Question 1:
After reading the lecture material contained in Lecture 2-2, what ways do you feel culture plays in the establishment of a project methodology? Use examples of your past experiences or research into the topic to support your answer.

As you will find in my posts, I try to buck the system and go against the majority, not because I think I am right, but to see if I can convince myself and others that there might be unforeseen conclusions in the way we are thinking. But, with this discussion, I would find it very difficult to disagree with everyone that has posted thus far. Organizational culture does play a major role in establishing project methodology.
The organizational culture is a system of shared beliefs, values, and assumptions by which people (employees) are connected. Culture is also one of the defining aspects of an organization that sets it apart from other organizations even in the same industry. The organization culture has several defining functions that affect each employee:
The first is culture which provides a sense of identity for its members. People will feel a close and strong connection with the organization if the mission of the organization is well defined and values are well stated.
Secondly, the culture helps legitimize the management system of the organization. The system must also be well defined and clear. The employees must understand the structure of the company and understand authority relationships and why their authority is to be respected.
Thirdly, the organization culture clarifies and reinforces standards of behavior. These are rules that define the appropriate and inappropriate behavior of its members. These include, challenging the judgment of superiors and collaborating with other departments. These two rules can have enormous effects on project teams.
Lastly, the culture helps create social order within an organization. Management and the organization must have similar beliefs and values. Without these, the organization would be in ruins but this does not mean that every department is sharing the same values or sharing the values to the same extent as the mission statement would suggest.
Project teams can have their own culture and it may reflect the organizations but it may not to the same extent. If the project team has the same culture as the company then the project manager will not have to be as strong in terms of keeping the team out of watchful eye of management because the team knows the organization will support it in its endeavors. If the team has a very different culture then the project manager will have to be stronger to keep the team in alliance with the organizations culture. If this is the case, then the project is in for a long and miserable road to completion. This, my fellow classmates, is where we must keep a watchful eye, for the team can begin to disintegrate before we even have the opportunity to take notice.
I work for an aerospace design company that is headquartered in Spain but has a significant presence here in the United States. I have only been working for this company since the beginning of 2011, but it was very clear from day one that my “American” drive and ADD ways was not going to mesh into the corporate culture. I instantly felt like I was on an island by myself. A few weeks into my tenure, I saw that I was already pushing people away with my methodology and had to quickly take a crash course on the corporate culture of companies in Spain. Fortunately for me, my team understood. We were able to draw a line in the sand and have started over with a new direction and a new way of daily and weekly expectations. I am more relaxed, they are more relaxed, and we all are actually getting more done than compared to the old methodology.

Question 2:
When you think of effective project managers or leaders you have known, how would you assess them on the four elements of emotional intelligence introduced in the lecture? Have you ever known a project manager or leader with no emotional intelligence (smile)?

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify, understand, and manage emotions. It also refers to one’s ability to detect and manage emotional cues and information. An "emotion" is described as intense feelings being directed at someone or something. Emotional Intelligence is composed of five dimensions:

The first dimension is self-awareness. Self-awareness is the ability to knowing how to detect what you are feeling.
The second dimension is self-management. Self-Management is the ability to manage one’s own emotions and impulses.
Self-Motivation is the third dimension. It allows for the ability to persist in the face of setbacks and failures.
The fourth and fifth dimensions are empathy and social skills. Empathy refers to the ability to sense how others are feeling and social skills are the ability to handle the emotions of others.

Emotional Intelligence can be of extreme importance within organizations. It can play an important role in job performance especially employee behavior. A person's emotion can impact greatly a decision that needs to be made. Jobs that demand I high degree of social interaction can greatly impact ones emotions. For examples, a person in sales should be able to interact well in a social environment and possess high emotional intelligence.

The bigger question that I see is:

Can people be emotionless?
Are there gender differences regarding emotions?

From my past experience, I believe that humans are humans and as a result they cannot be emotionless. It is a characteristic that is built into our DNA. However, I will say that the reaction to EI is all culture driven. However,

Of my past experiences, I strongly agree that there are gender differences regarding emotional intelligence. I saw that females were able to keep their emotions more leveled out than the past males that I worked with. The males were more extremists where the highs were very high and the lows were very low.

The myth of rationality can relate to Emotional intelligence in the sense that it is important to realize and understand one's emotions. Emotions are a part of a person's being. Work and Emotions cannot be separated. Therefore in order to create a peaceful and effective work environment, one must be able to detect and manage emotional cues and information. One must not let negative emotions affect the ability to perform well at a particular job.