PM World Journal Communication Management Tools for Managing Projects

Vol. VI, Issue VIII – August 2017 in an Intercultural Environmnent

www.pmworldjournal.net by Olga Mikhieieva and
1
Second Edition Matthias Waidmann

Communication Management Tools for Managing Projects in an

Intercultural Environment 1
Olga Mikhieieva,
Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture

Matthias Waidmann,
Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts,
Dortmund, Germany

Abstract

Insufficient communication and the lack of stakeholder integration are among the most common
drivers for unattended change causes and uncontrolled change impacts in a project (Zhao et
al., 2010) (Ochieng and Price, 2010). Especially in case of international projects, where
different cultures are present and teams are often only virtually connected, projects teams face
even more communication problems that can affect the outcome of a project. Intercultural
differences influence the way each team member gets engaged into interaction with other
stakeholders of the project.

In the main project management standards, there are tools and methods for managing
communication and stakeholders, but their application has to be analyzed from an intercultural
perspective. Besides a project communication plan, we address such tools as the mission
breakdown structure (MBS) in order to give this perspective (Andersen, 2014). It is suggested
that the MBS can be used as one of the tools enhancing the engagement of stakeholders (SH)
(Andersen et al., 2009) and increasing communication effectiveness through a shared vision
(Lee et al., 2015). In this article, we categorize and describe the main communication issues
and tools for managing international projects within an intercultural environment.

Key words: Intercultural differences, international projects, communication management,

stakeholders
JEL code: Z00

Introduction

“Communication has been identified as one of the single biggest reasons for project success or
failure” (PMBOK 5, 2013, p. 515). Good communication, which is needed for project success, is
structured in a way that helps to minimize or even avoid unexpected delays and
misunderstandings, prevent duplication of efforts, discover issues, implement preventive
measures and deal with all mentioned above in an effective way. In addition, stakeholder

1
Second Editions are previously published papers that have continued relevance in today’s project management
world, or which were originally published in conference proceedings or in a language other than English. Original
th
publication acknowledged; authors retain copyright. This paper was originally presented at the 6 Scientific
Conference on Project Management in the Baltic States, University of Latvia, April 2017. It is republished here with
the permission of the authors and conference organizers

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PM World Journal Communication Management Tools for Managing Projects
Vol. VI, Issue VIII – August 2017 in an Intercultural Environmnent
www.pmworldjournal.net by Olga Mikhieieva and
1
Second Edition Matthias Waidmann

management is a crucial point in managing international projects as stakeholders are

“individuals, groups or organizations who affect or can be affected by, or interested in the
execution or the result of the project” (ICB 4, 2015, p. 145). That is why, in this article, various
approaches (in standards of project management, such as ICB 4, PMBOK 5, Prince2, etc.) on
communication and stakeholder management are analyzed from the intercultural point of view.

In order to analyze existing issues and tools, the literature review was conducted using key
words such as communication, international, intercultural, skills, competencies, and
stakeholders. The following databases were used: Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Web of
Science. The goal was to explore and analyze issues and tools applied for managing
communication in international and intercultural projects. The authors assumed that issues are
also discussed in the literature as challenges, threats, barriers, and sometimes as risks.
Although it may seem to be quite a big area of research, this approach allowed the discovery of
different facets of issues in managing communication. High attention was specifically paid to
studies devoted to intercultural skills and stakeholder management in international projects as
these aspects help to shed light on the so-called ‘human’ side of communication issues.

As international communication (= people speaking in a language other than their native)

occurs in an intercultural environment, it is more challenging to communicate effectively and it
causes a higher rate of misunderstandings. Hence, more efforts are required to ensure
common goals and values among project stakeholders. One of the main tools in managing the
project stakeholders is the stakeholder analysis (PMBOK 5, 2013, p. 292). In the initiation
phase in any international project, the stakeholder analysis is of outstanding importance and
high complexity as stakeholders often are not well-known and sometimes difficult to be
identified and analyzed. When it comes to stakeholders in an intercultural project, Lückmann
and Färber advise that due to complexity reasons, it is reasonable to initially focus on those
stakeholders that define the requirements of the project (Lückmann and Färber, 2016, p. 86).

