Global Communication in Virtual Teams
Teams represent the important part of organizational life, providing for the multifaceted solutions of the common tasks (Croasdell et al., 2003, p.478). The advancements in the Internet and communication technologies, as well as a trend to an increased cross-cultural cooperation determined the proliferation of virtual teams. The members of virtual teams tend to be based in different geographical locations that utilize modern communication technologies (e.g., email, chats, computer-based video conferencing systems) to communicate and cooperate (Croasdell et al., 2003, p.479). Given the fact that e-technologies enable individuals to cooperate, despite the fact that they live in different countries, many virtual
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These aspects of enabling the performance of virtual teams are discussed in the following parts of the assignment.
Diversity Management in Virtual Teams
Similar to the face-to-face teams, virtual teams can suffer from the negative effects of diversity that cause the difficulties in communication and frequent misunderstandings, as well as even quarrels between the team members. The key challenge of diversity that impacts the virtual teams is the lack of trust (Abudi, 2014) Since employees are geographically dispersed and the management cannot utilize traditional ice-breaking tools to help them get to know each other better, the lack of trust can result in the absence of openness and transparent communication between the team members. In turn, the lack of transparency can result in the fact that employees will not share their concerns, and the whole system can suffer from the challenges being not discussed and not communicated to management (Abudi, 2014). The communication difficulty that directly refers to the factor of heterogeneity deals with the team members’ making assumptions about each other, based on cultural identity. The misunderstandings, stemming from the team members’ lack of experience
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Foremost, it is required that a team leader conducts a web-conference, involving all the members of a team. Apart from introducing team members to each other in a formal manner, a leader needs to think about ice-breaking activities that can help team members adapt to the peculiarities of virtual cross-cultural communication. A team leader can also suggest some procedures for sharing concerns and issues between the team members. For instance, a special forum can be launched to discuss the process of communication and the novelties that can be utilized to improve it. Last, but not least, a team leader shall think about finding a suitable manual on cross-cultural communication and distributing it among the team
A virtual team refers to a collection of collaborating persons in geographically dispersed means. This group of persons do work across space, time and organizational boundaries and are connected together via information and telecommunication technologies in order to accomplish one or more organizational goals. The virtual teams do require new array of ways to work across boundaries through processes, systems, technology and people. This does require effective leadership in order to be a success.
Dahlin, K. B., Weingart, L. R., & Hinds, P. J. (2005). Team Diversity and Information Use. The Academy of Management Journal , 48 (6), 1107-1123.
As the processes and systems used in business have become more complex, teams, not individuals, have become popular in many organizations. Teams are made up of individuals from an organization brought together to solve a problem, improve a process or implement a new process. “A major advantage that a team has over an individual is its diversity of resources and ideas” (Burns, 1995, p. 52). However, this diversity can cause conflict within the team. The success of the team is strongly influenced by the team’s ability to recognize the causes of, manage and resolve conflict.
The purpose of creating teams is to solve a problem or issue through the use of diverse ideas and solutions. There are many times in life, whether at work or at school that one will encounter a diverse mix of personalities. Workplace diversity is everywhere, from the small corner business to the fortune 500 company, and is one of the most important challenges facing companies today. This mix of diverse personalities, gender, race, experience, and culture is what makes a team successful. This is an example of a heterogeneous team. On the other hand, a team with the same make-up, or homogeneous, has limitations on creativity, viewpoints and ideas. This paper will look at cultural diversity and demographic characteristics, specifically age, gender, expertise/ experience and how each plays an integral part in the construction of a high performance team.
Videoconferencing in Virtual Teams, The Business Review, 7(1) p.164-170.
Today’s organizations operate in a challenging and global environment, which has forced them to become leaners, reduce production cycles, and improve production and communication technology where essential employees and content expertise have been consolidated. Organizational leaders currently do not have definitive evidence of management styles that they should seek to ensure members of a culturally diverse virtual team develop leadership, trust, and accountability. Virtual team management effectiveness will be evaluated under the five main types of management styles (Robert Tannenbaum & Warren H. Schmidt, 1958 & 1973) and other modern styles. These management styles or theories are the autocratic, democratic, bureaucratic, paternalistic, and laissez-faire. However, there are other more “modern” management styles or lead...
