Cross-Cultural Communication in Construction Industry: How do Chinese Firms Cross the Barriers in Tanzania?

Abstract

The international nature of doing business in construction projects has highlighted the importance of cross cultural communication as the challenge it brings to Managers. Among the challenges facing Chinese Construction Firms in Tanzania is how to maintain communication richness. Nevertheless International construction projects can involve multinational project teams from different political, legal, economic and cultural backgrounds. As the business environment becomes more complex and dynamics occur at a rapid rate, multicultural construction projects must improve their ability to address such external challenges. This paper is an attempt to examine how cross-cultural complexity and cross cultural communication misunderstandings can be effectively managed. To that endeavor the author examines the role of culture; how it influence communication and explores how communication barriers can occur in Chinese construction firms in Tanzania. Probably one could realize that construction managers from China are likely to translate and respond differently to the same strategic issues because they have distinct perceptions of the environmental opportunities and threats and communication rules.

Keywords: Cross-cultural communication, Cross cultural barriers, Management Style, Chinese Construction firms, Tanzania