An interpretive comparison of Chinese and Western conceptions of project management work

Abstract

This thesis presents a cross-cultural comparative field study of Chinese and Western managers’ conceptions of their work. The thesis challenges the assumption that management practice is a generic social reality that may be transposed from one culture to another. The context for the study is construction project management, where the assumption of generic cross cultural transposition is currently exemplified by attempts by Western professional bodies to transpose Western project management standards and practices into China. The study applies the research approach known as phenomenography, previously used in diverse fields to understand the qualitatively different ways in which people conceive given aspects of their reality. In this thesis the approach is used to reveal culturally-based differences in conception of construction management work. Further, because the phenomenographic approach enables different conceptions of the same kind of work within the same cultural context to be arranged in a hierarchy of performance the study provides fresh insight into construction management competence in the two cultures separately. Interviews in the workplace with 30 Chinese and 30 UK construction project managers revealed a hierarchy of three Chinese conceptions (planning and controlling; coordinating relationships; developing relationships) and a hierarchy of three UK conceptions (planning and controlling; organising and coordinating; predicting and managing potential problems). Each conception includes a different main focus and key attributes that appeared when project managers experienced and accomplished their work. Differences in conception reflect not only cultural differences but also different forms of project management competence within China and the UK. Three aspects of cultural difference are illuminated (Chinese attention to relationships; Chinese concern for their company; UK attention to utilising the project contract). These differences were further reflected in Chinese and UK project managers’ contrasting conceptions of certain aspects of their work, including relationship with client, relationship with subcontractors, relationship with project team, organisational structure preference, relationship with company, job satisfaction, and claim and conflict resolution. The findings of this study contribute primarily to the field of cross-cultural management by demonstrating specific culturally-based differences between Chinese and UK conceptions of project management work. Two secondary areas of contribution are (1) the field of management competence, by providing an interpretive understanding of project management competence at work; and (2) research methodology for studies in the above two fields, by applying the phenomenographic approach to the comparison of cultures and sampling from practicing project managers working in their usual environment in their respective country. Implications for management practice are identified, including the need to take account of the impacts of cultural differences when transferring project management theories and practices across cultures, and offering a new approach to professional competence assessment and development, both in China and the UK.