How cultural intelligence help project managers to face cross-cultural complexities in construction projects in Lebanon and the Gulf

Abstract

Globalization has had a significant impact on all businesses and industries including construction. It reduced distance and time between all points of the world in near real-time which stimulated international projects. Lebanon as well as the Arab Gulf, have always had a culturally mixed societies and always experienced cultural differences due to many reasons. Working with people from different cultures can present a unique set of problems and challenges. The concept of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) looks at the ability of effectively adapting to different cultures. On the surface, it would seem that project managers operating in Lebanon and the Gulf, should have a high CQ due to the culturally diverse population in the Middle East. This paper seeks to understand the level of awareness of CQ and determine if it is being used to solve cross-cultural complexities in the construction industry of Lebanon, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and UAE. An online survey and an in-depth interview were developed and administered to project managers who have worked in Lebanon and the Gulf. Finally, findings were developed and explained based on the hypothesis posed and the research questions.