Working in a virtual team setting can be like working a perpetual night shift. One may never have the realization that there are real people working at both ends of the shift that are impacted by what an employee does, or doesn’t do. The real question we want answered as managers is how to bring the perpetual night shift into the team.
In the world of authors, we need to break away from the perpetual night shift and rejoin the world of humanity. Classic virtual work research describes the virtual work environment as a combination of electronically mediated communications, and separation by geography and cultural differences. In reality, most of us experience virtuality as the way in which we behave. Behaviors are often driven by convenience, more than by necessity. As knowledge workers, geeks, we prefer our work to relationships. Or at least when working, we tend to shy away from human interaction.
Most people spend a disproportionate amount of their communication time, in electronics –– we text, instant message, or email before we pick up a phone.
So why is understanding the virtual world important? Because it does affect how teams and groups work together and greatly impacts our ability to develop trust.
Click Follow to receive emails when this author adds content on Bublish
Comment on this Bubble
Your comment and a link to this bubble will also appear in your Facebook feed.