Global Teams and Virtual Communication Challenges

This assignment delves into the complexities of managing global teams, particularly focusing on the challenges posed by virtual communication. It examines the difficulties arising from cultural diversity and explores various strategies employed to overcome these obstacles. Students are asked to analyze the impact of virtual communication tools and techniques on team performance and propose solutions for fostering effective collaboration in a globally dispersed environment.

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CHALLENGES MANAGING GLOBAL TEAMS
Course
Tutor
Institutional Affiliation
Date

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Project Objective.............................................................................................................................3
Project Scope...................................................................................................................................3
Literature Review............................................................................................................................3
Hypothesis.......................................................................................................................................6
Research Design and Methodology.................................................................................................6
Research Limitations.......................................................................................................................8
Time Schedule.................................................................................................................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................10
Appendix........................................................................................................................................12
Appendix A: Interview Questions.............................................................................................12

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CHALLENGES MANAGING GLOBAL TEAMS
Introduction
Multinational companies use the global team as a strategic solution to its growth around
the globe. These groups are formed in different cultural and geographical boundaries. The goal is
to improve organizational performance and enhance expertise and innovations irrespective of
different geographic locations. It integrates diverse knowledge from different parts of the firm,
achieving efficiency through around the clock work across different time zones and reducing the
cost of travel, access to customers and local markets.
Global teams help an organization in coordinating the work favoritism, it comes along
with different challenges which need to teamwork. These challenges. Researchers have found a
number of challenges over the last decade in managing global teams as well as. These challenges
are mostly consisting of sharing knowledge, communication, different cultures, and different
time zones. However, researchers and practitioners have identified various interpersonal
mechanisms which can overcome or decrease the effect of these challenges in global teams
(Hinds, Neeley & Cramton 2014, 540). The literature review consists of different challenges that
can exist in a global team. The study of these challenges has been supported by literature from
researches and scholars. The literature review also suggests some interpersonal mechanisms that
can help to overcome the challenges a global team may face.
Project Objective
The objective of this is to understand and learn the challenges in the global team and how
these challenges can researchers. Also, this project will help us enable to learn international

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human resource theories as well. One of the key objectives of this project is to learn how to make
a business research proposal.
Project Scope
This research involves the investigation of changes and challenges which have been
observed in the landscape of global teams. The research seeks to study the challenges that the
team faces and the changes they have embraced to counter the challenges. Apart from
conducting a research through leaders of this teams, the study will also employ the use of
available literature on the challenges faced by global teams. The research is therefore anticipated
to mitigate issues which arise due to diversity in culture and use of virtual communication by
members of global teams including the leaders.
Literature Review
Global clockwork has many challenges as this literature has identified. According to
Cramton and Hinds (2014, 1059), it is important to differentiate the distributed teams which
come together to form one global team. Global teams are multi-national, multi-cultural and
distributed. Nowadays, these teams heavily rely on technology which comes in the form of
electronic communication and they include virtual conferences. According to Shipper, Manz and
Stewart (2013), global teams face many challenges even though they have adopted the use of
technology because mainly, the outcomes of these teams are based on factors which may arise
due to differences in time zones, background, geography, cultures and even fluency in a
language. The difference in culture is a major issue for remote teams because conflict tends to
arise due to diversity in values attitudes and behaviors.

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Lack of formal meeting and face to face communication is also a major blow to the
global teams because knowledge and new ideas cannot be shared effectively. According to Bell
(2005), local knowledge is held in local contexts and often face problems when it comes to
sharing to others. Management of time and attention is another issue regardless of the presence
of social media, emails and instant messaging which can ensure that these teams work
effectively. However, if these communication tools are used in excess, it may end up bringing
about a lot of work which can cause excessive pressure with the work. These electronic
platforms can also cause delays and distractions, well-being consequences and in the end, affect
the way these themes share knowledge and remain focused on the task assigned (Hao, 2013, 5).
Cultural differences in members of a global team bring about a lot of challenges. Herbert
and Zander (2014) developed a study which identified taxonomies which are significant in multi-
national teams and they include time orientation, collectivism and individualism and lastly low
and high contexts. Cultural orientation to time according to Holmqvist and Ericson (2014)
ultimately leads to the development of gaps and indecency to members of global teams. Cultural
teams also have a tendency of stimulating the process of categorization at a social level,
according to Kirkman and McGurrin (2016, 140), this leads to biasness when it comes to conflict
and sharing of information because they tend to bring about either discrimination or being
favored. According to Hinds (2015), diversity in culture can ultimately bring an about a conflict
which will undermine the outcomes and processes of global teams.
Many researchers have come up with recommendations to counter the issues which are
being faced by members and leaders of global teams. One of the most notable recommendation is
cultural intelligence, cultural agility, and global mindset. According to Maloney, Zellmer and
Shah (2015, 246), cultural intelligence can guarantee that leaders of global teams can function

