4 ASSIGNMENTS

RESPONSE 1 Speaking the same language does not always mean people will understand each other. According to the YouTube Video from Geert Hofstede on cultural competence (2015), Global project management requires understanding the cultural accent of team members as well as the language accent. For this exercise I chose Bangladesh. This is not a country I have any connection with and considered what would happen if suddenly I had to work with people from within the culture and had to complete that work successfully. Bangladesh is a high Power Distance society. They use the structure of the hierarchy to understand where they are connected and how to navigate work and social life. They score low for Individualism - “Bangladesh, with a score of 20 is considered a collectivistic society.” (Country comparison, 2020) A collectivistic society is much more focused on the success of the group rather than the success of the individual. Thirdly Bangladesh scores low for Indulgence. They do not believe in giving in to temptation and feel good going without. They are considered a Restrained country according to Hofstede-insights (2020). As a society Bangladeshis focus on working hard and connecting to your group. For these reasons and because I am confident it is relatively unique, I chose #bangladeshisfamily. It symbolizes the elements of the culture and according to the Bizjournal article(2014), follows the principles of a good hashtag. It is brief, easy to ready, and has a #-sign at the beginning. ========================== RESPONSE 2 Harmony in multicultural teams is a crucial component for success (Huang, 2016). To facilitate harmony, project leaders should have expertise, empathy, and cultural competence (Huang, 2016). Leaders should plan and be able to adapt to meet intercultural needs (Huang, 2016). Having the right mindset is the first step. Leaders serve as representatives and influence their teams’ behaviors (Huang, 2016). Therefore, if the leader is virtuous and has made efforts to be culturally competent, it is likely their team will too. Furthermore, being willfully ignorant is not acceptable; leaders should be aware of the different mentalities and cultural influences within the team (Huang, 2016). Once leaders understand the dynamics within the team, fewer surprises arise (Huang, 2016). Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Meyer’s cultural map are tools leaders can use in their quest for a harmonious team (Hofstede et al., 2010; Meyer, 2014). #DontBeLonelyBeApartOfNokiaNairobi Kenya is a high-context collectivist society (Hofstede et al., 2010; Meyer, 2014). Staying connected is important to Kenyans, as they frequently socialize and are relationship-oriented (Hofstede et al., 2010; Meyer, 2014). Many Kenyans rely on their social network, as it is their primary source of information (Hofstede et al., 2010). This hashtag strategically targets Kenyans’ desire to stay connected.