Overcoming Cultural Challenges In Virtual Teamwork: Finding "Third Ways" Of Working Together

Keywords

Communication across cultures; Cultural challenges; Disciplinary culture; Global virtual teams; National culture; Organizational culture; Team identity

Abstract

This paper presents strategies for addressing the many cultural challenges inherent in virtual teamwork. Culture has the potential to influence collaborative work because cultural beliefs and values often determine the way individuals work together in groups, how they expect group leaders to behave, how they relate to persons in authority, how willing they are to share information with members of their out-group, and how they handle deadlines and other work-related obligations. One effective approach to overcoming cultural challenges is to develop "third ways" of working; "third ways" are approaches to work that do not privilege any one cultural approach over another. When team leaders facilitate the development of common ground, shared mental models, and a unique team identity, they will help the team establish their own "third ways" of working that lead to a shift in perception and the development of a truly global perspective for both the team as a whole and for individual team members.

Publication Date

1-1-2015

Publication Title

WMSCI 2015 - 19th World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, Proceedings

Volume

1

Number of Pages

318-321

Document Type

Article; Proceedings Paper

Personal Identifier

scopus

Socpus ID

84961165443 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84961165443

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