Exploring the impact of cultural values on project performance: the effects of cultural values, age and gender on the perceived importance of project success/failure factors

摘要

Purpose– This study explores the impact of cultural values on the importance individuals assign to project success/failure factors. Design/methodology/approach–Themes emerging from 40 interviews of project practitioners based in Brazil, China, Greece, Nigeria, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States are integrated with literature evidence to design a survey instrument. 1313 practitioner survey responses from the eight countries are analysed using multi-group, structural equation modelling. Findings– Ten project success/failure indicators (PSFIs) are found to reduce to two main project success/failure factors (PSFFs): (1) project control and extra-organisational goals, and (2) project team management/development and intra-organisational goals. It is found that the levels of importance individuals assign to both factors are dependent, not only on age and gender, but also on cultural values measured as constructs based on Hofstede’s individualism, masculinity, power distance and uncertainty avoidance dimensions. Research limitations – The snowballing method used to gather survey data and analysis of relationships at individual level reduce generalisability. Practical implications – The results reveal insights on how best to match the cultural values of project participants to project characteristics. They also increase knowledge on the likely perceptual differences among culturally-diverse individuals within projects.Originality/value – This research contributes to the literature on culture in project environments by defining a factor structure of multiple-dependent project success/failure indicators and increases insight on how specific cultural values may impact on the perception of the so-defined project success/failure factors.