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properly across different cultures. There is an argument by Maznevski and Dhanaraj (2014) that
the success of a global team is based on the presence of a global mindset in team members. The
concept of a global mindset, cultural agility and intelligence are interlinked and team members
often have to explore the relationship which exists between them as they work towards the
objectives in the most effective way possible. Agility, when it comes to culture is very important
because for team leaders it is the most critical skill. CEOs and managers have an obligation to
apply these strategies to the team’s task while also passing the knowledge to members of the
team.
Expanding the concepts mentioned above ultimately improves the skills of team members
who seek to make adjustments to the diverse cultures which may bring about the team’s positive
attitude and success in the outcomes (Presbitero & Toledano, 2017, 20). Currently, scholars and
researchers are making examinations of global teams as groups of organized networks. TSM is
one of such concepts and it is developed to see to it that knowledge sharing is a reality in virtual
teams (Reiche, Mendenhall & Stahl, 2016). TSM involves the sharing of knowledge structures
and resources within a team and therefore it allows members of a team to acquire new
knowledge and effectively share it with other members of the team. With TSM a global team can
ensure that redundancy in the provision and access to new information is eliminated because
TSM sees to it that expertise is utilized, understood and aligned to individual global distributed
teams.
Perceived proximity is also another recommendation to help members of the global team.
This concept dictates that social identification and a given degree of communication influence
proximity perception. The most important factor to take note of is the management of global
teams are solely dependent on the fact that perceived proximity is bridged by having effective

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communication outcomes in the relationships of a team. Very many challenges face a global
team especially those who work in different nations of the world. Therefore there is a need for a
system to ensure that relationships and dealings are streamlined in teams which are spread over
vast distances. This is where Psychological Safe Communication Climate comes in to manage
and facilitate the interpersonal relationship and dealings within a given organization (Shipper,
Manz & Stewart. 2013, 180). This system has seen to it that members of a given team can share
information because of the encryption which has increased the security and therefore ends the
differences which exist based on nationality by creating a single global village using the internet.
With this system, innovation and other positive outcomes were achieved by global teams.
Identification is the last factor accompanying global teams and it is basically one’s feeling of
belonging and sense of importance in a team. Identification is also applicable at an
organizational level and its importance is seen where virtual problems are reduced while purpose
and meaning are brought to employees who are working on their tasks (Steers & Nardon, 2013).
Hypothesis
This research paper is guided by the question “What are the challenges facing global
teams and how are the leaders of these teams addressing the challenges which are brought about
by diversity in culture and virtual communication?”
Research Design and Methodology
This qualitative research study will interview a sample of 6 selected team leaders based
on:
 The leaders will be from Australia or the United Kingdom.
 The author will be required to have previous knowledge of the team leader.

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 The leaders will have different levels of experience in levels of experience in terms of
experience in years and leadership positions.
 The leaders will have experience working in a cross-cultural team while using virtual
communication.
The sample will be asked a total of nine questions and the interview will be split into two
sections where the first section will be based on their experiences of managing a cross-cultural
team and the second section will be concerned with the leaders’ experience and understanding of
virtual communication. The interview will be conducted in a semi-structured format which
includes structured questions which will help in deducing information which is factual. Open-
ended questions will also be used so as to provide encouragement to the sample population in
terms of providing enough details when it comes to their behaviors, feelings, and beliefs. The list
of questions used in the interview is found in this paper’s Appendix A.
The questions will be sent to the sample prior to the interview so as to give them enough
time to prepare. The interview will be conducted in a location which is mutually convenient to
the author and each individual sample. Each interview will not go past one hour and on average
each interview will last for 45 minutes and there is hope of doing all the interviews face-to-face
while recording using an audio recorder. The second option is using video conferencing and
lastly, email if the sample cannot make it take the interview physically. The interview will be
anonymous and devoid of preference in gender and age. In terms of language, English will be the
first choice and the sample’s cultural background will be considered because it is important to
note how it affects their responses.
The interview’s results aim at identifying the issues faced by the sample as they manage
global teams who are cross-cultural and use virtual communications. What the study also aims at

