INTERNATIONAL DYNAMICS

Globalization, integration, and multinational corporations all represent a major trend in the twenty-first century. Like it or not there are many more international projects today versus even 5 years ago. Some specific trends include:

• Mergers and acquisitions of companies. In industry after industry we are seeing more consolidation. Pharmaceuticals, energy, banking, insurance, new media and entertainment, and manufacturing are just a few examples. Projects arise in the merger and in future operations.

• International agencies and nonprofit organizations are taking a global perspective increasingly. They undertake more projects in diverse locations.

• Multinational companies are more frequently undertaking projects that involve multiple countries.

Even software development, engineering, and other traditional projects are not immune. Technology and transportation advances have made it possible to distribute the project work across a region and globally.

The trends are likely to continue and expand due to the following factors.

• Advancing and spreading technology. The Internet, e-business, and mobile communications all facilitate more complex projects.

• Economies of scale. Companies have realized substantial benefits in economies of scale through global projects.

• Standardization. Many business products and services are increasingly standardized around the world.

DIMENSIONS OF COMPLEXITY

The growth in international projects has come at a cost. There are many failures in international and regional projects. Surveys indicate that the likelihood of failure is higher than for standard single country projects.

At the heart of the matter, international projects are more complex. We can identify a number of dimensions of complexity.

• Culture and style. This was the...