Communication in the Virtual Organization

Communication in the Virtual Organization
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Institution
Communication in the Virtual Organization
Introduction
The virtual workplace where employees do not have to be physically at the workplace has become a reality for many employers today, and all indications show that it will be more prevalent in the coming days. Virtual organizations are multisite, multiorganizational, and energetic. At the international level, a virtual organization comprises of an amalgamation of organizations, consultants, and contractors that have come together to take advantage of complementary skills in pursuing mutual strategic objectives. The objectives are often centered at a particular project. At every level, managers managing virtual groupings are presented with various unique challenges. These challenges are brought about by the physical separation of the employees and the management who only operate in a virtual team. The scenario where the management has to operate with employees that are not physically present demands that there be effective communication strategies to keep the group together and effective.
For the last twenty years, technology has established a double-edge sword for individuals working in the modern hyper-connected international economy. The contemporary effects of modern technology is inclusive of its capability to span across the dimensions of time and space and effectively offer a wide array of information in virtually every part of the earth within seconds. However, this kills some aspects of interpersonal communication such as instant feedback, principles of etiquette, and an overall depersonalization of the process. In order to remain relevant in such a business setting, organizations have to devise new methods of getting the work done and this is happening through the virtual organization (Desanctis, & Monge, 1998).
There are various versions of a virtual team or organization. These range from the workgroup that meets face to face after a certain period but works mostly in a dispersed setting and brought together by electronic communication tools and resources to the actually virtual team comprised of team members that might never have met and do not know anything about each other. In the last scenario, variations in culture, background and inspiration may prevent the effectiveness of the team to effectively bond or stick together as a team. In addition to this, there is a serious issue about the extent of trust that is existent among team members that have very little in common. In such a scenario, it is crucial that the manager cultivates an environment where the team members have a perspective on the common organizational goals as well as the sense that all the team members share a mutual future (Lurey, & Raisinghani, 2001).
Communication is one of the most important things for managers leading virtual teams. While communication is what ensures that such teams function properly, communication also presents one of the biggest challenges for managers overseeing a virtual-work environment. Majority of the managers have to design new communication skills to ensure that team members do not feel alienated and also ensure that they remain a part of the larger team. In most cases, communication in virtual teams is restricted to emails between the employees and the managers. However, this usually presents challenges as it is only a one-sided affair and does not foster teamwork. In order to correct this scenario, managers should learn how to carry out efficient audio-meetings, and to create a balance between e-mail, video conferencing, and face-to-face communication (Bierema, & Merriam, 2002).
Apart from the interpersonal challenges that are brought about by the lack of common history or cultural context, the technology in use may have challenges that may prevent effective communication in virtual teams. Applying the Time, Interaction, and Performance (TIP) theory, teams working virtually must both conduct the following functions: solving problems, perform tasks, member inclusion, input, and inclusion. In virtual teams, these functions are in most cases hard to perform, and the verbal or visual signals of a breakdown in communication may not be obvious in time for effective management coaching of the team function (Jarvenpaa, & Leidner, 1998). As noted earlier, one of the most used forms of communication in virtual groupings is e-mails. The other common form of communication in virtual teams is instant messaging and other computer-mediated interactions. In the virtual grouping environment, context is usually missing and the full impact of interpersonal communication, complete with body language, facial signs and appearances, modulations and eye contact is lost in transmission.
There are other instances where the technical knowhow of the team members are unmatched, and if there is not a high level of trust, the unskilled members might find it hard to request for training or bring out what might be understood as a weakness. For this reason, a virtual team that depends solely on computer-mediated communication and technology for cooperation and teamwork will be at risk of failing to reach their goals and leaving out team members who might feel that they are not a part of the interaction. Managers of virtual teams must take these aspects into contemplation when designing the most effective communication for a virtual team that is operating outside the conventional office setting and without devoted information technology (IT) support to train the members who are without adequate knowledge ...