A Precise Writing
Building Successful Global Teams
The success of any organization greatly depends on how effectively its diverse global teams are managed. Commitment to the realization of the organization's objectives is one of the key to success in a borderless corporate world. Tsedal Neeley, in her article entitled Global Teams that Work: A Framework for Bridging Social Distance (2015), explains that geographically distributed teams can provide major advantages, such as lowering costs, enhancing productivity, and selecting members of the team with the desired capabilities and skills. However, Neeley demonstrates how challenging it is to achieve this because of the major requirements that have to be satisfied, which she refers to as the SPLIT (structure, process, language, identity, and technology) domains. In order to build highly competent global teams, Neeley argues that the organization must address these five important domains.
Neeley (2015) explains how 'structure and the perception of power' can alleviate the disadvantages of distance. Her idea suggests that perceptions of power-- imbalance in the distribution of power among geographically dispersed teams-- are shaped by the level of social identification and communication. Identifying the roots of these perceptions of power can contribute to the successful management of distance as perceptions of power produce the advantages of a unified global workforce without literally having team members operate in one location. Neeley describes how structure and perceptions of power influence the quality of relationship among geographically dispersed employees.
Managers have to develop 'processes' in order to counteract the negative effects of unfavorable perceptions of power. This can be done through 'empathy'. Informal communication between geographically dispersed teams must be encouraged. Such informal conversations are in fact a highly effective way of strengthening trust, and must therefore be integrated into everyday work activities. Constructive and controlled debates or disagreements must also be facilitated among the members of the global team in order to come up with the optimal ideas and solutions. Unfortunately, language differences can hinder open and effective communication. Employees who are proficient with the official language of the organization have a greater leverage over those who poorly perform in that language. Such language disparity could bring about misleading assumptions, such as that proficient speakers are more valuable assets to the organization than those who are less proficient in the language. Hence, proficient speakers must agree to 'dial down' complex language usage (e.g. use of idiomatic expressions) to prevent ambiguity, uncertainty, and miscommunication with employees who are less proficient speakers.
The notion of 'identity' is directly associated with language. Cultural miscommunication is an actual hindrance to success. Different cultures assign different meanings to different behaviors. Neely (2015) cites an example to explain this more clearly-- making eye contact. According to her, in some cultures direct eye contact signifies honesty, self-assurance, and certainty, while in other cultures it is viewed as a sign of hostility and disrespect. Misunderstandings could arise because of such cultural differences, and global managers should be able to address it appropriately and promptly.
And, lastly, global team managers must reinforce processes and communication systems by integrating 'technology'. Face-to-face communication between two people in different locations was impossible in the past, but because of technological advancements geographically dispersed teams can now communicate face to face through Skype calls and video conferencing. Nevertheless, when deciding what communication technologies to incorporate into specific activities, managers must take into full consideration interpersonal factors and time zones. In conclusion, Neeley basically demonstrates the importance of team dynamics in the success of a global organization. Global managers must therefore bring skilled and competent employees together and make sure that they have an open and effective communication systems as well as the appropriate communication technologies.
Reference
Neeley, T. (2015). Global teams that work: a framework for bridging social distance. Harvard Business Review, 1-9.
