Cross-Cultural Project Governance in Fiber Infrastructure Projects in Nigeria: Communication, Field Knowledge, and Accountability

Cross-cultural project management research has examined communication, leadership, and cultural differences in multinational project environments, but less attention has been given to how organizational communication structures shape the movement of field knowledge and accountability across culturally differentiated project groups. This study examines that interface in fibre infrastructure deployment in Nigeria. Using an interpretive qualitative case study design, the study draws primarily on an open-ended questionnaire completed by 23 Nigerian project practitioners, supplemented by contemporaneous field notes. Reflexive thematic analysis identified recurring patterns concerning communication and coordination, field knowledge and planning, escalation and accountability, and informal adaptation. The findings do not indicate that cultural differences itself uniformly produce project difficulty. Instead, participants' accounts suggest that the consequences of cross-cultural differences are mediated by the organizational arrangements through which information, authority, and field knowledge move between management and field levels. The study proposes the concept of intermediary communication architecture to describe this interface and interpret field knowledge as a project governance resource. Accountability asymmetry is treated as an analytical construct rather than an independently verified organizational condition. The study contributes to cross-cultural project management research by linking cultural differences with communication architecture, situated expertise, and accountability processes. Practical implications concern contextual information verification, field informed planning, escalation quality, documentation, and boundary spanning capability. The study is limited by its single case design, predominantly Nigerian perspective, and insider researcher position.