Multicultural conflict management in Sino-Cameroonian projects

This study explores the influence of culture on project managers in a multicultural context. For decades Cameroon has been experiencing a significant deficit in electrical energy which has led to regular power cuts and even periods of electricity rationing penalising the daily life of households and national industrial activity. In order to remedy this situation the Cameroonian Government with the cooperation of China has launched major projects in terms of energy infrastructure with the generalisation of the programme cooperation approach. It is increasingly common for these projects to be led by mixed teams comprising both national and foreign members in this case the Chinese. In the case of the Sino-Cameroonian project for the development of the Mekin Dam (PSABM) the richness of cultural diversity most of the time complicates the dynamics of the project because it creates problems of relations and misunderstandings of the first order between the partners. The aim of this study is to understand the influence of culture on the way conflicts are managed in a multicultural context.