However, the literature review has not revealed very much information and studies particularly
on stakeholder communication issues in international projects. That is why, additionally, the
authors explored how a mission breakdown structure can be applied for stakeholder
engagement and communication using an example of the case study done by Andersen
(Andersen, 2014).

Research results and discussion

Intercultural aspect of communication and communication plan in project management

standards

The term ‘communication’ comes from Latin commūnicāre, meaning "to share" (Etymonline).
The initial purpose of communication in a cross-cultural environment is to seek common
ground, to exchange ideas and information, gain customers, and sometimes establish
partnerships between several parties (Rothlauf J., 2015, p. 145). Zakaria suggests that
“intercultural communication is defined as interaction between people of diverse cultural
backgrounds with distinct communication patterns, preferences, and styles” (Zakaria, 2016, p.
3).

In the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®), a basic

communication model (figure 1) is presented containing elements such as the sender, the
receiver, the medium and noise. It is mentioned that the medium is the technology medium,

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PM World Journal Communication Management Tools for Managing Projects
Vol. VI, Issue VIII – August 2017 in an Intercultural Environmnent
www.pmworldjournal.net by Olga Mikhieieva and
1
Second Edition Matthias Waidmann

including the mode of communication, while noise means any interference or barriers that might
compromise the delivery of the message. (PMBOK 5, 2013, p. 292).

The elements of this basic communication model introduce places where potential issues can
take place and consequently where methods and tools should be applied. Senders and
receivers face mostly issues of linguistic, cultural, and psychological character, while media
cause mainly issues in the respect of which and how technology is used.

Figure 1: Basic communication model

Source: PMBOK 5, 2013, p. 293

In the IPMA “Individual Competence Baseline” version 4 (ICB 4), it is suggested that a
communication plan is used as a method to plan the stakeholder strategy. According to ICB 4,
the communication plan “describes for each stakeholder (group) the why, what, when, how
often, how (through which communication channel), who (should communicate), and the level
of detail of the communication” (ICB 4, 2015, p. 147). ICB 4 outlines the importance of culture
and language for a modern project manager, stating that “in a multi-cultural project, an
individual may need to navigate multiple cultural and value norms (ICB 4, 2015, p. 58)”.
Furthermore, the ICB 4 competence element “Culture and values” contains despite of being
related mostly to the organizational culture and values, some points on the multi-cultural
environment. For example, one of the knowledge elements is “theories about culture” and the
skill elements include the following items (ICB 4, 2015, p. 59):

 Cultural awareness
 Respect for other cultures and values
 Aligning to and working with different cultural environments
 Bridging different cultures and values to achieve the project, program and portfolio
objectives

PMBOK® defines the communication management as part of the project management plan. It
consists of several elements that standardize the flow of communication, such as a reason for
the distribution of information, the responsible person, people who receive the information, and
technologies that are used (PMBOK 5, 2013, p. 296). However, the communication
management according to PMBOK® does not pay any close attention to cultural differences in
particular. Only a few sentences in the appendix are dedicated to cultural awareness in
communication although communication is mentioned as one of the biggest factors to affect
project success according to PMBOK® (see the introduction of this article).

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Vol. VI, Issue VIII – August 2017 in an Intercultural Environmnent
www.pmworldjournal.net by Olga Mikhieieva and
1
Second Edition Matthias Waidmann

PRINCE2® guidance presents the communication management strategy as an approach for

managing communication in projects (PRINCE2, 2009). In PRINCE2® it is clearly stated that a
description of means and frequency of communication has to be developed for both, external
and internal parties of the project. Stakeholder engagement is considered as part of the
communication management strategy (PRINCE2, 2009, p. 42). In PRINCE2®, the so-called
composition of the communication management strategy does not specify any international or
intercultural features. Nevertheless, in the composition, these specific features can be
embedded in sub-areas such as ‘tools and techniques’, ‘reporting’, ‘timing of communication
activities’, ‘stakeholder analysis’. The sub-area ‘information needs for each interested party’
consists of the following elements (PRINCE2, 2009, p. 239):

 Information required to be provided from the project

 Information required to be provided to the project
 Information provider and recipient
 Frequency of communication
 Means of communication
 Format of the communication

Overall, it can be summarized that the communication plan is a key tool in managing
communication. It can contain different information fields but mainly includes the following
elements: the type of communication, its content and objectives, participants, schedule and
location. However, the standards mentioned above contain instructions how to manage
communication, still just a few or only general hints on how to deal with communication issues
in the intercultural environment are included.

