mores, and history of a business organization—more particularly in a project-driven organization. As an organization becomes involved in the use of project management to manage change in ...