PROPOSED PRACTICES AND APPROACHES FOR ADDRESSING SOURCES OF CONFLICT IN CROSS-CULTURAL AND CROSS-FUNCTIONAL IT PROJECTS

Abstract

IT projects are becoming more and more complex, requiring a culturally and functionally diverse mix of individuals [1] to be part of the project teams and acknowledging that investment in diversity (including cultural) should be a “future focus for the post-pandemic world” [2] . On top of this, there are a few takeaways from the COVID pandemic also. If we look at it through the perspective of what it meant for the projects that had to find a solution, then we think of projects that had to deliver a product in an unprecedented short time, with people working in different domains, even interorganizational or private sector working with public sector (academic centres and government). 

If we look at it through the perspective of what it will mean from now on, we can say that during the COVID pandemic working remotely was a norm for the IT industry, so there was a big investment in improving the tools and processes that supported this and will continue to do so. In this context, where we foresee more and more cross-discipline, cross-functional and cross-cultural teams, we need to address the challenges of managing such a team, which could make the difference between failing fast or fostering innovation at its best. This paper`s central focus is the study of some of the biggest sources of conflict (when the IT project set-up involves teams that are cross-cultural and cross-functional) and addressing them in a more formal way, by proposing practices such as the use of an adapted team charter and a communication manifesto.