Communication for IT Professionals through Global Virtual Teams (GVTs)

This research report focuses on communication technologies for IT professionals in the modern era through Global Virtual Teams (GVTs). It discusses the definition, characteristics, advantages, and problems associated with GVTs and provides management strategies to mitigate those challenges.

Running Head: MANAGEMENT
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Management
Communication for IT professionals
(Student Details: )
9/14/2019

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Executive Summary
This is the era of digitalization, while everything is connected, and access to the
internet is available to nearly 4 billion public worldwide. In addition, technology and
infrastructure both continue to advance at a fast pace, this it becomes increasingly easier to
collaborate with people across thousands of miles, in real-time. In this way, this research is
based on collaborating with people through many countries and regions worldwide. In this
context, Global Virtual Teams (GVTs) have been chosen as a way of communicating
effectively all over the world. Different elements like leadership, communication, trust, and
culture were the focus of this research report.
In this way, this research aimed at documenting various definitions, features,
characteristics, problems or challenges associated with the GVTs. In addition to that, some
potential solutions as the management strategies have been listed in this report so as to
provide the solution to such challenges of GVTs. On the basis of the analysis in the research,
it has been found that GVTs be worthy of special attention by leaders as well as team
members, as the adoption of this operating model will continue expanding. Besides,
particular skills are required whenever leading as well as developing trustful relations are
made among organizational people. Moreover, GVTs are useful while communicating and
dealing with diverse cultural people. Apart from this, the research has brought insights and
managerial recommendations in relation to the ways for leveraging such opportunities and
thereby mitigates the challenges, with an overall skill-set approach to lead and work virtually
across all borders and cultures. In a nutshell, this research has identified that in face-to-face
situations, communication takes place in more smooth and better way. In addition to that,
with the help of definition of GVTs means the compact visual context along with provision of
visual cues this can definitely impact communication in virtual, as well as GVTs.
Furthermore, all possible unique features of GVTs as the characteristics of GVTs have been
discussed in detail. The research has identified that in face-to-face situations, communication
takes place in more smooth and better way. Besides, GVTs starts with open and clear
communication among IT professionals. In addition to that, with the help of definition of
GVTs means the compact visual context along with provision of visual cues this can
definitely impact communication in virtual, as well as GVTs. Apart from this, while studying

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and analysing characteristics many problems or issues have been identified in relation to
communication with GVTs for IT professionals.
Contents
Executive Summary...................................................................................................................1
7011CAL Communication for IT Professionals........................................................................3
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Communication through Global Virtual Teams (GVTs)...........................................................3
Definition of GVTs................................................................................................................4
Characteristics of GVTs: Unique features.............................................................................4
Problem arising......................................................................................................................4
GVTs unable to make cultural assumptions.......................................................................4
People have to work 24*7 in teams on a project................................................................4
Advantages of GVTs for global businesses...........................................................................6
GVTs enable international businesses to cut costs............................................................6
GVTs allows IT companies to use global talent................................................................6
GVTs reduces the carbon footprint....................................................................................7
Management strategies...........................................................................................................7
Management Strategy I: Leading Transformation.............................................................8
Management Strategy II: Embedding novel ways of working in teams............................9
Management Strategy III: Building capability.................................................................10
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................11

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7011CAL Communication for IT Professionals
Introduction
This research report is based on communication technologies for IT professionals in
the modern era. To do so, the concept of Global Virtual Teams (GVTs) is being used for
narrating on communication for IT professionals of this digital era (Communicaid, 2019).
Communication technologies are playing a key role in enabling positive changes to happen at
IT firms. The need of GVTs has arisen because of the enhanced infrastructure as well as
technology all across the world (Klitmoller & Lauring, 2013). The aim of this research is
majorly focused on GVT, as business and academic firms have been continuously leveraging
benefits of recent advances in technology. In this context, the availability of high-quality as
well as high-speed internet connections is going to take into consideration. Besides, the
management strategies used by the managers for minimizing such identified problems or
preventing them from even arising will be discussed in detail.
Communication through Global Virtual Teams (GVTs)
In general, GVTs need high levels of trust, leadership, and communication with multi-
cultural understanding (McCormack, 2019). Moreover, with GVTs it has been smooth to
connect with IT professionals who are living in many countries or in single country. In this
way, GVTs offered an option to the IT companies in order to cut costs while allocating
resources largely (Kankanhalli, Tan, & Wei, 2006).

