Question

Review current ideas on global teams that are virtual.  

How would you conduct a virtual meeting with people from five different countries and three different time zones?

How do you account for culture and customs that might affect conversation and business etiquette?

Answer 1

To conduct a meeting with people from five different countries and three different time zones, we need the following:

1. Well planned meeting schedule: The team members who are to attend the meeting should be allocated different shift times to work. This ensures that one of the team members is present during the meeting. Also these shifts times should be rotated between team members so that no team member would work in a particular shift throughout the month.

2. Proper selection and use of tools: Many tools are available for distributed team to connect in a virtual manner. However, it is up to the team to decide which tools meets their needs in the best possible manner. The teams need to decide whether to connect only through voice or also through video. Some of the available options are: Skype for business, GoTo Meeting(allows only up to six video feeds), Sococo and a many more for video meetings, or the team may even go for telephonic conference calls.

3. Consistent scheduling of meetings: This gives team members enough time for preparation of materials, formal sharing of work and also allows teams to be ready well in advance with the technology or connections which are essential for a virtual meeting.

4. Bringing the team together: Although the teams virtually connect with each other throughout the year, it is great to have the team members gather together for workshops and fun activities. This helps to build trust and cohesion in the teams and also develop personal ties. A smart and well planned travel budget is necessary for this. This helps the virtual meeting to be more effective as there would be a sense of trust and good coordination amongst the team members.

5. Attention to team members over video or phone: It has been observed that too often the team member sitting next to each other tend to pay less attention to other team member who have virtually present in the meeting. Also, it is easier to communicate over a video than a voice call. For the meeting to be effective, it is very important for each team member to pay full attention to all the other team members who are virtually connected. Each team member should be consistently involved and included in conversations.

To account for culture and customs that might affect conversation and business etiquette we need to do the following:

When a meeting consists of people from different cultures, we need to consider each team member’s different needs and approaches.

1.Show cultural sensitivity: Every team member should be aware of the variations that exist among different cultures. Proper training should be given to each team in a particular location about the cultural differences of the other teams in other locations. Also management styles may be adjusted in small ways as per the country’s customs and professional practices.

2.Protocols and norms: It is important to create protocols and norms at the beginning of the meeting. Expected outcome of the meeting and how the meeting should be conducted should be clearly stated before the commencement of the meeting.

3.Incentive for stepping out of cultural comfort zones: For meetings to be fruitful, the team should be incentivized to come out of their cultural comfort zones. Reward should be given to the team member who does it well and in case of a failure, penalty might even be considered.

4.Relationship building: When the team consists of people from different cultures and different countries, it is important to know each team member and also figure out how much culture is an issue for each team member. Accordingly each team member can be strategized with before the meeting on how one may adapt in the group. Time should be given for development of relationship amongst the team members so that they know each other well.

5.Flexibility: Feedback should be taken from each team member and the same may be incorporated in the meetings for the same to be more efficient and effective.

6.Do not be rigid about the cultural differences: While it is important to be sensitive to the cultural differences, it is not advisable not to let the differences hamper the delivery of work. It is also important not to stereotype people only on the basis of their culture. The most important thing is to ensure that the meetings are effective and deliver what they are supposed to.

7.Managing disagreement: In certain cultures explicitly expressing disagreement may be considered offensive. It is advisable for each team member to email their ideas. They may be centrally collated and presented in the meeting. Doing so would ensure that any disagreement is with an idea and not a specific team member.