Intercultural Competences as a Trust Factor in Virtual Team Work

2009 ◽  
pp. 563-569
Author(s):  
Maria Assumpta Aneas
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Team Work ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Virtual Teamwork ◽  
Common Purpose ◽  
American Society ◽  
The One

Globalization is increasingly having a visible impact on the importance attached to interculturality in organizations, an impact which is even clearer in the context of virtual teamwork. Virtual teamwork is defined by Simsarian (2006) as a process whereby a group of people with a common purpose carry out interdependent tasks using technology as the key communicational interface. This phenomenon has both positive and negative aspects in that, on the one hand, it can produce a significant increase in the productivity, value added, and profitability associated with the deployment of organizational resources, whilst on the other it can lead to growing uncertainty, tension, and a feeling of failure among team members if they are not adequately prepared and trained. Just one illustration of the costs to organizations of ignoring the growing importance of intercultural communication is offered by Wederspalhn (2002) who highlights the conclusion reached in 2000 by the American Society for Training and Development that “American companies suffer losses of over $2.5 billion annually as a result of the inadequate training and preparation of employees sent overseas.”

scholarly journals Characteristics of Slovak Culture in the Context of Bilateral Austrian-Slovak Relations

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-101
Author(s):  
Michaela Čiefová
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Geographical Proximity ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
Intercultural Encounters ◽  
The One

Abstract Objective: The main intention of the present paper is, on the one hand, to provide a summary of the characteristics of Slovak culture by applying chosen theories and models. On the other hand, we attempt to underline the significance of bilateral Austro-Slovak relations in relation to the economy or migration tendencies. We assume that, based on geographical proximity and the above stated bilateral relations, intercultural encounters are relatively frequent as well. Therefore, certain perception of Slovaks from the Austrian point of view is likely to exist. Methodology: Our work is based on relevant scientific sources, as well as on our own empirical research reposing in the analysis of an online questionnaire. Findings: Overall, findings of our empirical research may be considered rather positive, as no negative or hostile responses concerning Slovak culture were reported. Furthermore, none of the participants experienced a conflict with a Slovak counterpart that could clearly be ascribed to cultural differences. Value Added: We believe that the conclusions presented in this paper might be helpful not only for managers operating on the international level or businessmen intending to do business with their Slovak partners, for scholars engaged in similar topics but also for anyone interested in intercultural communication and cultural differences.

scholarly journals Boundarylessness and sleep quality among virtual team members – a cross-sectional study from Germany

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Rohwer ◽  
Ann-Christin Kordsmeyer ◽  
Volker Harth ◽  
Stefanie Mache
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Virtual Teamwork ◽  
Psychological Detachment ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background In the course of globalisation and digitalisation, new ways of work become increasingly prevalent. To remain competitive as an organisation, cooperation across time, place, and organisational boundaries becomes necessary. Virtual teamwork offers these advantages, but can also be both, an opportunity and a burden, for employees. The aim of this study is to gain first insights into job demands and resources in virtual teamwork to create a basis for deducing appropriate health promotion and prevention measures. Methods In this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire was used to examine the relationship between boundarylessness as a job demand, psychological detachment as a personal resource, as well as perceived stress and sleep quality as health outcomes among 46 employees in virtual teamwork in Germany. Data collection lasted from October 2019 to January 2020. Validated scales were used for the questionnaire, except for virtuality. Due to insufficient operationalisation to date, a virtuality scale was developed based on the current state of research. The data were analysed with multiple regression analyses. Results The results show that virtuality and perceived stress impaired sleep quality of virtual team members in this sample. In contrast, successful psychological detachment from work was positively related to sleep quality. There were no significant results for boundarylessness. Virtual team members with managerial responsibility showed higher levels of psychological detachment. Conclusion The study provides first insights in the relationship between virtual teamwork and employee health in the German context. Further research, particularly on job demands in virtual teamwork, is needed to derive concrete health promotion and prevention measures.

scholarly journals Boundarylessness and sleep quality among virtual team members – a pilot study from Germany