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Definition of GVTs
From the definition perspective, a team is a group of human-beings who all are having
complementary skill-set to each other. In this context, GVTs can be explained as the groups
of people who all are globally, geographically or temporally dispersed (Vilet, 2012).
Characteristics of GVTs: Unique features
1. GVTs enable international businesses to cut costs: it helps in cost-cutting globally.
2. GVTs allows IT companies to use global talent: several companies can utilise global
human-talent for accomplishing their organizational goals
3. GVTs do not make cultural assumptions
Problem arising
In addition to that, other authors argued that GVT members might be working
together forever in a virtual team-setting while having had no previous opportunity for
familiarizing themselves with their novel colleagues. The GVTs bring monetary savings in
terms of company infrastructure cost, office environments as well as quicker access to a
wider pool of resources worldwide (Stawnicza, 2014). Moreover, another definition of GVTs
suggests that in a virtual work environment, GVTs typically have minimal personal and
physical contact that introduces a challenge to collaboration as well as communication.
However, GVTs may face additional issues like cultural and language barriers because the
team-members usually come from various national backgrounds. It is worth knowing that

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GVTs might contain co-located team-members, hence the major interaction is executed
exterior of the comfort of face-to-face dynamic forces ( Quain, 2019).
GVTs unable to make cultural assumptions
While working into physical office space, IT professionals usually make cultural
assumptions which hinder their work operations and productivity hence they should not make
cultural or any other assumptions based on personal interactions with organizational people.
In this context, effective GVTs resist the tendency of making cultural assumptions which is
one of the best characteristics of GVTs (Staggers, Garcia, & Nagelhout, 2012).
People have to work 24*7 in teams on a project
With the help of GVT, IT operations can be executed all the time, which also
increases reliability and consistency and thereby overall efficiency of IT professionals. For
instance, a team is working on the software project of New Orleans, USA. In this case, the
software project team will deliver the complete work to a distinct team in Dubai for testing.
Subsequently, the delivered product is screened by that testing team that is based in Dubai
and lastly on completion of the work, a report is sent by them regarding whether there is any
bug or any other issue relating to the project (Staggers, Garcia, & Nagelhout, 2012). In this
way, the above example is clearly suggesting that if GVT offers availability of global teams
24*7 on any project then it is one of the best useful characteristics of this communication
technology worldwide.
In this section of this research report, a discussion on relevant as well as likely
problems and issues in GVTs in relation to the research question while aiming to attain a
shared purpose and goal will take place (Borrego, Karlin, McNair, & Beddoes, 2013). Based
on the literature, the most important problems caused for the IT Professionals’ team by
communication are considered as the problem arising by the GVTs. Apart from above, more
problems or issues associated with GVTs are as follows:
1. It is well-known that GVTs often go days and sometimes even weeks while not
having any verbal communication. Besides, GVTs hardly ever meet face-to-face.
Therefore, about half of IT professionals working in GVTs find effective
communication as well as conflict management as a major challenge. Thus, conflict
management sometimes becomes the most critical issue raised due to GVTs (Colenso,
2012).

