Cross-Cultural Understanding of Construction Project Managers’ Conceptions of Their Work
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 135, Issue 6
Abstract
In recent reforms of the Chinese construction industry, significant efforts have been made toward the introduction of Western project management theories and practices. However, little is known about the extent to which Western project management concepts have been supported by the Chinese culture. Because of certain differences between the two cultures, Chinese managers’ conceptions of their work are likely to be different from their Western counterparts. This paper reports an interpretive comparison of Chinese and U.K. construction project managers’ conceptions of their work. The findings reveal three of the most similar and five of the most different aspects between the two cultural sets of conceptions. The identified similarities reflect some key characteristics inherent in the construction project management profession. Two of the identified differences, namely Chinese emphasis on commercial awareness and U.K. emphasis on health and safety, arise from social structural differences in the two nations, whereas the other three differences, namely Chinese attention to relationships, Chinese concern for their company, and U.K. attention to project contract, are due to the cultural differences between the two nations.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks are given to the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. NNSFC50539130 and NNSFC70671058) and the Cranfield School of Management of the United Kingdom for providing financial support. Special thanks go to the many interviewees in the two nations who gave their time generously and freely.
References
Adler, N. J. (1984). “Understanding the ways of understanding: Cross-cultural management methodology reviewed.” Advances in international comparative management, R. N. Farmer, ed., Vol. 1, JAI Press, Greenwich, Conn., 31–67.
Ashkanasy, N. M., Trevor-Roberts, E., and Earnshaw, L. (2002). “The Anglo cluster: Legacy of the British empire.” J. World Bus., 37(1), 28–39.
Barnard, A., McCosker, H., and Gerber, R. (1999). “Phenomenography: A qualitative research approach for exploring understanding in health care.” Qual. Health Res., 9(2), 212–226.
Bigoness, W. J., and Blakely, G. L. (1996). “A cross-national study of managerial values.” J. Int. Business Stud., 739–751.
Boisot, M., and Child, J. (1996). “From fiefs to clans and network capitalism: Explaining China’s emerging economic order.” Adm. Sci. Q., 41, 600–628.
Boulton-Lewis, G. M., Marton, F., Lewis, D. C., and Wilss, L. A. (2000). “Learning in formal and informal contexts: Conceptions and strategies of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students.” Learn. Instr., 10, 393–414.
Bowden, J. A. (2000). “The nature of phenomenographic research.” Phenomenography, J. A. Bowden, and E. Walsh, eds., RMIT University Press, Melbourne, Australia, 1–18.
Chan, E. H. W., and Tse, R. Y. C. (2003). “Cultural considerations in international construction contracts.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 129(4), 375–381.
Chen, C. C. (1995). “New trends in rewards allocation preferences: A Sino-U.S. comparison.” Acad. Manage J., 38(2), 408–428.
Chen, P., and Partington, D. (2006). “Three conceptual levels of construction project management work.” Int. J. Proj. Manage., 24, 412–421.
The Chinese Culture Connection. (1987). “Chinese values and the search for culture-free dimensions of culture.” J. Cross-Cultural Psychol., 18(2), 143–164.
Cooke, F. L. (2004). “Public-sector pay in China: 1949–2001.” Int. J. Human Resour. Manage, 15, 895–916.
Dall’Alba, G. (1991). “Foreshadowing conceptions of teaching.” Research and Development in Higher Education, 13, 293–297.
Davidson, W. (1987). “Creating and managing joint ventures in China.” California Manage. Rev., 24(4), 77–94.
Earley, P. C., and Erez, M. (1997). The transplanted executive, Oxford University Press, New York.
Easterby-Smith, M., Malina, D., and Lu, Y. (1995). “How culture-sensitive is HRM? A comparative analysis of practice in Chinese and UK companies.” Int. J. Human Resour. Manage, 6(1), 31–59.
