Global Virtual Teams: Characteristics, Communication Problems and Management Strategies

Running head: GLOBAL VIRTUAL TEAMS
Global Virtual Teams
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GLOBAL VIRTUAL TEAMS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The major objective of the report is to understand about global virtual team. This kind of
team adopt the major concept that each and every team member could easily engage in and
even meet the objectives with no direct physical cooperation with any other member and
thus enabling the multinational organizations in drawing on the broadest and largest talent
pool that is available amongst the worldwide base of staff. For effectively undertaking the
benefits of globalized teams, the respective members try to understand the complexities,
faced by them. They have the core potential for reaping the same business related
advantages while working a culturally diversified working place. The first and the foremost
advantage of GVT is that they allow the company is searching for a wide variety of top
talents globally. The second important and distinct advantage of such team is that they can
work 24 * 7. Due to the dispersed geographical locations, time management and time
flexibility is quite high these teams and thus it becomes quite easy to eradicate complexities
related to time. Hence, there exists a continuous work flow in the team.
A GVT also helps in maximizing resources and for the busy schedules, the core benefit for
globalized talent pool is helpful for the company in keeping their customers highly satisfied
after successfully increasing the production rates. The main three characteristics of a global
virtual team include communication with technologies, better collaboration and major cultural
diversification. These three above mentioned characteristics are responsible for the entire
team absolutely different and distinguishable in comparison to the face-to-face meetings or
teams. In spite of having such distinctive advantages, a GVT often faces issues related to
communication. The first and the most distinctive communication issue is linguistic barrier as
different team members belong to different parts of the world. The main reason to this
communication problem is cultural diversification. The second communication issue is
dependency on technology. The reason for such issues is geographical dispersion amongst
the team members. The third distinctive communication problem is lack of process or rules in
the team. This report has provided suitable management strategies for solving these
communication problems in a GVT.

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GLOBAL VIRTUAL TEAMS
Table of Contents
1.0 INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................3
2.0 DEFINITION OF GLOBAL VIRTUAL TEAMS...................................................................3
3.0 CHARACTERISTICS OF GVTs........................................................................................3
3.1 Communication with Technology..................................................................................3
3.2 Cultural Diversification..................................................................................................3
3.3 Collaboration.................................................................................................................3
4.0 COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS......................................................................................4
4.1 Cultural Diversity........................................................................................................... 4
4.2 Dependency on Technology due to Geographical Dispersion.......................................5
4.3 Lack of Process............................................................................................................ 5
5.0 MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES........................................................................................6
5.1 Solution to Cultural Diversity.........................................................................................7
5.2 Solution to Dependency on Technology due to Geographical Dispersion.....................7
5.3 Solution to Lack of Process..........................................................................................8
6.0 CONCLUSION................................................................................................................. 8
Reference List........................................................................................................................ 9

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GLOBAL VIRTUAL TEAMS
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Global virtual team (GVT) is a team of members, who work altogether from various
geographical locations and remain completely dependent on methods of communication
technologies. The most common types of communication technologies include fax, video
conferences, electronic mails and few others for effectively collaborate amongst each other.
Such teams comprise of organizationally as well as time dispersed members and they are
brought altogether by incorporation of ICT for accomplishing several organizational tasks
(Stawnicza, 2014). However, there are few issues, which are often faced within such teams
related to communication and such issues are needed to be resolved under every
circumstance. This report would be providing a detailed analysis on GVTs with proper
definition, main characteristics, communication problems and management strategies for
solving these problems with detailed analysis.
2.0 DEFINITION OF GLOBAL VIRTUAL TEAMS
“Global virtual teams are based on individuals collaborating in geographically
dispersed work groups and who may reside in different time zones and countries” (Klitmøller
& Lauring, 2013, p. 1).
According to Klitmøller and Lauring (2013), global virtual teams are those teams, in
which members collaborate in geographical dispersed teams and even reside in separate
countries and time zones (p. 1).
3.0 CHARACTERISTICS OF GVTs
Three characteristics that help to distinguish a GVT from other face to face team are
provided below:
3.1 Communication with Technology
GVTs never meet face-to-face, thus it is required for them to communicate through
technology. It influences the team members in reducing complexities related to
communication and ensuring that geographical dispersion is not affecting the overall
communication spectrum under any circumstance.
3.2 Cultural Diversification
GVTs are culturally diversified teams since these members of team belong to
separate locations of world (Shachaf, 2008). Moreover, it enhances organizational
productivity and growth to a high level as well as emphasizes on globalization.