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2. It has been found that without face-to-face interaction in GVT team-members,
building trusting relations becomes harder. Moreover, a workplace without trusting
relations is more likely to experience more conflicts, low team morale, as well as
suffer through lost productivity (Shachaf, 2008). Apart from this, for human beings,
communication is the key to develop the relations which always keep teams motivated
and unified. In this way, absence of communication in GVTs might contribute to
business-troubling intercultural misinterpretations ( Bevacqua, 2018).
3. As we know that advances in communication technology for IT professionals make
GVT’s work possible. Thus, difficulties, as well as interruptions, will be going to
happen no matter while using GVTs for IT professionals (Stawnicza, 2014). In
addition to that, technical issues such as audio lag, loss of cell service, downed
connections, or unexpected software updates also responsible for wasting time and
thereby frustrating GVT members (Bersin, 2016).
4. Another challenge scouted to GVTs is team composition. As the team-members
selection should be done wisely, thus GVTs must ensure building of a self-motivated
team (Berlin, Carlstrom, & Sandberg, 2012).
5. Besides, the problem associated with the GVT often poses critical issues while
effectively communicating with each other. For an example, time-delays during info
transition, missing subtle non-verbal cues, different home languages, misinterpreting
written info and dependence on ICT, all are considered as the problems linked to
GVTs (Deloitte Insights, 2016).
6. GVTs accept vulnerabilities: as we know that having trust in GVTs needs giving up
complete control hence GVTs always accept vulnerabilities (Johnston & Rosin,
2011).
7. In critical situations, GVTs evaluate communication first: GVTs allow IT companies
and their professionals to evaluate communication effectiveness first (Shachaf, 2008).
Here, whenever GVTs face problems, they do not blame individual performance
which is the best feature of GVTs. In this way, IT professionals and their managers
should always confirm if the communication is clear between all team members all
across the global continents (EZtalks, 2019).
8. Lastly, GVTs discourage face-to-face interactions which ultimately affect their overall
skill-set from the future career perspective.

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Advantages of GVTs for global businesses
GVTs enable international businesses to cut costs
As described above, GVTs typically assist in saving on expenses like utilities and real
estate for IT companies worldwide. In addition to that, modern businesses always prefer to
outsource their business functions to fields having reduced costs, and hence GVTs enable
international businesses to cut costs. GVTs lower operation expenses, raw material costs plus
reduced salaries. In this way, it helps to save production expenses for IT professionals while
producing overall results better (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014).
GVTs allows IT companies to use global talent
This characteristic of GVT suggests that having a GVT consisting of extremely
trained and talented employees capable of consistently delivering on organizational tasks
allows companies to use as much as possible global human talent. GVT uses employees’
knowledge from all over the world hence IT professionals from all over the world can share
their knowledge when they complement to each other. Thus, GVT enables proper
management of global talent efficiently (Yale School of Management, 2016).
GVTs reduces the carbon footprint
In this case, GVTs reduce carbon footprint globally while increases savings on cost in
order to enhance environment savings. With the help of GVTs, there will be fewer
requirements for the IT professionals to travel that signifies fewer greenhouse gas-emissions
will be produced due to GVTs characteristics. In addition to that, less office-space is used by
employers when they use GVTs, which is helpful in reducing the usage of cooling,
electricity, heating, and water utilities. Therefore, carbon footprint will be reduced to a large
extent which will in a positive manner with the help of adopting GVT communication
technology for IT professionals (Yale School of Management, 2016).
Management strategies
With the ever-increasing prevalence of GVTs, this report is going to find issues and
problems which are probably to occur due to the employment of a culturally diverse team
(Belbin, 2012). As we know that financial problems have largely compelled so many
companies to choose members of project teams all across the globe and hence GVTs support
in saving both time and money through making people interact virtually while using phone,
email as well as video conference (Klitmoller & Lauring, 2013). In other words, GVTs can be

