Framework for managing multi-cultural project teams

The theory and practice of team integration has changed fundamentally over the last five years, driven by the growing demands of multi-cultural team working and greater understanding of cultural issues and diversity in the internationalised construction environment. According to the literature reviewed, the challenge to the construction industry in both developed and developing countries is to address its poor performance on people management by focusing on multicultural team working. Different reports published by governing bodies in developed countries such as the UK continue to highlight that clients need to improve their understanding of how construction can best meet their business needs and help lead the process of creating integrated teams. Consequently, there have been a number of empirical studies on project teams, particularly focussing on measures of team success. However, the consequences of transition from monoculture to multi-cultural project teams remain largely unexplored in construction management research... cont'd

Linking Farmers to Markets through Modern Information and Communication Technologies in Kenya

This paper highlights a market information and linkage system (MILS) developed and tested by the Kenya Agricultural Commodity Exchange Limited (KACE) that increases the efficiency of agricultural markets to work better for smallholder farmers and other small and medium sized agro-enterprises (SMEs). The MILS involves harnessing modern information and communication technologies (ICTs) to empower farmers with low-cost reliable and timely market information to enhance the bargaining power of the farmer for a better price in the market place, and to link the farmer to markets more efficiently and profitably. The components of the KACE MILS are (www.kacekenya.com): Rural based Market Information Points (MIPs) which are information kiosks located in rural markets, District-level Market Information Centres (MICs), Mobile Phone Short Messaging Service (SMS), Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Internet based database system, rural FM radio and the Central Coordinating Hub in Nairobi. KACE has adopted a business approach to the provision of its services: users pay for the services. For instance it charges: placement fees per initial offer or bid (US$1.5-15), commissions on concluded deals (0.5$ 65 for 6 months or US$125 for 12 months), fees to visiting foreign groups (US$ 2,000-5,000/visit) and revenue sharing agreements with SMS and IVR service providers. When the KACE MILS services are scaled out and widely used by many farmers and SMEs across Kenya, the system will generate sufficient revenue to sustain its services without reliance on development partner funding. To enhance the financial sustainability of the MILS services further, KACE has recently initiated two innovations: franchising MIPs and MICs to local entrepreneurs, and establishing a virtual trading floor to improve the matching of offers and bids through a rural-based FM Radio program. A recent study of the impact of the KACE MILS concluded that the proportion of farmers and traders that say their incomes has increased and their bargaining positions have improved is very high (75% farmers and 60% commodity traders). Furthermore, the study concluded that it was clear that during the years in which the KACE MILS has been operational, market integration improved for two commodities studied (i.e. maize and beans). This study also highlights the challenges faced by the KACE MILS, including poor infrastructure that imposes high transport costs to markets, high costs of mobile phone calls and SMS and small quantities of produce of varying quality offered. Keywords: Information and communication technology, innovations, Kenya,Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, International Relations/Trade, Land Economics/Use, Marketing, Productivity Analysis, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Reforming the management of industrial projects in developing countries: the role of strategic planning

The decline in performance of many industrial projects in many developing countries is a result of projects becoming more complex and reduced time schedules, consequently, project management in developing countries is failing because of flawed assumptions and idealised theory. It rests on centextualism of procedures, knowledge and process which are best developed by taking a more strategic approach. The complex nature of industrial project management has led to conflicting procedures, knowledge and cultures. Using a qualitative approach this study explores the role of strategic planning in developing countries. The findings suggest that project managers and aid agencies in developing countries must actively promote strategic project management as a means of implementing strategic change. The findings provide a comprehensive assessment of factors critical to strategic planning success of projects in developing countries

Addressing cultural issues when managing multicultural construction project teams

This paper examines the nature of multicultural project teams and their place in the global business environment. It highlights some of the issues regarding cultural complexity that exist in multicultural project teams and argues that, getting multicultural project teams to work effectively across international boundaries has become a major concern. The inclination is likely to continue and the future of business will increasingly depend on doing projects effectively in different cultural environments. This is difficult enough to achieve where the team is situated in the same office located close to the construction site. But it is much more difficult for multicultural global projects that have a range of diverse companies involved, are widely separated geographically and that have very different organisational and regional cultures. This study explored the efficacy of multicultural team working in heavy construction engineering in Kenya and the UK. The research employed both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to capture all the relevant experiences of senior managers. Using evidence from the two sets of participants, the study highlights some of the barriers to effective multicultural team working and demonstrates the critical importance of building cultural understanding through leadership. The findings revealed a number of determinants, attributes, and variables that either facilitated or limited the effectiveness of multicultural team working