The mission breakdown structure for addressing values and issues in international
projects

The most expansive description of communications in projects with some references to culture
was found in Kerzner’s “Project Management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and
controlling” (Kerzner, 2013). Kerzner clearly addresses a breakdown of communications using
a figure where different visions of the project stakeholders are illustrated (figure 2). Thus, it can
be assumed that communication issues are directly connected with different types of
stakeholders and their visions.

Figure 2: A breakdown of communications

Source: Kerzner, 2013, p. 265

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PM World Journal Communication Management Tools for Managing Projects
Vol. VI, Issue VIII – August 2017 in an Intercultural Environmnent
www.pmworldjournal.net by Olga Mikhieieva and
1
Second Edition Matthias Waidmann

In ICB 4, it is clearly stated that it is necessary to align the project goals with the project mission
and vision (ICB 4, 2015, p. 41). In addition, culture and value alignment is crucial for a project
that extends across different societies, organizations or groups (ICB 4, 2015, p. 58). It means
that differences in the stakeholders’ needs and expectations should be taken into account.

In the study conducted by Andersen, the mission breakdown structure (MBS) was used to
ensure an effective interplay between the project and all involved stakeholders (Andersen,
2014, p. 885). The illustrative case used by Andersen contained the development of the MBS
for the project conducted by a consultancy firm for a client. The client was a wholesaler of
international products, who was acting through local retailers and decided to set up its own
web-shop. In the initiating phase of the project, the MBS was developed with the involvement of
the project owner, the top management of the client, and future users. (Andersen, 2014, p.
888). In the figure 3, adopted from Andersen, the authors suggest that the MBS is helpful for
the categorization of stakeholder groups and the development of communication based on
mission itemization. Each mission itemization (for example, “Client has satisfied retailers”) is
connected with the respective stakeholders. Hence, specific communication tools can be
developed based on the mission framed according to the known cultural aspects and
communication issues.

Client has a strong marketing position and

is able to meet the challenges from the
international web-shops

Client has an Client has top Client has an Client has an

Client has satisfied Client has satisfied
attractive web- management who effective finance active marketing
customers retailers
shop sets policies function funtion

Client and client
s

Client and client
s
Client and client
s Client and client
s Client and client
s marketing
Client financial
customers retailers top management department,
department
client
s customers

Figure 3: The mission breakdown structure for managing communication with stakeholders
Source: Adopted from Andersen, 2014

For example, while engaging local retailers, the project manager promotes the itemization of
the mission, called “Client has satisfied retailers”, taking the cultural differences of local retailers
into account and involving the client itself. This approach can also be used in order to store
lessons learned in relation to the type of stakeholder group, communication issues, and cultural
differences.

Communication issues and tools

The awareness of potential issues and tools will allow a more effective management of
communication which has to be performed as early as possible (PMBOK 5, 2013, p. 290). In
this part the results of the literature review on communication issues and tools are presented.

Many authors discuss issues in communication in respect with its modes such as verbal, para-
verbal, and non-verbal (Gudykunst and Mody, 2002) (Mruk-Badiane, 2007) (Rothlauf J., 2015).
Nevertheless, the authors have defined four categories of issues in terms of communication in

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PM World Journal Communication Management Tools for Managing Projects
Vol. VI, Issue VIII – August 2017 in an Intercultural Environmnent
www.pmworldjournal.net by Olga Mikhieieva and
1
Second Edition Matthias Waidmann

international projects (figure 4). This categorization allowed to group corresponding tools found
in the literature.

