Working Across Cultures

 

Remote work has brought us closer technologically, but it has not necessarily made us easier to understand. In this session, we will explore the cultural codes that shape international collaboration and demonstrate how leaders and teams can reduce misinterpretations, friction, and misaligned expectations. By comparing cultures such as Bulgaria and Romania, we will examine how communication, feedback, trust, and decision-making vary across borders and influence our collective work. This is a practical and memorable session designed for anyone working in multicultural or remote settings.

Learning Objectives

 

By attending this meeting, participants will be able to:

• Recognize key cultural dimensions that shape how people collaborate across different countries.
• Interpret how Bulgaria compares with other cultures in critical areas such as communication, leadership, trust, and feedback.
• Apply these insights to improve collaboration within multicultural and remote work environments.

Agenda

• 18:30: Registration and Welcome
• 19:00: Keynote Presentation
• 20:00: Q&A and Open Discussion
• 20:30: Networking and Cocktail

 

Registration and Logistics

• Date: 21 April
• Time: 18:30h
• Format: In-person (Location TBA)
• Language: English
• Registration:
  • PMI Bulgaria Chapter Members/Sponsors/Partners/Volunteers: Attendance is free.
  • Non-members: A fee of 10 EUR applies.
• Important: Registration must be completed via bilet.bg; please note that no tickets will be sold at the door.
• PDU Information: 1 PDU will be awarded. The Chapter will claim this on your behalf, so please ensure you register with your PMI ID.

 

About the Speakers

 

Dragan Bjelica, Ph.D. Dragan is an Associate Professor at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Organizational Sciences, where he heads the Department of Management and Project Management. He is a certified specialist holding PMP, PMI-ACP, and PMI-PBA credentials, as well as a Strategy specialization from Harvard Business School. He has published over 100 papers and led major international projects.

 

Simona Bonghez, Ph.D., PMP Simona is an author, international speaker, and Managing Partner of Colors in Projects in Romania. With extensive experience in project and product management, she specializes in experiential learning and game-based design in education. On a global level, she serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the PMI Global Accreditation Cente