Impact Of Cultural Differences During Construction Project In Ghana

Critiquing a Case Study
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Critiquing a Case Study
In “A case study of the impact of cultural differences during a construction project in Ghana,” Furber, Smith, and Crapper explore the impact of cultural differences on the work of foreign engineers in cross-cultural settings. To contextualize the study and establish a solid foundation for discussion, the authors draw a practical example from a small water and sanitation project in Emem, Ghana. Furber and colleagues use Hofstede's dimensions of culture as the theoretical basis for analyzing myriad of issues that affect interactions between professionals and other stakeholders in a foreign context. The inquiry reveals that cultural differences are notoriously impactful on the work of an engineer as they evoke legitimate concerns regarding communication, participation, and management structure – and that the engineer’s level of cross-cultural competence can determine the outcome of such missions.
This work targets many audiences, but some are more explicit that others. The authors wrote the paper for the express purpose of enlightening “engineers working on community based projects in developing countries” (Furber, Smith, & Crapper, 2012, p. 559) on the cultural issues that might affect the smooth execution of their duties. On the other hand, the study impliedly targets an audience among scholars who could be interested in broadening their understanding of how cultural paradigms might influence cross-border projects that are presided over by a foreign professional. The authors deliberate on the underpinnings of reticence, replication of a similar opinion, and a sense disengagement among the beneficiaries of a community project headed by a foreign engineer; this is done through the lenses of Hofstede's cultural dimensions.
To critique the case, this paper adopts Lincoln and Guba’s (1990) four-pronged approach. The first criterion for judging a case report is resonance, which defines the degree to which a report harmonizes extreme positions regarding a subject. It also takes into account the personal experience of the lead investigator in gathering primary data. To minimize the gap between the report and a non-positivist position, the investigator should account for his objective involvement, rely on a priori constructs and theories, avoid predetermined expectations, exhaust the various realities of research subjects, and consider value influences affecting the research project (Lincoln & Guba, 1990 cited in Devadas, 2016). Furber, Smith, and Crapper’s work convincingly adheres to the principle of resonance. The report explicitly states Furber’s involvement in the empirical study and analyses his findings objectively. The use of Hofstede's cultural dimensions to analyze the findings further accords the study a considerable degree of authenticity.
The second yardstick for a quality case study report is rhetoric. It focuses on the form, structure and presentational aspects of the report with emphasis on coherence, and corroboration (Devadas, 2016). Furber and colleagues’ article has a great structure and commendably coherent. In the introduction, the authors not only establis...