Katherine Alexander, Vertex Business Services
The ever-increasing globalization of the workplace and geographical dispersion of employees creates many challenges for today’s testers, including communicating across different time zones, overcoming language barriers and maintaining a consistent team framework. One unique challenge that should not be overlooked is that of cultural diversity and the stereotyping that can and does occur. Whether it’s Americans working with East Indians, Europeans working with Asians, or even east and west coasters in the United States, there are cultural differences that can hinder a project inadvertently by its participants. Because perceptions affect interactions, the negative results range from simply frustrated communication among team members to delayed projects.
These obstacles need not be a hindrance to the testing process. Learn what the common stereotypes are and how to overcome pre-conceived notions, devise efficient work practices and create a more cohesive testing team across the globe.
2010 Technical Paper, Katherine Alexander, Abstract, Paper, Slides