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Rohwer ◽  
Ann-Christin Kordsmeyer ◽  
Volker Harth ◽  
Stefanie Mache
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Virtual Teamwork ◽  
Psychological Detachment ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background: In the course of globalisation and digitalisation, new ways of work are becoming increasingly prevalent. To remain competitive as an organisation, cooperation across time, place, and organisational boundaries is becoming necessary. Virtual teamwork offers these advantages, but can also be both, an opportunity and a burden, for employees. This pilot study aims to gain first insights into job demands and resources in virtual teamwork to provide a basis for further research from which appropriate health promotion and prevention measures can be derived.Methods: In this pilot study, an online questionnaire was used to examine the relationship between boundarylessness as a job demand, psychological detachment as a personal resource, as well as perceived stress and sleep quality as health outcomes among 46 virtual team members from Germany. Data collection lasted from October 2019 to January 2020. Validated scales were used for the questionnaire, except for virtuality. Due to insufficient operationalisation to date, a virtuality scale was developed based on the current state of research. The data were analysed with ordinal logistic regression analyses and median split t-tests.Results: The results indicate that perceived stress impaired sleep quality of virtual team members in this sample. In contrast, successful psychological detachment from work was positively related to sleep quality. A higher degree of virtuality coincided with higher levels of boundarylessness. Virtual team members with leadership responsibility showed higher levels of psychological detachment.Conclusion: The present pilot study breaks ground and provides initial insights into the relationship between virtual teamwork and employee health in the German context. Further research, particularly on job demands in virtual teamwork, is needed to derive concrete health promotion and prevention measures.

Certain about Uncertainty

2004 ◽  
pp. 116-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella F. Shields ◽  
Gisela Gil-Egui ◽  
Concetta M. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Sensory Cues ◽  
Successful Performance ◽  
Online Classroom ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Virtual Teamwork ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
And Control

Many students face the prospect of working in teams with apprehension. This feeling is further magnified when most or all of the sensory cues are removed in the virtual environment. We argue that by adopting specific structural and situational strategies, instructors can substantially reduce the levels of uncertainty that usually surround the idea of virtual teamwork in students’ minds. Such strategies are drawn from an exploration of the notion of trust as a key element for the successful performance of teams, as well as on a discussion of the concepts of swift trust, community of practice, and control as guiding principles for the establishment of practices that help build mutual reliance among virtual team members in an online classroom. We conclude with some suggestions that can be implemented at the micro level of the course and the macro level of the institution hosting distance and online learning experiences.

scholarly journals Boundarylessness and sleep quality among virtual team members – a pilot study from Germany

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Rohwer ◽  
Ann-Christin Kordsmeyer ◽  
Volker Harth ◽  
Stefanie Mache
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Virtual Teamwork ◽  
Psychological Detachment ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background In the course of globalisation and digitalisation, new ways of work are becoming increasingly prevalent. To remain competitive as an organisation, cooperation across time, place, and organisational boundaries is becoming necessary. Virtual teamwork offers these advantages, but can also be both, an opportunity and a burden, for employees. This pilot study aims to gain first insights into job demands and resources in virtual teamwork to provide a basis for further research from which appropriate health promotion and prevention measures can be derived. Methods In this pilot study, an online questionnaire was used to examine the relationship between boundarylessness as a job demand, psychological detachment as a personal resource, as well as perceived stress and sleep quality as health outcomes among 46 virtual team members from Germany. Data collection lasted from October 2019 to January 2020. Validated scales were used for the questionnaire, except for virtuality. Due to insufficient operationalisation to date, a virtuality scale was developed based on the current state of research. The data were analysed with ordinal logistic regression analyses and median split t-tests. Results The results indicate that perceived stress impaired sleep quality of virtual team members in this sample. In contrast, successful psychological detachment from work was positively related to sleep quality. A higher degree of virtuality coincided with higher levels of boundarylessness. Virtual team members with leadership responsibility showed higher levels of psychological detachment. Conclusion The present pilot study breaks ground and provides initial insights into the relationship between virtual teamwork and employee health in the German context. Further research, particularly on job demands in virtual teamwork, is needed to derive concrete health promotion and prevention measures.

Job-related demands and resources for employees working on virtual teams: A qualitative-study

Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Nora Schröder ◽  
Ann-Christin Kordsmeyer ◽  
Volker Harth ◽  
Stefanie Mache
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Virtual Teamwork ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Job Demands And Resources

BACKGROUND: The increasing globalization and the advances in communication technology have expedited the formation of virtual teams. The geographical distribution of virtual team members entails significant changes in working conditions. There is limited knowledge about the demands and resources virtual team members experience and how these can affect their mental health. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to identify the work-related psychological demands and resources of virtual team members. METHODS: 14 semi-structured interviews with virtual team members were conducted. Study participants were recruited based on the gatekeeper principle and the snowball principle. The interviewees were asked about self-perceived job demands and resources of virtual teamwork. The interviews were analyzed according to Mayring’s structuring content analysis. RESULTS: Based on the qualitative analysis, the following job demands were explored among virtual team members: challenges due to permanent availability, technical conditions, and communication issues with other virtual team members. Job-related resources among virtual team members were also identified and are reflected in increased autonomy, flexibility and improved compatibility of private and professional working life. CONCLUSION: This study contributes to the understanding of the specific working conditions of virtual team members and identified job demands and resources of virtual teamwork. In addition, this study can be used as a basis for further quantitative investigations.

