Ethics training on multi-cultural construction projects

Culture can influence the effectiveness of ethics management. Some behaviours, which are acceptable in one culture, might not be acceptable in other cultures. These kinds of situations can easily occur in multi-cultural construction projects, resulting in unexpected conflicts. A proper ethics training programme can provide a solution to these conflicts, leading to improved moral development and ethical decision making of project participants and mutual respect which will produce harmonized environments. The paper focuses on ethics training for multi-cultural construction projects and reports on the development of a training programme. Not only ethical aspects but also cultural aspects have been considered in the programme. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions on designated construction industries are analysed in terms of ethical implication. The relationships between cultural dimensions and ethical implications have been conceptualized together with their applications to construction. An example of an ethics training programme on a multi-cultural construction project has been presented to demonstrate the practicality of the suggested approach.