Personal
Culture
perceptions

Language Technology
Communication
issues

Figure 4: Intercultural Communication Issues

Source: Authors’ representation

Taking the scope of the paper into account, only linguistic, cultural and personal issues are
presented in details. However, the sub-part with the technology issues is included as well to
foster the discussion and further studies.

Language

It is generally agreed that the most issues in intercultural communication arise due to language
(Rothlauf J., 2015). Tools and methods used to deal with linguistic misunderstandings are
directly connected with the different modes of communication: verbal, para-verbal, non-verbal.

It is important to remember that in case of non-native speakers, foreign language skills vary.
Only due to the weak speaking skills, people might prefer another mode of communication
(Shachaf, 2008, p.136). Thus, spoken verbal communication, although face-to-face meetings
are considered as the best tool for communication (Daim et al., 2012, p. 205), may need to be
supported by written verbal communication.

As language and culture are interconnected, insufficient language skills of the team members
might not be evident in the beginning of a project. A mentality of some nationalities, especially
in case of English, assumes that the trial-and-error method works best at work. In other words,
people prefer to hide insufficient language skills. Also, it is important to know a value of
language certificates in a specific country.

Planning language skills required for a project, one should also distinguish between colloquial
and professional speeches. If the colloquial speech is essential for a project role, unless a full-
time interpreter is provided, the respective language skills have to be proved.

The issues that appear due to the language issues and the respective tools are presented in table 1.

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www.pmworldjournal.net by Olga Mikhieieva and
1
Second Edition Matthias Waidmann

Table 1: Issues and tools connected to the language

Issues Tools Sources

Spoken verbal  Explain things in simple words (Rothlauf J.,
communication:  Use an interpreter who is an expert in the 2015)
• Difficult accent field (Kerzner,
• Difficult pronunciation  Using redundancy (i.e., saying in two 2013)
• Insufficient skills in different ways) whenever possible
language  Using visual aids, when presenting
• Poor choice of (Arent, 2009)
vocabulary Listening skills:
 Stay focused on the speaker’s main point
 Tune out all potential distractions
 Offer the fullest possible attention
 Give signals that you are listening as
objectively as possible
 Be flexible and open-minded when new
topics or ideas are raised
 Ask for clarification if anything is unclear
 Validate the speaker’s main points
Written verbal  Avoid ambiguity (Rothlauf J.,
communication:  Check the spelling 2015)
• Misunderstanding or  Keep your message short to make sure it will (PMBOK 5,
misinterpretation of soon be read and easily understood 2013)
the message  Pay attention to the “subject” and the first (Kerzner,
communicated sentence of your message 2013)
• Insufficient skills in  The attention of the receiver must be raised
language (poor choice and he/she should be able to quickly grasp
of vocabulary, your intention
grammar mistakes,  Try to avoid negative verbalizations
typos)  Keep in contact with business partners,
• Not self-explaining (congratulatory notes, thank you emails etc.)
abbreviations and  Always double-check your message before
slang words sending it off
Interpretation and  Create and maintain project terminology (Own source)
translation:  Get familiar with metaphors and other (Rothlauf J.,
• Terminology connotative meanings to avoid confusion 2015)
• Metaphors and anxiety
• Accent  Invite an interpreter or translator with
• Unclear pronunciation expertise in the corresponding field
 Ensure that an interpreter gets familiar with
particularly difficult counterparts (incl. using
audio or video recordings)

Culture

Cultural differences often cause misunderstandings in communication. The main issue is that
messages are composed or ‘coded’ in one cultural context, sent, and then received or
‘decoded’ in another cultural context. (Rothlauf J., 2015, p. 2). In some studies, it is argued that
the cultural dimensions were reflected in the following beliefs and behaviors: trust and fears,
lack of participation and commitment, and insufficient information sharing (Lückmann and
Färber, 2016, p. 89).

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There are two main points that are essential to improve and progress while working an in
intercultural environment, namely, intercultural awareness and intercultural resilience.

