Virtual Teams Memo: Challenges and Solutions

VIRTUAL TEAMS MEMO 1
Virtual teams memo
By
[Student’s name]
Course
Institution
Date

VIRTUAL TEAMS MEMO 2
Memo
To: Marketing fraternity
From: Marketing Director
Date: 18/4/2018
Subject: Virtual teams
Technology advancement has facilitated several advancements in marketing activities. Some of
the advancements include the use of virtual teams in conducting marketing operations and
projects. Our department has also decided to embrace the use of virtual teams as they have
proved to have numerous benefits which include saving time and costs and also the use of
experts who are geographically dispersed. The virtual team initiative has received a lot of
backlash from many people in this organization. The backlash is due to different time zones,
language barriers, poor communication, cultural differences, poor team moral and spirit, lack of
trust, lack of support, poor access to expertise and hiring challenges. This memo is written to
address some of the critical challenges raised.
Cultural differences
The virtual team members are geographically dispersed, and this translates to different cultures
which can affect the performance of the team. The team will need to operate without infringing
the cultural values of the team members (Daim, et al.2012,p.201). To solve the problem, the
team will come up with work ethics which will help in bringing harmonization in the team in
terms of perceptions in deadlines and use of language.

VIRTUAL TEAMS MEMO 3
Language barrier
The virtual team members might not communicate using the same language due to originating
from different regions which have different languages. Without the use of common language, the
team cannot be effective (Pazos, 2012, p.410). To address the issue, the selection team will select
individuals who can communicate fluently in the English language. The virtual team members
who may have problems communicating can enroll in classes that will help them to polish the
language.
Poor communication
Communication is very important in the activities of the organization, and poor communication
can lead to the pursuit of goals and objectives which are not in line with the goals of the
organization (Pangil and Moi Chan, 2014, p.95). To address the issue, the team leader will
ensure that the team members communicate frequently so that members can learn about each
other. The company will also invest a lot of resources in online communication forums that will
ensure that the members keep in touch. The resources will help virtual team members to share
ideas and information that contribute to effective marketing activities.
Different time zones
The virtual team members are scattered all over the world, and this will mean that they are in
different time zones and this can affect the operations of the team (Pazos, 2012, p.410). The
challenge will be addressed by ensuring that the team sets aside a few hours when they will be
online at the same time so that they can communicate team’s important issues. The challenge can
also be addressed by ensuring that the task of each member of the team is not dependent on