If managing diversity in the workplace is a tough task for business leaders, the challenges of keeping executives from different backgrounds working together efficiently in various parts of the world is even more difficult.

However, virtual working presents some unexpected benefits to teams whose members come from a variety of backgrounds. For executives whose first language is not English, for instance, working by means of e-mail or online chat rooms can eliminate many of the communication inequalities that might exist were the group to be working together face-to-face in the same location.

People tend to be more comfortable reading and writing in their second language than speaking it, and email technology provides those less sure of the language with an opportunity to reflect before communicating. ‘It certainly suggests that one of the things you should take into account is whether your team includes members who don’t speak English well,’ says Joanne Yates, a professor of management at MIT Sloan, who has studied the use of communication and information systems in companies. ‘Any good virtual team has a communication plan that includes weekly conference calls or email check-ins, but with a virtual team where not everyone speaks English well, the regular report-ins should be in written mode rather than by phone or conference call.’ The other advantage of email communications is that, for those working in different time zones, group messages can be responded to when it is convenient, reducing the need for early morning or late night calls.

At the same time, using email for work exchanges can remove much of the hierarchy of professional communications, since many executives fi nd it far less intimidating to send an email to someone in a senior position than to telephone them. ‘In many organizations that are fairly hierarchical, the lower and middle management executives often won’t communicate with senior managers if it means picking up the phone’, says Emma Kirk, a psychologist at Pearn Kandola, a UK-based research business and consultancy of occupational psychologists. ‘Email removes that barrier because of its informality and immediacy, so it encourages people to communicate that might not otherwise’, says Ms Kirk. ‘And it’s now accepted that people will send off ideas to each other via email.’  However, cultural or behavioural differences that can manifest themselves in face-to-face working situations can be exacerbated in virtual team working, particularly when the group has members from diff erent backgrounds. One reason for this is that, when one is physically immersed in a new culture, it takes less time to adapt to the social norms and become aware of cultural sensitivities. So those trying to do this at a distance may fi nd it tougher to fi t in, increasing the potential for misunderstandings between team members. ‘You don’t build the relationships in the same way as you do working face-to-face, and you don’t have those water cooler chats’, says Martin Galpin, a psychologist at Pearn Kandola.

He argues that the diff erences can become more problematic when people are not working in the same location. ‘When you have a group of people who are more diverse, there’s a danger of increasing the chances of confl ict if you don’t manage it eff ectively.’ For this reason, experts advise that those managing virtual teams organize faceto-face meetings at the start of a project or the formation of a new team of executives who will be working together remotely.
While this is true for all virtual teams, it is even more important for those with cultural diff erences.

‘If a team is newly formed, there’s huge value in bringing that team together’, says Mr Galpin. ‘Or if a new person joins the team, they need to be able to build new relationships. There’s always a need for the social side – even if that’s just setting aside time for more informal chats during the conference calls.’
Prof. Yates points out that, when people in professional groups come from different backgrounds or cultures, it is often useful to appoint someone in the team who knows both cultures as the person responsible for setting the norms of working behaviour during a project that is being carried out from different locations. And virtual working certainly does not eradicate the sort of cultural misunderstandings that can arise in a face-to-face situation. Prof. Yates cites an online mini-conference she recently observed that took place between a group of US and Japanese executives working in the research and development unit of a Japanese company.

‘A Japanese executive was putting text into a window for instant messaging when one of the Americans started asking questions in the middle of the presentation’, she explains. ‘That was not culturally familiar and required an instant response, which caused real problems. So [virtual communications] have a cultural element as well.’

Questions

1. According to the article, what are the advantages of virtual communication compared with working face-to-face in with people from different backgrounds? What other advantages can you think of ?

2. The text does suggest, however, that virtual working groups should meet at the start of a project or when a new team of executives is to work together remotely. Why is this thought to be necessary?

3. What are the specific problems that multicultural teams experience when they are communicating with each other virtually?