Intercultural awareness includes the abilities to respect others, being able to shift temporarily
into another perspective, building long-lasting cross-cultural personal bonds (Leeds-Hurwitz,
W., Stenou, K., 2013, p. 24)

Intercultural resilience refers to the ability to confront and adapt to new situations within a
different culture than your own (Simonsen, 2008, p. 36)

These skills and others mainly can be developed through practical experience abroad, which
helps to understand cultural aspects and working in an international environment. Thus, for an
international company, it is important to send its employees to other countries giving them the
opportunity to understand not only differences, but also the strengths and opportunities of each
cultural group. Regarding projects itself, when a project starts, a one-week face-to-face meeting
is a great tool to facilitate social interaction and create mutual understanding relationships
among team members. During such meetings, the project team members get informed about
roles and responsibilities, assignments, the communication plan, media used and ground rules
of the project. Different issues and tools in this area are summarized in the table 2.

Table 2: Issues and tools connected to the culture

Issues Tools Sources

Cultural  Do not judge the behavior of others on the (Rothlauf J.,
misunderstandings: basis of one’s own culture 2015)
• Yes-saying pattern  Nullify own beliefs (Gudykunst
• Tendency to please  Ability to read behind the lines and signs and Mody,
• Saving-face principle based on own experience and knowledge 2002)
• Different cultural about the particular (sub-) culture (Kerzner,
perception  Ability to anticipate misreading and 2013)
• Ideological differences miscommunication (Gray and
• Religious beliefs and  Intercultural resilience Larson,
rules 2014)
• Missing or excluding  Initial face-to-face meeting: (Stawnicza,
informal  Issues embedded in communication plan 2015)
communication due to  Ground rules (can be translated and
cultural habits adjusted to a culture)
• Space behavior  Social activities/events
(abusing close or  Informal collaboration platforms
distant patterns)
• Touch behavior
• Eye behavior
Incompatible style of  Subtle speaking (Rothlauf J.,
communication:  Explain things in simple words 2015)
• direct vs. indirect  Avoid offending others
• (in)tolerance to direct  Consult with others before responding
confrontation  Get familiar with characteristics inherent in
the cultural environment
 Be aware of strong believes and
superstitions
 Be careful with laughs, intonation, voice
volume, mimic and gestures expressed

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Personal perceptions

“By understanding and capitalizing on cultural differences, the project management team is
more likely to create an environment of mutual trust and a win-win atmosphere”. (PMBOK 5,
2013, p. 515). Thus, intercultural and personal aspects in communication are interrelated.

According to Kerzner, noise in communication (figure 1) results from our own perception
screens, which dictate the way we present or perceive the message and from personal
interpretations, attitudes, biases and prejudices that lead to ineffective communication (Kerzner,
2013, p. 269). Personal perceptions is a category that includes issues connected with peoples’
perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and psychology. For example, relationship-focused people are
less comfortable to discuss important issues in writing or by phone, which is called avoidance of
a specific type of communication due to personal preferences (Gesteland, 1999).

Human and behavioral competencies, or so-called ‘soft skills’, allow innovating in

circumstances where people already have solutions for their problems. Soft skills are,
according to the literature review, the most important ones for international project managers
(the other categories of a project manager’s skills are: organizational, technical and project
management skills). The soft skills are most relevant for managing people in an intercultural
environment according to ICB (ICB 4, 2015) and studies of Brière et al., 2013, Abbot et al.
2005, Pheng and Leong, 1999.

In table 3, the issues and tools connected to the personal perceptions are summarized.

Table 3: Issues and tools connected to the personal perceptions

Issues Tools Sources

Affecting the decoding process,  Kick-off meeting followed by creation (Kerzner,
when message received is of chats in social platforms or 2013, p. 268)
different from the message sent: networks (Rothlauf J.,
• evaluative tendency  Make sure that the receiver’s 2015)
• preconceived ideas reaction to the message corresponds
• attitudes, emotions, and self- to the sender’s purpose
interest  Obtain feedback, possibly in more
• position and status than one form
• existing relationships with the
sender
• lack of responsive feedback
• selective listening
Inappropriate para-verbal  Try to get feedback (Mruk-
commu-nication:  Questionnaires to reveal these Badiane,
• the voice issues 2007)
• the speech melody  Make sure that the receiver’s
• the speaking tempo reaction to the message corresponds
• the pitch of your voice to the sender’s purpose
• the emphasis of different
words in a sentence
Written verbal communication:  Use polite expression as much as (Rothlauf J.,
• absence of emotions may possible 2015)
make a letter sound too dry,  Follow up on important tasks via (Stawnicza,
impolite, or demanding skype or any other mean of virtual 2015)
communication
Mistrust based on: Soft skills such as: (ICB 4, 2015)