Egri, C. P., and Ralston, D. A. (2004). “Generation cohorts and personal values: A comparison of China and the United States.” Org. Sci., 15(2), 210–220.
Erez, M., and Earley, P. C. (1993). Culture, self-identity and work, Oxford University Press, New York.
Gatley, S., Lessom, R., and Altman, Y. (1996). Comparative management: A transcultural odyssey, McGraw-Hill, Cambridge.
Glaser, B. G., and Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research, Aldine, Chicago.
Harris, K. L., and Nibler, R. (1998). “Decision making by Chinese, and U.S. students.” J. Soc. Psychol., 138(1), 102–114.
Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values, Sage, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Hofstede, G., and Bond, M. H. (1988). “The Confucius connection: From cultural roots to economic growth.” Organisational Dyn., Spring, 5–21.
Hoon-Halbauer, S. K. (1999). “Managing relationships within Sino-Foreign joint ventures.” J. World Bus., 34(4), 344–371.
Huff, L., and Kelley, L. (2003). “Levels of organizational trust in individualist versus collectivist societies: A seven-nation study.” Org. Sci., 14(1), 81–90.
Hui, C. H., and Triandis, H. C. (1985). “Measurement in cross-cultural psychology: A review and comparison of strategies.” J. Cross-Cultural Psychol., 2, 131–153.
Jackson, T. (2001). “Cultural values and management ethics: A 10-nation study.” Hum. Relat., 54(10), 1267–1302.
Laurent, A. (1983). “The cultural diversity of Western conceptions of management.” International Studies of Management and Organization, 13(1–2), 75–96.
Lee, K. (1996). “Moral consideration and strategic management moves: The Chinese case.” Manage. Decis., 34(9), 65–74.
Lockett, M. (1988). “Culture and problems in Chinese management.” Organ. Stud., 9, 475–496.
Luo, Y., Tan, J., and Shenkar, J. (1998). “Strategic responses to competitive pressure: The case of township and village enterprises in China.” Asia Pac. J. Manage., 15, 33–50.
Marton, F. (1986). “Phenomenography: A research approach to investigating different understandings of reality.” J. Thought, 21, 28–49.
Marton, F., and Booth, S. (1997). Learning and awareness, Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, N.J.
McMahon, C., and Bruce, C. (2002). “Information literacy needs of local staff in cross-cultural development projects.” J. Int. Dev., 14, 113–127.
Ministry of Construction of China (MoC). (2007). “The construction industry has become the pivotal industry in China.” ⟨http://www.cin.gov.cn⟩ (Dec. 18, 2007) (in Chinese).
Neelankavil, J. P., Mathur, A., and Zhang, Y. (2000). “Determinants of managerial performance: A cross-cultural comparison of the perceptions of middle-level managers in four countries.” J. Int. Business Stud., 31(1), 121–140.
Newman, K. L., and Nollen, S. D. (1996). “Culture and congruence: The fit between management practices and national culture.” J. Int. Business Stud., 27(4), 753–779.
Osland, J. S., and Bird, A. (2000). “Beyond sophisticated stereotyping: Cultural sensemaking in context.” Acad. Manage. Exec., 14(1), 65–79.
Pant, D. P., Allinson, C. W., and Hayes, J. (1996). “Transferring the western model of project organisation to a bureaucratic culture: The case of Nepal.” Int. J. Proj. Manage., 14(1), 53–57.
Pavlica, K., and Thorpe, R. (1998). “Managers’ perceptions of their identity: A comparative study between the Czech Republic and Britain.” Brit. J. Manage., 9, 133–149.
Peng, M. W., Lu, Y., Shenkar, O., and Wang, D. Y. L. (2001). “Treasures in the China house: A review of management and organizational research on Greater China.” J. Bus. Res., 52, 95–110.
Pheng, L. S., and Leong, C. H. Y. (2000). “Cross-cultural project management for international construction in China.” Int. J. Proj. Manage., 18(5), 307–316.
