Cultural values influencing project team success

Abstract

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.

Modelling of project success factors: A cross-cultural comparison

“…Because literature indicates that national culture affects project success and failure (Chevrier, 2003;Dafoulas & Macaulay, 2001;Staples & Zhao, 2006;Muriithi & Crawford, 2003;Orr a&nd Scott, 2008), the impact of national culture on project management processes attracts a lot of attention. For example, many scholars investigated cultural impacts on decision-making (Muller et al, 2013;Garbarino, 1967;Kun, 2009); communications (Ochieng & Price, 2010); performance (Milosevic, 2002;Eriksson et al , 2002;Yerznkyan et al, 2017); project team (Han et al, 2016;Jetu & Riedl, 2013;Marrewijk, 2010;Ochieng & Price, 2009;Remenova et al, 2018); leadership (Grisham et al, 2008;Yasin et al, 1997;Raisiene et al, 2018) while less attention is being paid to cultural impacts on planning quality and project success (Zwikael et al, 2005;Ress-Caldwell & Pinnington, 2012).…”

Key Indicators Influencing Team Effectiveness in Project-Based Team

“…Encourage innovative thinking that can contribute to improving contribution for teams [27], [11], [26], [28], [29], [15], [23] Trust and Respect All members need to trust each other and be treated equally [16], [11], [26], [28], [29] Encouraging Initiative Motivate all team members to come up with a good and doable idea that can make a positive contribution to the team [8], [19], [11], [26], [29], [22], [30] Teamwork Responsive to changes and uncertainties well during the project [16], [11], [26], [12], [13], [14], [29], [10] Security Ensure the health and safety of members working there (Physiological and psychological safety) [16], [18], [19], [11], [30] Information Sharing Information should be accessible and available to all team members [7], [11], [26], [12], [31], [29], [22], [23] Close Monitoring Ability to record all existing activities, compare with targets and analyze errors and take corrective action [32], [19], [26],…”

Factors influencing International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) implementation success: Evidence from Ethiopia

“…But Aronson et al (2004) stated that project culture emphasizing initiative and cooperation predicts project success. Jetu and Riedl (2013) also asserted this by stating that personally or individually focused cultural values (openness to change) rather than socially focused cultural values (such as selftranscendence) have the most significant positive influence on project team performance. Hence, it can, therefore, be hypothesized that: H 4 : Cultural factors influence positively and significantly IFRS project implementation.…”