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• competency gap – different  Cross-cultural sensitivity (Arent, 2009)

qualification of employees  Problem solving (Daim et al.,
from different countries or  Adaptability and flexibility 2012)
companies  Seek commitment of a wide range of
• different salaries/contracts for stakeholders
the activities  Empowerment of local population
• hidden expectations of  Sustainable development
stakeholders  Dynamic leadership
• racism and prejudice  Respectfulness and patience
• negative previous experiences  Cultural open-mindedness
with counterparts or others  Managing virtual teams and projects
from same culture  Active listening
• absence of face-to-face
communication
• missing informal
communication
Avoidance of a specific type of  Maintain and update communication (Gudykunst
communication due to personal plan and Mody,
preferences  Questionnaires to reveal these 2002)
issues
 Motivation techniques
 Personal approach

Technology

Issues connected to technology are related to how and which technology is used. How
technology is used depends on how project communications are planned and if project
participants have got or obtained the relevant skills to use the technology. Thus, it is essential
to create ground rules and specific instructions that are well structured and well-known by all
project participants.

Technology issues related to its type (which technology is used) are also called physical
barriers. According to Carvalho’s summary on communication issues in project management,
they include: the speed necessary to distribute information, the type of technology available and
the levels of security (passwords, privacy clauses, etc.), project duration, size and other project
characteristics that have to correlate with the dimensions of the project (Carvalho, 2008, p.
1280)

The examples of studied issues and tools are shown in table 4, still further studies have to
reveal more connections between culture and technology issues.

Table 4: Issues and tools connected with the technology

Issues Tools Sources

Issues due to the misuse:  “The methods of storage, (PMBOK 5,
• differences in communication retrieval, and ultimate disposition 2013, p. 290)
protocols of the project information need to
• inaccuracy in project be considered, appropriately
documents updates documented and controlled”.
• delay in message delivery
Insufficient communication to the  Maintain and update the project (PMBOK 5,
stakeholders or communication of communication plan 2013)
information to the wrong audience  Maintain and update the

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stakeholder register
 Both tools mentioned above have
to be revised when changes in
the project plan or issues in
communication occur

Conclusions

In projects conducted in an intercultural environment, tools and methods used for managing
communication are strongly connected to the stakeholders. As stakeholders, particularly in
international projects, are often not well known, it may cause higher risks for a project. During
the initiating phase of a project, the stakeholder analysis has to be performed carefully to reveal
all stakeholders and develop tools and methods that consider intercultural communication
issues.

The mission breakdown structure is a method to engage each group of stakeholders, using a
specific itemization of the mission, where each element is tailored according to the
stakeholders’ visions, needs and expectations. Such a mission itemization does not only
engage stakeholders through motivation, but it can also be used to adjust communication
methods and tools to the mission and intercultural specifics of the respective stakeholder group.

Soft skills are crucial for project managers in order to manage projects successfully and deal
with intercultural issues. Among the most important soft skills defined in the article, it can be
said that the following two are of major importance: cultural sensitivity and intercultural
resilience.

The article presented the main issues in international projects that occur due to differences in
language, culture, personal perceptions, and technology as the most mentioned in the literature
and studies. The respective issues and tools summarized by the authors can be extended and
additional studies on this matter will benefit the development of international project
management.

Further studies have to explore appropriate communication tools in depth to thoroughly address
intercultural communication issues. Additionally, it is necessary to prove the usefulness of
stakeholder categorization and mission itemization based on linguistic and cultural aspects.

