International Project Management: Leadership in Complex Environments

From experience in over 100 international projects and reviewing many more, we have developed a list of factors that contribute to failure. These are discussed in no particular order or importance.

• Treatment of the international project as a standard project. This is a common mistake. A manager may have had great success in standard projects. When faced with an international project, he or she just plunges in and applies the same methods.

• Excessive management attention. Management kills off many international projects due to over attention. Micromanagement is a leading cause of project failure.

• Lack of sensitivity to the local culture. The typical cause of failure here is the imposition of the same standards and approaches to each location and business unit. This is a sure step on the road to disaster.

• Failure to stay the course. When faced with problems in one location, management may give up and move to another location. It is not likely that they will do much better in the next place.

• Failure to take into account self-interest. Everyone tends to be concerned with their own interests. This is natural and is true of organizations as well. If you attempt to implement a project for which people perceive that they will receive no benefits, there will be trouble. At best, you will only get lukewarm support and involvement.

• Overdependence upon technology. Many people think that the technology can be employed to overcome many problems. It is not just computer and communications technology, it can be construction, engineering, or other technology. Technology can help, but it can also make matters worse.

• Lack of measurement. Many international projects are not measured as they are going on. Moreover, results of the project in terms of impact are not measured. This tends to lower morale and lead to problems, because people tend to think of the negative factors since there are no positive measurements.