Virtual Communication: Obstacles of Virtual Communication

Isolation

Defining the Problem. Isolation may occur in three forms.

1. Dispersal Pattern. The team is either fully dispersed with each member in a different location or second, the team has two or more subgroups where two or three members are located in the same location. The first case can be more isolating as each team member is alone to work and consult unless using VCTs to connect with other team members. In the second case the sub-group, not the individual feels isolated. While there are team members to work with and consult, the sub-group of the team may feel isolated from another group or the group as a whole.

While the isolation may result from large distances, it can also occur in short physical distances that are perceived to be large. In some cases team members located on different floors of an office building or as little as 30 feet (9.1 meters) apart may have a disconnect in communication and may feel isolated. In any case the physical distance on a GV team prevents one member from communicating and interacting with another member.


2. Cultural Distance. A second isolation factor is that of cultural distance. This occurs from a national level to an organizational level. For example, how people initiate, conduct and end communications from one culture to another, determines ones conduct during an intercultural interaction.

On a GV team level, as the team is spread throughout the world, culture affects interactions. It may be in the way one culture sends a message of "no" that another culture does not use or understand. It may be that mannerisms, behaviors and actions communicate more information than the spoken or written word. There may be subtle interactions such as relationship building before work that influences how the team proceeds with a project. In any case it is important for team members to be able to understand the subtle cultural differences that may result in part of the team feeling isolated. Remember each team member is embedded in his or her own culture and therefore must make an effort to learn about the other culture.


3. Language. Isolation may occur in the use of language, especially if part of the team must use second language skills. Often idioms, slang and colloquialisms prevent understanding. Even mispronunciations may cause problems. On a recent GV team experience between American and Korean students, one American team member made a comment about GV teams in a class lecture. The Korean students thought the comment referred to them in an unflattering way. Fortunately, at the next team meeting, the Koreans brought up the issue and the American student clarified what he had said. The Koreans realized that they had misheard what had been said and a potentially isolating situation was avoided.

In any case isolation serves as a wedge. If left unchecked it may widen the gap between GV team members. This prevents the team from forming a positive team identity and becoming more unified as the project proceeds. It may lead to a decrease in trust among team members. Each of these factors contribute to the GV team not functioning as a high performance team.

Overcoming the Obstacle. The proper use of technology becomes a way to reduce or eliminate isolation and develop meaningful human relationships. Much of isolation is described by social presence theory (Short et. al., 1976). It refers to the degree to which one person is connected with another in digitally mediated communication. Individuals with low social presence feel disconnected from the team. Those with high social presence feel more close to team members. The team is more engaged and members interact more often. High or low social presence is not determined by how far someone actually is. Rather it is the perceived distance between individuals. One individual may have a high social presence with a person thousands of miles away and a low social presence with another a few meters away. The level of social presence will determine the quality of the relationship and how well the two individuals will interact.

When communicating through VCTs, the greater the media richness of the VCT the more communication information there is. Media richness refers to the type and amount of virtual communication information sent through the VCT. For example, only being able to receive information such as listening to a radio program is low on media richness. The communication is only one-way and auditory. Talking with a team member via a person VCT such as Skype or Google chat allows a person to see, hear and text to another person. As a result it has much higher media richness.

In face-to-face communication those speaking communicate a message, emotion and intention. Often a significant amount of what is communicated is nonverbal in nature (Garton and Wegryn, 2006). Its main intent is to communicate emotion and intention. This is done by tone of voice, facial expression, body language and personal interactions such as handshakes, hugs, etc.. High media rich technologies are better able to transmit emotion and intention through VCT.

In a GV team it is important to use the VCT that best fits the needs of your team. If a team member is conscious of their second language speaking skills, it may be preferable to use a less media rich VCT such as texting or instant messaging. What follows is a discussion of some general rules for using four different VCTs for GV team communications and interactions: e-mails, Instant Messaging, Personal Video Conferencing, Group Video Conferencing