References

Andersen, E.S. (2014), “Value creation using the mission breakdown structure”, International Journal of
Project Management, Vol. 32 No. 5, pp. 885–892.
Andersen, E.S., Grude, K.V. and Haug, T. (2009), Goal directed project management: Effective
techniques and strategies, 4th ed., Kogan Page Ltd, London, Philadelphia.
Arent, R. (2009), Bridging the cross-cultural gap: Listening and speaking tasks for developing fluency in
English / by Russell Arent, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor.
Carvalho, M.M. (2008), “Communication issues in projects management. PICMET 2008 Proceedings”,
pp. 1280–1284.
Daim, T.U., Ha, A., Reutiman, S., Hughes, B., Pathak, U., Bynum, W. and Bhatla, A. (2012), “Exploring
the communication breakdown in global virtual teams”, International Journal of Project Management,
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Second Edition Matthias Waidmann

Etymonline, Online etimology dictionary, available at: http://etymonline.com/ (accessed 1 February 2017).
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PM World Journal Communication Management Tools for Managing Projects
Vol. VI, Issue VIII – August 2017 in an Intercultural Environmnent
www.pmworldjournal.net by Olga Mikhieieva and
1
Second Edition Matthias Waidmann

About the Authors

OLGA MIKHIEIEVA

KIEV, UKRAINE

Olga Mikhieieva, M.Sc., IPMA Level D, conducts a PhD at university

KNUCA Kiev and has come for a doctoral exchange to The University of Applied Sciences and
Art, Dortmund, Germany. Since she has come to Dortmund, she works as scientific support
staff in the DAAD EuroPIM project, the largest internationalization project of the university and
the only DAAD strategic partnership at universities of applied sciences in North Rhine-
Westphalia. In addition, she studies in the international program on project management
“European Master in Project Management” (EuroMPM) and is a part time lecturer for
intercultural competences in EuroMPM.

As a scientific support staff, she works closely with team members from many countries,
including Belgium, Spain, Lithuania, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. During the last two years, Olga
has been involved in the organization of the annual Dortmund International Research
Conference and Summer School, an event with approximately 60 scientists and 130 students
from several partner universities and countries. She is a co-organizer of several international
block teaching events in Dortmund. Olga coordinates the student and lecturer exchange with
Ukrainian universities.

Furthermore, Olga conducts own research on competence development in project management

in the international environment. Olga has published and presented several papers and articles
within scientific conferences and publications.

Before coming to Germany, Olga got 8 years of experience in international projects as project
coordinator and interpreter (English to Russian, Russia to English) of trainings and seminars
conducted in Asia and Russian-speaking countries. Olga speaks several languages.
Olga can be contacted at [email protected]

M AT T H I AS W AI D M AN N

DORTMUND, GERMANY

Matthias Waidmann, B.Sc., studies in the international program on project

management “European Master in Project Management" (EuroMPM) in Dortmund, Germany.
He comes from Southern Germany, where he graduated his bachelor studies in Industrial
Engineering in 2016.

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PM World Journal Communication Management Tools for Managing Projects
Vol. VI, Issue VIII – August 2017 in an Intercultural Environmnent
www.pmworldjournal.net by Olga Mikhieieva and
1
Second Edition Matthias Waidmann

Matthias shows excellent results in studying and promising leadership and analytical skills. He
is active in the scientific area, having published three papers at the international conferences in
the universities of Dortmund, Riga, and Kiev since he started his master degree in Dortmund.
As one of the best students, he has been nominated with a scholarship to do a semester
abroad in the postgraduate program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Engineering at the
University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium, one of the most renowned European universities.

During his bachelor studies, Matthias studied a semester abroad at California State University
Long Beach in the United States. While conducting his studies, he has been employed in
various international companies as a part-time working student. These academic and
international activities are the milestones in his striving for a career as a project manager in an
international company.

Matthias can be contacted at [email protected]

© 2017 Professional Association of Project Managers

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PM World Journal Communication Management Tools for Managing Projects
Vol. VI, Issue VIII – August 2017 in an Intercultural Environmnent
www.pmworldjournal.net by Olga Mikhieieva and
1
Second Edition Matthias Waidmann

About the Author

© 2017 Professional Association of Project Managers

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