Prosser, M., and Millar, R. (1989). “The ⟪How⟫ and ⟪What⟫ of learning physics.” Eur. J. Psychol. Educ., 4(4), 513–528.
Qiu, W. H. (2001). Project management, Scientific Publishing House, Beijing, China (in Chinese).
Ralston, D. A., Egri, C. P., Stewart, S., Terpstra, R. H., and Yu, K. (1999). “Doing business in the 21st Century with the new generation of Chinese managers: A study of generational shifts in work values in China.” J. Int. Business Stud., 30(2), 415–428.
Ronen, S., and Shenkar, O. (1985). “Clustering countries on attitudinal dimensions: A review and synthesis.” Acad. Manage. Rev., 10(3), 435–454.
Säljö, R. (1975). Qualitative differences in learning as a function of the learner’s conception of the task, Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis, Göteborg, Sweden.
Samuelowicz, K., and Bain, J. D. (1992). “Conceptions of teaching held by teachers.” Higher Educ., 24, 93–112.
Sandberg, J. (2000). “Understanding human competence at work: An interpretative approach.” Acad. Manage J., 43(1), 9–25.
Schwartz, S. H. (1994). “Beyond individualism/collectivism: New cultural dimensions of values.” Individualism and collectivism: Theory, method, and applications U. Kim, H. C. Triandis, Ç. Kagitçibasi, S. Choi, and G. Yoon, eds., Sage, Thousand Oaks, Calif., 85–119.
Schwartz, S. H. (1999). “A theory of cultural values and some implications for work.” Appl. Psychol. Int. Rev., 48(4), 23–47.
Sheridan, G. (1999). Asian values Western dreams: Understanding the new Asia, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, Australia.
Shore, L. M., Eagle, B. W., and Jedel, M. J. (1993). “China–United States joint ventures: A typological model of goal congruence and cultural understanding and their importance for effective human resource management.” Int. J. Human Resour. Manage, 4(1), 67–83.
Smith, P. B., Peterson, M. F., and Wang, Z. M. (1996). “The manager as mediator of alternative meanings: A pilot study from China, the USA, and U.K.” J. Int. Business Stud., First Quarter, 115–137.
Stewart, G. (2002). “Uncovering implicit leadership beliefs: Variation between information technology (IT) executives and business executives in a public service agency.” Int. J. Organiz. Behav., 5(4), 163–179.
Svensson, L. (1989). “Phenomenography and contextual analysis.” Som vi uppfattar det. Elva bidrag om inlärning och omvärldsuppfattning, Säljö m fl, Studentlitteratur, Lund (in Swedish).
Tang, W., Duffield, C. F., and Young, D. M. (2006). “Partnering mechanism in construction: An empirical study on the Chinese construction industry.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 132(3), 217–229.
Trompenaars, F. (1993). Riding the waves of culture, Economist Books, London.
Walder, A. G. (1995). “Local governments as industrial firms: An organizational analysis of China’s transitional economy.” Am. J. Psychol., 101, 263–301.
Walsh, E. (2000). “Phenomenographic analysis of interview transcripts.” Phenomenography, J. A. Bowden and E. Walsh, eds., RMIT University Press, Melbourne, Australia, 19–33.
Wong, Y. H., and Chan, R. Y. (1999). “Relationship marketing in China: Guanxi, favoritism and adaptation.” J. Bus. Ethics, 22(2), 107–118.
Yan, Y., and Child, J. (2002). “An analysis of strategic determinants, learning and decision-making in Sino-British joint ventures.” Brit. J. Manage., 13, 109–122.
Yang, N., Chen, C. C., Choi, J., and Zou, Y. (2000). “Sources of work-family conflict: A Sino–U.S. comparison of the effects of work and family demands.” Acad. Manage J., 43(1), 113–123.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 12, 2008
Accepted: Jun 12, 2008
Published online: Mar 17, 2009
Published in print: Jun 2009
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.