Catalog

CULTURAL MAPPING AS A TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE COOPERATION IN ETHNICALLY DIVERSE TEAMS
More and more development teams are made up of people from different cultures, be it, “corporate”, geographic, or ethnic. The world of product development is truly a global endeavor, where the notion of 24-hour development is beginning to be fulfilled.
While the technology barriers for communication and collaboration are certainly being broken, the human aspect remains daunting. How do people from other cultures make decisions? How do people from other cultures perceive time and commitment to a date? How does one know that the mission of your development team has been accepted and embraced by all your team members? These are but a few of the questions that baffle program, and project managers.
The presenters will provide practical definitions of culture and their implications to team work. They will also take a look at the roots of culture and their implications to development teams. A definition of Cultural Mapping as a technique will also be shown, and related to development teams. Several examples from real, multi ethnic teams will be shared. Finally, the presenters will facilitate several exercises where the method of Cultural Mapping can be applied to development teams.
Please note that this is not the traditional “diversity” training, rather it is a leadership class based on the Cultural mapping methodology.
Presenters:
Dr. Antonie Jetter from the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science Department of Engineering and Technology Management at Portland State University
Dr. Jetter, a native of Germany, has written a book on The Fuzzy Front End of Technology, and has worked for international technology companies in Europe and the U. S. She specializes in the human aspects of technology development.
Jose Campos, Founder Rapidinnovation, LLC.
Jose, a native of Nicaragua, has traveled around the world in his role as Product Manager, and later, in his duties as a Management Consultant. He has worked with development teams in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Jose focuses on the role of teams, and team work in product development.