Cultural Competance

How will the use of outsourcing impact the way in which a project is managed?
Our technology has greatly impacted not only in how businesses are able to make partnerships from around the globe, but has also had societal implications which are being made aware as countries and cultures are brought together. While technology crosses physical boundaries, there are still inherent perceptions, expectations, and experiences which challenge a project manager's ability to lead and manage a project.

The risks of leading diverse people who come from different backgrounds greatly increases a project's exposure to failure but it can't be avoided. Outsourcing can have significant financial benefits and obtain specific expert knowledge that may be critical to a system's function, and it means that the project manager has to understand the contextual change that comes with these benefits.

Cultural competance is a critical skill for a project manager to develop because it will help with team motivation, moral, and communication. Understanding how a norm for one culture might be aversely perceived in another affects relationships among the team members. As my professor states, "Technology doesn't fail; it is people who fail". If people fail to understand the impact of culture on a person's values and actions, then a project will fail.