Factors influencing effective performance of multi-cultural construction project teams

As a result of globalization, one of the major issues affecting the success of a construction project would be the formation of a multi-cultural project team. As construction project leaders continue to lead global, multi-cultural projects, there is a demand for managing a workforce that is more diverse than ever. The multi-generational workforce has distinct views on work ethic, communication and incentives; finding common ground is essential. This study examines how cultural differences could impact upon multi-cultural team performance. Postal questionnaires were sent to project leaders in Kenya and UK. The results indicate that different approaches in multi-cultural performances consist of seven key impacts: communication techniques, smoothness of handover, teamwork, issue resolution, joint decision making, people selection, people selection and prioritization. The findings suggest that project leaders managing multi-cultural construction project teams need to have the attributes to building trust among team members, provide good planning and institute good communication techniques. Our results on how cultural differences impact multi-cultural construction project teams can help construction organizations identify likely areas of potential divergence on multi-cultural projects, and researchers to identify areas of future research

An assessment of Key Performance Indicators utilised in measuring multicultural team performance

As globalisation advances at an ever-increasing rate, there is a great need in the global construction industry for identifying a set of common indicators to be used by project leaders in measuring multicultural team performance at the project level. The focus of this research was to collect management perceptions of the key performance indicators currently utilised in the global construction industry in Kenya and UK. A literature search was employed to generate the initial set of perceived key performance indicators, which were administered to the construction industry via a survey using both quantitative and qualitative methodology. Correlations were performed for both the quantitative and qualitative indicators to determine which type of indicators is used most extensively. Further analysis displayed a substantial difference between project leaders in Kenya and the UK. In conclusion, it was found that the correlation between quantitative indicators and qualitative indicators proved to be inconclusive

A novel online data-driven algorithm for detecting UAV navigation sensor faults

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has increased significantly in recent years. On-board integrated navigation sensors are a key component of UAVs' flight control systems and are essential for flight safety. In order to ensure flight safety, timely and effective navigation sensor fault detection capability is required. In this paper, a novel data-driven Adaptive Neuron Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS)-based approach is presented for the detection of on-board navigation sensor faults in UAVs. Contrary to the classic UAV sensor fault detection algorithms, based on predefined or modelled faults, the proposed algorithm combines an online data training mechanism with the ANFIS-based decision system. The main advantages of this algorithm are that it allows real-time model-free residual analysis from Kalman Filter (KF) estimates and the ANFIS to build a reliable fault detection system. In addition, it allows fast and accurate detection of faults, which makes it suitable for real-time applications. Experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed fault detection method in terms of accuracy and misdetection rate

Integration and cultural engineering on projects in developing countries (KENYA)

The theory and practice of project management has changed fundamentally over the last ten years. This is illustrated by the introduction of a number of terms such as "modern project management", "management by projects", "project (project management) culture" and "beyond the Gantt Chart" that differentiate between traditional and contemporary forms of project management. Though change is inevitable, there remains an inclination for project management to be maintained as a key management tool in business environment. While there have been a number of empirical studies on project practice, particularly relating to measures of project success, the consequence of the transition from traditional to contemporary project management remains largely unexplored. The few studies that have been carried out have focused on project management practice in generic terms or on the experiences of individual organisations. This is more evident in developing countries, such as Kenya, even though different reports continue to highlight the significant number of project failures in such countries. Using qualitative and quantitative methodologies, this paper explores the role and relevance of cultural engineering to industrial projects in Kenya. This should provide a comprehensive assessment of factors critical to industrial project success. The findings should also demonstrate the most appropriate strategic planning approach for developing countries and aid the optimum utilisation of scarce resources and better fulfilment of industrial projects

Physical variables, nutrient status and primary productivity of Kyoga Basin lakes of Lemwa, Omunuo, Gawa, Adois and Owapet

The review report on Kyoga basin lakes (NAFIRRI 2007) described Kyoga basin lakes as important natural resource for the communities within the basin and the surrounding areas. Fisheries of the basin provide a source of protein, income, and employment to generally poor communities in the area. The lakes also generate revenue to the local Governments within the catchment. This indicates that the fisheries of Kyoga basin lakes are a key instrument in poverty eradication and food security. The lakes also act as a source of water for domestic, agricultural and transport purposes. Some of the Kyoga small lakes harbour fish species, which have disappeared from the main lakes Victoria and Kyoga and are therefore important for biodiversity conservatio