vviewpoints

DOI: 10.1145/1924421.1924431
Emerging markets
managing Global IT Teams:
considering cultural dynamics

Successful global IT team managers combine general distributed
team management skills enhanced with cultural sensitivity.

WoRKInG wITh A glob- ally distributed IT team can offer sub- stantial benefits— sometimes it is the only way to address certain tasks—but it also presents challenges. Many studies have addressed how to work well in these situations: notably, Nunamaker and colleagues present nine principles for virtual teamwork7 (see Table 1). Although this advice is likely to be helpful in general, in our view it insufficiently addresses differences in managing teams involving IT staff from different cultures.

 

using a Cultural Lens
Applying a cultural lens to Table 1, we
can see several areas where this gen-
erally applicable advice needs further
refinement to account for variations
in cultural orientation.a These adapta-
tions include:
a We follow Hofstede’s5 broadly used cultural
dimensions throughout this column. Readers
are directed to this book for a full treatment of
this topic.

˲ ˲ Reward structures. In general there is significant variance in what individuals regard as a positive reward. We expect these differences to be even more pronounced when cultural differences are accounted for. For example, in an individualistic culture like the U.S. a corner office may be viewed as a great incentive and reward, whereas prestige or leadership title may be more valued in collectivist cultures as found in Asia. Through wide-ranging studies of IT employees, Couger2, 3 and col-

Global it team
dynamics will vary
based on the degree
to which group
membership is
voluntary.

leagues frequently found differences in motivators between workers in different countries. In lower-wage countries, issues with compensation are weighted much more heavily, while issues with challenge and promotion are more heavily valued by IT staff in higher-wage countries.

˲ ˲ Be more explicit. This admonition may come easily to people of a low-context culture such as Australia where individuals tend to speak bluntly without elaboration. But it may take away some richness from those more comfortable in a high-context culture such as the Middle East. Perhaps, in spite of cultural issues, explicit communication is a necessary ingredient for successful globally distributed IT teams. If so, distributed team members in high context countries may be hard pressed to use the systems in the manner intended. In order to win contracts and successfully complete projects, individuals in such (often developing) countries may simply need to conform to norms that are not preferred. This suggests the need for designers to consider creation of