scholarly journals The One and the Many: The Significance of the Labyrinth in Contemporary America

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Hackworth
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
The United States ◽  
Middle Way ◽  
Embedded Model ◽  
Common Purpose ◽  
American Society ◽  
The Many ◽  
The One ◽  
Unusual Amount ◽  
Unconscious Desire

Unicursal labyrinths, with a single, highly circuitous path based on a medieval design, have enjoyed an unusual amount of interest in the United States over the last twenty years. They appear in such varied settings as churches, parks,hospitals, and retreat centers, their growing popularity coinciding with a time of deep political divisions in American society. The unicursal labyrinth closely resembles a mandala, suggesting that its current appearance is compensatory tothe increasing fragmentation and growing diversity in American life. The labyrinth’s popularity in meditative and recreational settings expresses a deepseated wish to walk a heroic, individual path and connect this path to a largerpurpose. As socio-psychological theories of the individual’s relationship to society move toward an “embedded” model, the labyrinth, too, suggests a collective, perhaps unconscious desire to find a middle way between individualism and common purpose as well as shared ground amid competing cultural values.

The Strategic Use of "Distance" Among Virtual Team Members

2011 ◽  
pp. 156-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul M. Leonardi ◽  
Michele Jackson ◽  
Natalie Marsh
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Team Work ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Multidimensional Construct ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Communication Practices

Distance, in the context of virtual teams, has traditionally been treated as an unproblematic, in fact positive, by-product of work practices mediated by information and communication technologies. Research has largely overlooked the notion of distance and its relationship to virtual team work practices and digital telecommunications technologies. Explored in this chapter is the nature of distance by investigating perceptions of “distance” among teleworkers and addressing how virtual team members strategically use the distance enabled by telecommunications technologies to manage a variety of organizational practices. Interviews with 46 distance workers across 10 industries, making up 17 virtual teams, found that members conceptualize distance across three important dimensions: distance and emotion, distance and identity, and distance and communication strategies. We discuss each of these dimensions and propose moving from a notion of distance as a mere outcome of the use of information and communication technologies, to a reconceptualization of it as a multidimensional construct created and maintained through communication practices.

The Multi-Faceted Nature of Virtual Teams

Virtual Teams ◽  
2011 ◽  
pp. 1-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Line Dube ◽  
Guy Pare
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Embryonic Stage ◽  
Academic Press ◽  
Extensive Review ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Virtual Teamwork ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
Depth Interviews

Despite their growing popularity in organizations, our understanding of virtual teams is still at an embryonic stage. As of today, the term “virtual team” has been loosely defined in the academic press, and empirical findings have been generalized across all types of virtual teams. Based on an extensive review of the literature and a series of in-depth interviews with more than 40 experienced virtual team members and leaders, we identified the key characteristics of virtual teamwork as well as those characteristics that distinguish among various virtual team configurations. We posit that researchers must now adopt a multidimensional view of virtual teams in order to adequately compare empirical findings, build a cumulative tradition in this field of research, and provide practitioners with a framework to help them manage virtual teams effectively. Researchers and practitioners must not only recognize the diversity of possible virtual team arrangements but also identify strategies and draw lessons that are contingent upon particular virtual team configurations.

It Is Certainly a Different Manner!

2020 ◽  
pp. 68-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norhayati Zakaria ◽  
Shafiz Affendi Mohd Yusof ◽  
Nursakirah Ab Rahman Muton
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Virtual Team ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Communication Styles ◽  
Indirect Communication ◽  
Virtual Collaboration ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Verbal Responses ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
High Level

The present study seeks to understand intercultural communication patterns, characteristics, and styles of team members that engage in virtual collaboration with people from diverse backgrounds known as global virtual team (GVT). Twenty respondents were interviewed in order to develop a rich understanding of the intercultural communication and styles within a GVT, based on Edward Hall's cultural dimensions. The results reveal that GVT members from high context cultures demonstrate indirect communication styles, use non-verbal approaches, and employ silence and polite gestures in certain situations, while low context GVT members are more prone to direct and straightforward communication styles with many verbal responses in online team discussion. In essence, the findings provide key implication to global managers: be prepared to work with cultural diversity in terms of being open-minded, develop a high level of tolerance, and become culturally sensitive to different approaches and preferences of communication styles as employed by team members when working at a distance.

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