Communication Challenges In Teams

3636 Words15 Pages
Introduction Being part of a team can be a difficult task especially a virtual team. “People who lead and work on virtual teams need to have special skills, including an understanding of human dynamics and performance without the benefit of normal social cues, knowledge of how to mange across functional areas and national cultures, skill in managing their careers and others without the benefit of face-to-face interaction, and the ability to use leverage and electronic communication technology as their primary means of communicating and collaborating”, (Duarte & Snyder, 2006, pg 4). As technology continues to make the world smaller, virtual teams will be part of most industries and companies way to get things accomplished. In a virtual team environment, communication increasingly becomes one of the biggest challenges for virtual team leaders. This paper will examine the differences of effective and ineffective communication and the challenges faced by team leaders. I will also make recommendations and offer best practices to help a team leader communicate more effectively in a virtual team. Effective Communication in Virtual Teams Communication Role “In collaborative and creative work, communication is essential. If there is faulty or no communication or inadequate information exchange, team creativity is hampered”, (Nemiro, 2004, pg 136). Communication can be challenging in a traditional team but the complexities of a virtual team make it a critical part of success in a virtual team. Since the human cues and voice inflexions are missing in virtual communication, a challenge is how to build relationships. Some of the factors in the role of communication are technology, cultural differences, and building relationships. Technology sets the tone for communication in a virtual team. This is why selecting the appropriate type of communication is so important to
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