Friday, January 6, 2006
The impact of culture on communications for successful engineering - Adrian Gill
Abstract
This is NOT intended to be a technical discussion. Instead it is a deliberate attempt to bring to the forefront other factors that the presenter has found often play an even more decisive role in the successful outcome of projects and other team-based work. These factors are typically given the label “soft” because they are not perceived as “scientific” or measurable. It's well known that people do not function merely in “scientific”, measurable ways. They also require the presence of other important elements in what they do, such as emotional content, moral resolution, and the need for human interaction. While such may not be precisely measurable, there is a marked difference that is easy to see when the “human” side of things is working well.
The backdrop against which such elements are set is inherently cultural. As the daily work of so many people is now an interaction with others based in different parts of the world, it is important to be culturally aware in order to communicate effectively. A significant part of communication relates to the culture in which it is set; a simple example is that a gesture in one culture that means “No”, in another means “Yes”, which without appropriate understanding results in unintended action, whether within the work place, or outside of it.
It is these areas of difference that the presenter seeks to address. He will use the framework of work-related contractual negotiations, requirements clarification and subsequent similar work taking place at a multi-national/international level.
Your Presenter: Adrian Gill, director and co-founder of GillPage Associates, has spent the past 30 years in the software and systems engineering industry. Now based in California , he carries out engineering and process improvement consultancy on an international and multi-national basis, and is authorized by the Software Engineering Institute as a SCAMPI lead appraiser
(CMMI ® ).
Adrian has lived in 5 countries, spent long periods of time in a further 5 countries, and visited a further 20 countries, often repeatedly, for business reasons. This has given him an added and perhaps different perspective on the reasons behind why things in software and systems engineering work or don't work. Part of this perspective is the importance of communication, which Adrian maintains is based on relationship. The importance then is in establishing what relationship is based upon, as particularly applied to the work place, and this is where cultural aspects play a key role. Adrian has found that an understanding of cultural aspects is significant to good communication, which in turn is the key to successful teams working together to jointly give a successful outcome.
Adrian has been asked to present on a wide variety of engineering and other topics at numerous industry and public venues around the world, including:
- TV/press conferences in China
- the Requirements Engineering Special Interest Group of the British Computer Society, serving on its panel of experts
- specialist engineering conferences around Europe and Scandinavia .
He has also been an industry contributor to various UK University Computer Science and Software Engineering degree courses. As well as English, Adrian is fluent in French and Chinese (Mandarin).
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Logistics
Location:Northrop Grumman E2 Presentation Center (in tall building off of Entrance 2), Redondo Beach, CA (formerly TRW) - 2299 Marine Ave., Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Directions: Take the 405 Inglewood exit (southbound it's the exit after Rosecrans East, northbound it's the exit just after Hawthorne) and go north on Inglewood Avenue (southbound, turn left at the end of the ramp, northbound, turn right). Turn left at Marine. Go west under the freeway past the railroad tracks and Redondo Beach Avenue to Entrance 2 at Mettler Drive. Turn left into the parking lot . E2 is the tall building to your right. (See page 733 A5 of the Thomas Brothers Guide.)
Time: 9 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Admission: Free
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