Despite the increasing attention paid to the human element of project success found in the project management literature, empirical studies exploring cultural patterns influencing this particular human element continue to be far from satisfactory. To help further understand the influence of cultural patterns within Sub‐Saharan Africa project environments, we draw on a case study conducted in Ethiopia's service sector. Apart from the well‐perceived cultural values commonly referred to in the existing literature, we specifically investigated the deep‐rooted underlying causes, which include Ethiopian cultural habits, as a principal factor in influencing project team behavior. The article concludes with implications and recommendations for future research.
During the past years, increasingly more project managers started to recognize that human factors, in particular those related to project team success, are critical for overall project success. Hence, the scientific investigation of this topic has gained momentum. However, a review of the Information Systems and Information Technology (IST) literature on the determinants of project team success reveals that there has been limited research on this topic. Bearing this research gap in mind, it is reasonable to argue that IST theorizing can substantially benefit from new insights from other scientific disciplines in which studies on team effectiveness and project team success are already available. Therefore, the present article reviews and integrates the literature published in other disciplines in order to develop a conceptual model, which provides insights into the determinants of IST project team success. Moreover, a first empirical assessment based on interview data collected from sixteen project experts shows the utility of the model. Consequently, the contribution of the present article is twofold: First, we present a conceptual model applicable to IST project teams. Second, the theoretical insights addressed are useful for project managers who are responsible for project success. Propositions that guide future research are provided, and implications of the model for both theory and practice are discussed.
Purpose -Information systems (IS) research in developing countries (DCs) has attracted increasing attention over recent years. Nevertheless, empirical studies in these countries in general, and particularly those drawing on the cultural values influencing project team success (PTS), are still far from satisfactory. Hence, scholars strongly recommend this specific area as prime research territory to improve the successful development and implementation of IS initiatives in DCs. The purpose of this paper is to provide better insights and an improved understanding about the cultural values influencing PTS. Design/methodology/approach -In order to investigate the cultural values which may affect PTS, data were collected from project experts working on business process reengineering and information technology projects in ten public and private organizations in the service sector in Ethiopia (n ¼ 200 questionnaires). A multivariate model was employed to identify the most important cultural values. Findings -The results indicate that personally focused cultural values (e.g. openness to change) rather than socially focused cultural values (e.g. self-transcendence) have the most significant influence on project team performance. Moreover, cultural values (independent of their designation as personally or socially focused) were found to have a strong relationship with two out of three dimensions of PTS, namely, project team learning and development, as well as project team working spirit, when compared to project team leadership. Originality/value -Identifying the relationships between cultural values and the dimensions of PTS contributes to the establishment of theoretical insights into the success factors of IS projects in DCs. Moreover, it also assists practitioners, particularly project managers, in maximizing the possibility of PTS, which has been shown to be a major determinant of overall project success.
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