Virtual Teams Challenge

Six main challenges are driving virtual team together;

1. Cross-cultural differences:

Many studies have been done on the differences between cultures. There seems to agree on some key areas of difference, and it is summarized in the cultural orientation Framework (COF), developed by Philippe Rosinski based on the work of many well-known experts in intercultural fields, including Hofstede and Trompenaars. The entire model is published in the book, Coaching Across Cultures.

a) sense of power and responsibility

Control: The man is a determining authority and responsibility in life they want to forge.
Harmony: Striving for balance and harmony with nature.

Simplicity: Accept inevitable natural limits.

b) Time Management approaches

Scarce: Time is a scarce commodity. Manage them carefully! Rich: Time is plentiful. Relax!

Monochronic: Concentrate on one activity and / or relationship at a time.

 Polychronic: Concentrate simultaneously on multiple tasks and / or relationships

Past: Learn from the past. currently is in essence a continuation or recurrence of past events.

Present: Focus on the 'here and now' and short-term benefits.

Future: you have a preference for long-term gain. Promoting a far-reaching vision.

c) The sense of identity and destiny

Being: Stress live and develop talent and relationships.

Forum: Focus on performance and visible results.

Individualistic: Emphasize individual properties and projects.

Collectivist: Emphasize collaboration of a group.

d) Organizational arrangements

Hierarchy: Society and social organizations need layered to function properly.

 Equality: The people are equal happen often play different roles.

Universalist: In all cases treated in the same universal way. Adopt common process for consistency and economies of scale.

Specifically: Emphasize special circumstances. Proponent decentralization and customization.

Stability: The value of a static and harmonious environment. Boost efficiency through the systematic and disciplined work. Minimize change and ambiguity, seen as disruptive.

Change the value of a dynamic and flexible environment. Promote effectiveness through adaptability and innovation. Avoid routine, seen as dull.

Competitive: Promoting achievement and progress by competitive pacing.

Collaborative: Promote the success and development through mutual support, sharing best practices, and unity.

e) Notions of Territory and Boundaries

Protection: Protect yourself by keeping his personal life private and emotional (mental borders) and by minimizing intrusions into your physical space (physical limit).

Sharing: Build closer relationships by sharing your mental and physical domains.

f) Communication patterns

High Context: Relying on implicit communication. Enjoy the sense of gestures, posture and voice and context.

Low Context: Rely on explicit communication. Sides with clear and detailed instructions. 
Direct: In a conflict or to deliver a difficult message, get your point across clearly at risk of offending or hurting.

Indirect: In a conflict or to deliver a difficult message, preferably maintaining a cordial relationship with the risk of misunderstandings.

Affective: Display emotion and warmth in communication. Establishment and maintenance of personal and social contacts is the key.

Neutral: Stress brevity, precision and detachment communication. Formal: Strict protocols and rituals.

Informal: Intimacy and spontaneity Grace.

g) Thinking

Deduction: Emphasize concepts, theories and general principles. Then, through logical reasoning, derived from practical applications and solutions.

Inductive: Start with experience concrete situations and cases. After using intuition to formulate general theories and models.

Analytical: Scheid fully its constituent elements. Decomposing a problem into smaller pieces.

Systemic: Assemble the parts into a coherent whole. Check out the links between the elements and focus on the whole system.

2. Time difference:

 It is difficult to coordinate work in different time zones, with different holiday calendar.

3. Communication:

 The majority of our communication is non-verbal and lost when we talk by e-mail or by phone. Misunderstandings and miscommunication is more likely.

4. Coordination:

Project work requires a lot of small adjustments, such as a question about which some information, a request for clarification, etc. to collocated team, adjustments can be made quickly and informally (ie, water cooler).

5. Unity barrier:

Group collocated develop closer bonds and are more likely to trust each other, help each other and work harder for each other. Because it exists takes place in informal settings and have non-verbal communication, it is more difficult to build virtual teams.

6. Check:

"Out of sight - out of mind" is a big challenge for all virtual managers. Control efforts without seeing, observing, and face-to-face interviews with staff is less effective. The result is duplication, late detection of problems, and more rework.