Project Teams and “Workplace Diversity”

Charles Baker
June 21 2013
CIS 3317
Mr. Kevin Jetton

Overview
As I have been designated as the Project Leader/Manager of the new information technology system that is currently being developed, it is my duty to bring together the partner firms as to support and stimulate the swift and thorough development of this new technology. Due to the high level of expertise of this German firm, we have selected them to partner with us as we begin the development process. We understand that the barriers of the oceans, as well as the time zones, have created a hurdle in the communication that is necessary to complete the project within the short deadline that was given to us. For this
Not only that, but Americans are more often than not more accepting of different points of views, different types of expression, and consequently less apt to rely on a set of rules to guide their decision making. They tend to trust their gut more than other countries, especially ones like Germany where uncertainty is an uncomfortable feeling. The final dimension of the Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions 5D model is the long term orientation concept, or LTO for short. This is yet another trait where German and American business cultures don't stray to far from each other. They both score relatively low on this scale, meaning that they both tend to make short term decisions, and put less emphasis on long term thought process and business principles. They both respect tradition greatly, feeling the need to meet specific social obligations and expectations, and also to see results quickly and absolutely. This may explain the American tendency to “measure profit and loss statements on a quarterly basis”. While this may sound contradictory to the high German score in the uncertainty avoidance category, this just speaks volumes about the German drive for greater efficiency, as well as thoroughness. All in all, German and American business culture does not differ to greatly, which is a trend seen in a lot of “western” cultures, they each have their own nuances that need to be taken into account when doing