Working With Teams in the Global Market - Article #3: Communication

by Cecilia Cesar (09-05-29)

In the previous article, we briefly mentioned communication as one of the key elements to effectively manage dispersed teams. If communication sometimes pose a challenge for traditional teams that operate on face-to-face basis, it becomes critical when we consider teams geographically dispersed and their cultural and linguistic differences.

The advancement of technology has made it possible for organizations to increase the speed of interactions, information flows and workspace collaboration, which also helped the growth of virtual teams; video-conferencing and sharing technologies slowly replaced time consuming and costly business trips and more and more organizations rely on electronic communication, which can be fast and reach far. However, the benefits of face-to-face are yet to be replaced by any electronic or technologic combination. Considering this, what are some of the drawbacks computerized communications bring? What are the steps leaders can take to overcome them?

First, leaders need to understand the importance of each type of communications, taking in consideration the organizational culture. Also, they need to evaluate the consequences of the failure or absence of each type and figure out the best way to communicate with their virtual teams.

Face-to-face meetings provide team members with the opportunity to receive both verbal as well as non-verbal cues, being the most effective type of communication. However, virtual teams rarely have this type of opportunity. Video-conferencing can, to some extent, replace face-to-faces. Although it will not have the spontaneity of informal chats, it is helpful in breaking the ice and allowing the team to know each other. It is possible to observe body language, gestures, tone of voice, inflection, pitch, and other nonverbal cues.

Aside from face-to-face, the most common types of communication are synchronous (real-time with telephone, chat, instant messaging, webcam) or asynchronous (email, threaded discussions) technologies have their advantages and downsides.

The benefits of synchronous communication are:

• Ability to schedule sessions ahead for set time periods
• Phone calls can lead to good conversation and spontaneity where issues can be discussed openly and honestly (even without visible cues, managers can pick up voice inflection and pauses that can prompt open-ended questions to probe for unspoken feelings and issues)
• Text chat can be a fast tool in minor decisions
• Webcams are relatively inexpensive and easy to use

Some downsides are:

• Different time zones, making it difficult to schedule times
• Less time in an interactive conversation for reflection
• Equipment for video conferencing are expensive

Although considered a reasonable substitute for face-to-face, the use of video conferencing is still relatively low. Some of the most common reasons are:

• Complexity of systems: most users are not technical and want a simple interface. Simple problems like an unplugged cord or a flat battery in a remote control is seen as failure, causing users to react in a negative way
• Perceived lack of interoperability: not all systems can readily interconnect, for example ISDN and IP systems require a bridge. Popular software solutions cannot easily connect to hardware systems. Some systems use different standards, features and qualities which can require additional configuration when connecting to dis-similar systems
• Bandwidth and quality of service: in some countries it is difficult or expensive to get a high quality connection that is fast enough for good-quality video conferencing. Technologies such as ADSL have limited upload speeds and cannot upload and download simultaneously at full speed
• Expense of commercial systems: a well designed system requires a specially designed room and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars

One alternative to avoid the problems above is to hire out video conferencing meeting rooms; however this may not be effective when running regular projects with the need of more constant interaction.

The benefits to asynchronous communications are:

• Email is one of the most popular asynchronous methods for communicating, and does not have scheduling issues
• The time delay allows more time for reflection and thinking before replying (very helpful when communicating on an individual's second language)

Some of the downsides are:

• Some people may have difficulty putting their thoughts and feelings in writing effectively
• It is more difficult to identify social cues from what someone writes (as one can not sense the intended intonation or inflection from the words when compared to verbal communication)
• Higher risk of misinterpretation or miscommunication of written words
• Lack of spontaneity also may impact the sense of presence
• Less employee 'frankness' and 'honesty' in communication because of e-mail file retention and lack of privacy

Leaders must ensure that virtual team members have the appropriate hardware, software and the computer knowledge necessary to actively participate in the team's activities. They need to explore what in a given culture is more important and commonly used, eg: written email communications or phone calls? - and then adapt to that.

However, technology is not the only factor in making communication effective. As mentioned in a previous article, leaders need to be skilled at listening, probing, paraphrasing and use of language to be able to create a good communication mechanism for their team.

A skilled leader can help the virtual team to get to know each other and build trust as a foundation of good team work. For example, setting the tone in a kick-off meeting could include:

• Going around the table and asking something that will allow people to get to know each other in terms of personal 'situations' and personal and cultural preferences
• Clarifying the team mission and identifying objectives and tasks
• Identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and barriers
• Negotiating ethics and rules
• Defining the best way to communicate on a regular basis

This exercise is not static, and some of the steps need to be repeated on a regular basis. Whatever the options to communicate are, making sure the points above are reviewed as the team work progresses, and creating a safe space where people can share their concerns at the same time, can help build team identity and caring.

Resources

Trompenaars, F., Hampden-Turner, C., (1998). Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business, 2nd Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Earley, P.C., Gibson, C., (2002). Multinational Work Teams: A New Perspective, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videoconferencing

Cecilia Cesar is a professional with hands-on experiences in QA and testing, HR, training, project management, and client relationships developed during 15+ years in leadership, operations, and managerial positions.

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