Implementation of Agile Project Management. Possible Impact of Chinese Culture

Résumé ou Introduction

This paper analyzes the different characteristics of Chinese culture and discusses its possible influence on the implementation of agile project management.

The Chinese belong to the high-context culture, which means that information is exchanged implicitly, for example by expressing criticism indirectly or by giving hints to express objection or difficulties instead of directly saying them clearly. They are highly dependent on leaders (expecting to be told what to do), like to work in groups, can be inconsistent in adhering to deals and agreements as well as avoid taking responsibility for decisions and avoid having any kind of conflict with others.

These traits can be beneficial for as well as pose challenges in the implementation of an agile project management, i.e. SCRUM. The group-based execution of SCRUM suits the Chinese as group-oriented people well. However, certain aspects in the implementation of SCRUM, such as setting and keeping goals (a.k.a. “Product Backlogs”), communicating difficulties with team leaders and SCRUM masters and giving constructive feedback during a Sprint review could be problematic for Chinese team members because of their aforementioned cultural traits.