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defined as the teams of remotely distributed workforces, which are organizationally and
geographically, in different time-zones, having different skill-sets and hugely dependent on
communication technology tools for performing organizational tasks efficiently ( Bevacqua,
2018). In GVTs, virtual teams usually function independently as well as across set boundaries
of time. Here, GVTs work within boundaries of organizational structures with diverse
functional, ethnic and educational backgrounds while having no opportunity to meet face-to-
face ever (Markovich, 2018). It has been observed that GVTs can offer improved
productivity with better outcomes. In the context of productivity for IT professionals, it gets
better when they can access all required resources on-time and communicate with each other
effectively in order to resolve conflicts and issues. Apart from this, for achieving a better
profession, the employees require to work harder and in teams hard-work results better than
individual. In this way, when IT firms use communication technologies like GVT to
effectively communicate with their employees in an organization setting, then it improves
productivity of their employees while also providing better outcomes (Paulus & Kenworthy,
2017).
Before discussing management strategies, understanding GVTs in detail is essential.
In this section of this research report, important characteristics of GVTs will be discussed
(Han & Harms, 2010). Thus, useful and essential characteristics or unique features of GVTs
are as follows:
The above analysis of the problem raised due to GVTs, such challenges can be
overcome with the help of appropriate intercultural communication training as well as
preparation. In addition to that, without effective cross-cultural training to prepare teams for
the challenges which lie ahead, global businesses are more likely to succumb to the hurdles
and grow frustrated by virtual teamwork (Belbin, 2012). In order to overcome these
challenges this research has identified effective management strategies being the solutions to
use in difficult situations, as follows:
Management Strategy I: Leading Transformation
This management strategy is all about leading the transformation with the process of
strategy, structure, systems, and skills. In order to solve problems arising due to GVTs in
a progressively connected, virtual, matrix, or global organization, the way of working and
transforming the world is a major change process. In this way, global progress with four key
waves of change can be a great management strategy all over several years (Yale School of

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Management, 2016). In addition to that, these groups are usually made of culturally diverse
team-members, reliant upon info as well as communication technology for achieving task
goals in an organization together (Pelegrini & Marie, 2014). In this context, with GVTs
employees can avail ample opportunities. GVTs often provide ample opportunities to IT
professionals. For instance, in some cases extremely qualified IT professionals got rejected to
work for reasons related to their stay abroad or when they are not ready to shift their family in
another country. In such cases, this characteristic of GVTs is helpful for IT professionals
while providing them ample job opportunities for future career development (Sundstrom, De
Meuse, & Futrell, 2010).
Management Strategy II: Embedding novel ways of working in teams
In this context, second strategy executed by the management is to embed new ways of
working in effective teams. As we know that, when training individuals are not enough
capable to do their jobs then also GVTs fail. Therefore, embedding innovative and novel
ways of working at large scale all across the organization is capable to form a better
connected, effective as well as sustainable matrix, virtual or international ways of working
(Sundstrom, De Meuse, & Futrell, 2010). GVTs help to focus on shared knowledge. It has
been found that many global virtual groups spend the majority of their time in meetings
building common knowledge strong than ever before. It means GVTs allow people to
express, learn and use their knowledge on an international platform which helps IT
professionals to focus on their shared knowledge efficiently (McCormack, 2019).

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Management Strategy III: Building capability
Lastly, the third management strategy proposed by this research report is that IT
companies should design and hence deliver quality training programs. Such training
programs inspire and thereby allow people to succeed in their work functions. With the help
of executing this strategy, IT firms can build capability face-to-face, with the help of online,
webinar, or into a blended form (Sundstrom, De Meuse, & Futrell, 2010). In addition, GVTs
can be used to build a collective identity. This characteristic of GVTs suggests that they are
helpful to establish trust. It is the key to build a strong IT professionals team. Thus, GVTs are
useful to build a collective identity (Communicaid, 2019).

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Conclusion
In whole, the detailed research conducted on GVT's concept of communication
technology for IT professionals found GVTs as the new ways of working online and with
digital platforms. It has been found that for effectively communicate through GVT, an
understanding needs interaction, while also a healthy relationship. Moreover, the key findings
are suggesting that expressing an individual’s emotions, views, opinions, thoughts or ideas is
not that easy procedure as it seems. Furthermore, all possible unique features of GVTs as the
characteristics of GVTs have been discussed in detail. Apart from this, while studying and
analysing characteristics many problems or issues have been identified in relation to
communication with GVTs for IT professionals.
References
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