Di Marco, M., Taylor, J., and Alin, P. (2010). ”Emergence and Role of Cultural Boundary Spanners in Global Engineering Project Networks.” J. Manage. Eng., 26(3), 123–132.

doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000019

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Emergence and Role of Cultural Boundary Spanners in Global Engineering Project Networks

Article History

Submitted: 20 June 2009

Accepted: 07 January 2010

Published: 04 February 2010

Publication Data

ISSN (print): 0742-597X

ISSN (online): 1943-5479

Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers

Melissa K. Di Marco¹; John E. Taylor, A.M.ASCE²; and Pauli Alin³

¹Graduate Student, Dept. of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Columbia Univ., 618 S.W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th St., New York, NY 10027. E-mail: mkd2121@columbia.edu

²Assistant Professor, Dept of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Columbia Univ., 618 S.W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th St., New York, NY 10027 (corresponding author). E-mail: jt2411@columbia.edu

³Graduate Student, Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, Helsinki Univ. of Technology, Innopli 2, Tekniikantie14, 02150 Espoo, Finland. E-mail: Pauli.Alin@tkk.fi

Engineering project networks are increasingly global in scope and outsourcing is increasingly common. Along with globalizing trends in project delivery, the workforce is also globalizing. It is common for engineers to move to other countries as expatriate workers or as emigrants to pursue job opportunities in other firms. Where much is known about global networks of engineers collaborating on projects, little is known about the mediating role played by individuals that share the same nationality as an international partner on a project. In this paper, we examine two project teams executing complex, reciprocally interdependent design projects in India. One team was comprised of Indians and Americans. The other team was identical, but also contained an Indian national who had studied and worked in the United States. Both teams worked on similar design schedule optimization problems. Over the duration of three days, we examined the interactions of the teams assembled to finalize their designs. Through quantitative network analysis and qualitative observations of the cross-cultural interactions, we found the Indian expatriate to play a cultural boundary spanning role resolving cross-cultural knowledge system conflicts and increasing collaboration effectiveness. We induce a propositional theoretical model of cultural boundary spanning in global engineering project networks.

Permalink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000019

ASCE Subject Headings: Construction industry, International factors, Organizations, Social factors, Design

Author keywords: Boundary spanning, Cultural issues, Design and construction industry, Globalization, Organizational issues

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© 2010 ASCE
Emergence and Role of Cultural Boundary Spanners in Global Engineering Project Networks : Journal of Management in Engineering: Vol. 26, No. 3 (ASCE)