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achieving is the identification of the frequency of communication while also investigating the
steps taken by the sample to stop or control the issues. Due to its flexibility, the interview is
expected to yield different or additional information which the author had not planned for and
therefore a rapport will be established and maintained throughout the interview by the author
who will not bring his own reaction or perception for it may influence the responses of the
sample.
Research Limitations
The research was limited to the analysis of how differences in culture and virtual
communication bring about challenges to members of global teams including leaders. To ensure
that this objective is achieved, primary and secondary data were utilized. Even though there are
many other problems which affect the global teams and how the leaders handle the issues, this
study only concentrated on how diversity in culture affect the outcomes of global teams and how
the leaders of these teams use virtual communication to ensure that the team stays on the right
path, share knowledge and complete tasks. This problem is examined from the leader’s
viewpoint and it is particularly concerned with the functions of a team leader and the relationship
between members of the global team and the diversity of cultures as they use virtual
communication. The exclusivity of team members was observed as a major limiting factor in this
research.
Time Schedule
Total time available 4 months
(until Date Year)
Activity Period in time Date (From X until Y)
I. Collecting and reading through 3 weeks 1 November – 21 November

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previous literature
II. Material development 1 week
III. Learning how to use method 2 weeks
IV. Developing questionnaire 1 week
V. Finding samples 2 weeks
VI. Administering tests 3 weeks
VII. Data analysis 2 weeks
VIII. Writing 1 week
IX. Rewriting 1 week
X. Proofreading 1 week
XI. Submission 1 week
Conclusion
In the research, the most common strategy used by team leaders from the United
Kingdom and Australia to address the issues of or which arise from diversity in culture and
virtual communication is the application of the right business etiquettes and best business
practices when it comes to team work. What is very important is that communicating with
caution, adhering to good business practices, team playing and use of accessible language is the
key to a successful global team. Being very dynamic, the culture will change and so will
technology as it continues to improve but what will remain is the fact that the challenges facing
global team will always be experienced by the members and leaders of every team given that
they are geographically apart. Therefore it is to leaders themselves to find ways of handling the
differences while working to find the perfect balance in the work practices at the global level.

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References
Butler, C. and Chongarova, I., 2014. Leading global teams.
Cramton, C.D. and Hinds, P.J., 2014. An embedded model of cultural adaptation in global teams.
Organization Science, 25(4), pp.1056-1081.
Derven, M., 2016. Four drivers to enhance global virtual teams. Industrial and Commercial
Training, 48(1), pp.1-8.
Hao, M., 2013. Effective Collaboration of Global Teams.
Herbert, K., Mockaitis, A.I. and Zander, L., 2014. An opportunity for east and west to share
leadership: A multicultural analysis of shared leadership preferences in global teams.
Asian Business & Management, 13(3), pp.257-282.
Hinds, P. J., Neeley, T. B., & Cramton, C. D. 2014. Language as a lightning rod: Power contests,
emotion regulation, and subgroup dynamics in global teams. Journal of International
Business Studies, 45(5), 536-561.
Hinds, P., 2015. Teams and groups. Wiley Encyclopedia of Management.
Holmqvist, J. and Ericson, A., 2014. HOW GLOBAL TEAMS SHARE EXPERIENCES–A
STUDY OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES. In DS 77: Proceedings of the DESIGN 2014
13th International Design Conference.
Kirkman, B.L., Shapiro, D.L., Lu, S. and McGurrin, D.P., 2016. Culture and teams. Current
Opinion in Psychology, 8, pp.137-142.
Maloney, M.M., Zellmer-Bruhn, M. and Shah, P.P., 2015. Spillover coordination from global
teams. In The Future of Global Organizing (pp. 245-279). Emerald Group Publishing
Limited.

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Maznevski, M. and Dhanaraj, C., 2014. Global leadership and global teams. IMD Discovery
Event.
Mockaitis, A.I., Zander, L. and De Cieri, H., 2016. Special issue of International Journal of
Human Resource Management: The benefits of global teams for international
organizations: HR implications: Extended submission deadline: 12 February 2016.
Owen, J., 2016. Global Teams: How the best teams achieve high performance. Pearson
UK.
Presbitero, A. and Toledano, L.S., 2017. Global team members’ performance and the roles of
cross-cultural training, cultural intelligence, and contact intensity: the case of global
teams in IT offshoring sector. The International Journal of Human Resource Management,
pp.1- 21.
Reiche, B.S., Mendenhall, M.E. and Stahl, G.K. eds., 2016. Readings and cases in international
human resource management. Taylor & Francis.
Shipper, F., Manz, C.C. and Stewart, G.L., 2013. WL Gore & associates: developing global
teams to meet 21st century challenges. The management of strategy: concepts and cases,
pp.178- 189.
Steers, R.M., Sánchez-Runde, C. and Nardon, L., 2013. Management Across Cultures:
Challenges for Global Managers: 1. The new global realities; 2. The new global managers;
Part II. Developing Global Understanding: 3. The cultural environment; 4. The
organizational environment; 5. The situational environment; Part III. Developing Global
Management Skills: 6. Communicating across cultures; 7. Negotiating global agreements; 8.
Leading global organizations; 9. Managing a global workforce; 10. Working with global
teams; 11. Living and working globally; 12 .... Cambridge University Press.

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