Improving communication in multicultural teams — A web-based model and its application in project management education

Technical solution skills - though important - are not enough for effective, multicultural teamwork. Despite broad consensus on the vital function of communication- and social skills, they tend to be underrepresented in the training of software-engineers and project managers. This is partly because such skills are less explicit than technical methods, tools, and artefacts. To address this deficiency, an openly accessible web-based communication model for multicultural teams (comMCT) was developed. It consists of four modules addressing structural, functional, organizational, and interpersonal/behavioral aspects of multicultural communication. After presenting the empirically validated comMCT model, two scenarios of introducing comMCT into two academic courses within the computer science curriculum at the University of Vienna are discussed, along with the students' reactions and an online questionnaire capturing students' feedback on comMCT. In a nutshell, thoughtful, person-centered application of the model is expected to enhance learners' knowledge, practice, and reflection on communication issues and contribute to more effective and satisfied multicultural teams. Importantly, instructors as well as life-long learning program designers will find inspiration on including comMCT into their courses.