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- Joining a global work team? Expect to face cultural and logistical challenges that can sabotage your team’s effectiveness. But, according to veterans of “I-teams” that have thrived, a few “best practices” can make yours a winner.
- First among these is to build trust. Best way by far: bonding, face to face. When that’s not feasible, spend “soft time” on the phone, use online bio pages, or find other ways to get familiar with teammates’ personalities and interests.
- Understanding cultural differences is big. Don’t assume your teammates’ styles and work customs mirror yours. Find out how they vary, and try to adjust.
- Estimate time and costs realistically. Matters that co-located teams resolve in minutes take far longer in time-zone limbo. So when setting deadlines and budgets, keep it real – or you’ll end up in trouble.
- Carve out free time for yourself. At any given hour, somebody on your team is probably working on the project. To stay healthy and rested, establish times when you’re not available. And before signing on for that online session or conference call, check to make sure you’re really needed.
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Maybe you already know what it’s like to be part of a globally distributed, “virtual” team, collaborating by phone and Internet with [YourCo] colleagues, suppliers or customers across borders, time zones, even continents. If not, there’s a fair chance you’ll find out, considering that… [
concisely state your company’s current situation regarding virtual teams, perhaps with a very brief example].
And that pace could quicken. Business scholars say that more and more, such global “I-teams” are the gears that turn the wheels of modern business. But they also call these teams a major “improvement opportunity.”
Trouble is, these experts say, too few such teams currently create measurable value for their companies. Reason: inefficiencies. “Far flung, multi-cultural teams face souped-up versions of the issues all business teams confront,” says Dr.
John Bing, chairman of ITAP International, a leading trainer of global teams. “Establishing leadership, resolving conflicts, communicating effectively, logistics – they all become more complex in a ‘distributed’ enviroment.”
Complex, agrees [YourCo executive with international credentials] – and yet manageable, if all team members know and do their part. In fact, [he/she] says, any newcomer to such a team can boost his or her chances for a productive, satisfying experience by applying some lessons hard learned by veterans of this new way to work.
[Name of YourCo publication or intranet]’s reporter recently interviewed a few of these pioneers, from inside [YourCo] and out. Here’s their advice:
First, build trust. Meet
Janaki Kumar, a California-based interface designer for a German software developer. Often teamed with colleagues as far apart as Israel, Ireland and China, Kumar says virtual team members – lacking the advantage of regular face-to-face interaction – still must somehow
Full story continues, with these subheads to keep readers reading:
- Understand cultural differences
- Set realistic deadlines and costs
- Have a life
- The golden rule
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