Recent years, organisation are much more relay on diversity teams to developing products, making decisions and also gain the business success (When and how), therefore diversity team are becoming a very important element for the organisations. In USA, diversity usually refer to demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and ethnicity, however, diversity is not only refer to demographics, it also means the diversity in psychological characteristics like skills, personality, abilities, and education backgrounds (book diversity). Although team diversity leads to some benefits like the positive organisational cooperation, share the knowledge and experience, it can also leads some problems to the organisation, such as the tension between members
A virtual team is a group of people working interdependently via various types of electronic media across organizational and geographical boundaries for a shared purpose (D’Souza & Colarelli, 2010). Research indicates virtual teams are becoming increasingly popular in organizations across the United States and the world (D’Souza & Colarelli, 2010; Rusman, van Bruggen, Sloep, & Koper, 2010). These teams vary in size, degree of geographic dispersion, prior shared work experience, nature of assignment, and expectations of a common future (Rusman et al., 2010). Although virtual teams have potential advantages like the removal of physical boundaries, the ability to form new partnerships, and optimization of competencies (Chinowsky & Rojas, 2003), they also introduce many challenges that may not be as prevalent in traditional teams.
The methods of communicating for a virtual team consist of different tools than used by a traditional team because “…awareness of others’ activities is more difficult and requires some degree of technological intervention” (Fussell et.al., 1998, p. 276). A virtual team needs to use alternative tools because it has members working from different geographical areas and possibly at different times. A traditional team meets face to face, whereas a virtual team needs the use of technology to operate and interact efficiently. Teleconferencing, video conferencing, faxing, e-mail, and instant messaging are some of the tools available to a virtual team.
Virtual corporations have some major characteristics (Judith, 2002, quoted in Byrne. n.d.) as following state: technology, excellence, opportunism, trust and no borders. Technology makes distance no longer a problem while entrepreneurs or companies far away from, due to the computer networks link people all over the world. Excellence was showed by each partner bringing its core competencies to the corporation, which can exert all advantages. Companies make alliances for specific market opportunity and this is a more efficiency work way than any others. Members in a virtual organization must trust their partners due to they meet the need by cooperating. The new communication ways were brought by computer networks, which blur the traditional hierarchies and boundaries.
Lipnack, J., & Stamps, J. (1997). Virtual teams: Reaching across space, time, and organizations with technology (p. 262). New York, NY: Wiley.
Virtual teams – virtual team is one of the most popular teams in every organization because in virtual team the member are separated in different nation and use technologies to communicate to accomplish their goal on the time.
Organizations use teamwork because it increases productivity. This concept was used in corporations as early as the 1920s, but it has become increasingly important in recent years as employ...
With the rapid growth in globalization there are a number of firms who have taken their businesses abroad. Their challenge, cross cultural management and communication. An effective communication strategy begins first with understanding who the sender of the message is and who the receiver of the message is. Many companies have realized this and offer training in the different cultures to help better facilitate communication between leaders (Cross-Cultural Communication, mindtools.com). Without this basic understand between sender and receiver it can be very difficult for companies of multicultural to even begin to communicate. The second important understanding is that leaders must demand a cultural tolerance of acceptable behavior between cultures to facilitate effective communication (Cross-Cultural Communication, mindtools.com).
However, authors have varied perspectives and emphasis on intercultural communication. Most clashes in perspectives evolve around methodology or the question of the way to study this phenomenon. To have a balanced view of the issue, it is important to read from various authors, and this paper has attempted to do so. However, there is more research needed on the effect of technology on intercultural communication, especially communication via the Internet. References Buckley, Thomas B.R.Ph, M.P.H. a.