Table of Contents
List of Tables and Figures
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
Chapter 1. Introducing the Field 15
Visiting the Panama Canal 16
Mega projects 18
Cross-Cultural Collaboration 21
Problem Statement and Outline 25
PART I: GOING TO THE FIELD
Chapter 2. Practices of Collaboration in Mega Projects 33
Introduction 34
Developments in Project Management Research 34
The Practice Turn in Project Management Research 39
Projects-as-Practice 45
Cross-Cultural Collaboration and Project Management 48
Cross-Cultural Management Research 52
To Conclude 56
Chapter 3. Ethnography in Practice 59
Knowledge Claim 60
Organizational Ethnography 63
Selection of and Access to a Mega Project 66
Obtaining Access 69
Ethnography in the Field 71
Interviewing 75
Observing 77
Reading 80
Analyzing and Writing 82
About me: the researcher 87
Chapter 4. The Panama Canal: a look back to look forward 93
Introduction 94
History of the Panama Canal 95
The French Attempt 96
The American Victory 97
Ownership of the Canal 101
Panama Canal Operations 104
Autoridad del Canal de Panamá 107
Panama Canal Expansion Program 109
Components of the Panama Canal Expansion Program 112
The Third Set of Locks Project: ACP and its Partners 115
CH2M Hill 116
Sacyr 117
Impregilo 117
Jan de Nul 118
CUSA 118
GUPC 119
Registered Trade Mark 121
PART II: KNOWING THE FIELD
Interlude. Setting the stage for collaboration 127
The Award Ceremony for the Third Set of Locks Project 128
The day after… 135
Chapter 5. Practices within the GUPC project organization:
Diminishing Collaboration 139
Introduction 140
Using Metaphors 140
Process metaphor: ‘it’s like a war’ 141
Process metaphor: Arranged marriage 143
Process metaphor: Climbing the mountain 144
Project metaphor: Animals 145
Project metaphor: Governmental institution 147
Labeling Cultures 148
National Culture Label 149
Organization Culture Label 155
Marking Boundaries 162
One Expansion Program, two projects: Atlantic versus Pacific 162
Two projects, three locations: Gatún, Cocolí, Corozal Oeste 165
Searching for structure 171
Discussion: Diminishers of Collaboration 175
Chapter 6. Collaboration within GUPC: Amplifying Practices 177
Introduction 178
Sharing interests 178
Passion for profession 179
Following the Mantra ‘the work needs to be done’ 181
Bridging Actors 183
Saint Judas Thaddeus 184
Fire Fighter 186
Mediator 188
Cross-cultural code-switching 190
Linguistic code-switching 191
Behavioral code-switching 194
Organizing Social Activities 200
Discussion: Amplifiers of Collaboration 203
Chapter 7. Chaperoning: collaboration between the ACP and CH2M Hill 205
Introduction 206
How they met… 206
The tender 208
Shaping their relationship 210
Chaperoning 214
Experiences with chaperoning 216
‘One Team, One Mission’ 220
Collaboration in Practice 222
‘It just does not work that way in the ACP’ 223
‘Where would I be without you?’ 225
‘We are the Shadow of CH2M Hill’ 228
Discussion 232
PART III: LEARNING FROM THE FIELD
Chapter 8. Cross-Cultural Work in the Panama Canal Expansion Program:
A Collabyrinth 237
Project Actuality 239
A Collaboration Labyrinth 241
Practices of Collaboration 245
Manifest practices 247
Concealed Practices 252
The Collaboration Continuum 259
ABC-practices 260
Contribution to the Academic Debates 264
Ideas for Future Research 267
Dear Project Participant, 269
Partners 269
Possibilities 270
Patience 271
Philosophy 272
Promotion 273
English Summary 276
Dutch Summary 279
Spanish Summary 299
Appendix 1 319
References 321
About the author 337
NGInfra PhD Thesis Series on Infrastructures 339
Abstract
In the execution of a mega project, collaboration is inevitable. Requiring a combination of
skills, knowledge and resources, projects often attract numerous participants each carrying
their own cultural background. Consequently, a great variety of cultural differences and
similarities, as well as distinctive practices and differing values and interests for participation,
emerge when firms and people come together in a project organization. Cross Culture
Work offers profound insight into the ‘people’ side of project management. In light of the
Panama Canal Expansion Program Karen Smits describes how project participants deal
with the cultural complexity in their everyday life. She illustrates the lived experiences of
project participants and portrays the practices of collaboration that emerge in the project
organization. These vivid accounts and observations emphasize the importance of a cultural
perspective in the management of projects and stress the need for explicit attention to crosscultural collaboration.
