Virtual Communication: Obstacles of Virtual Communication

Technology

Defining the Problem. Technology is advancing and changing everyday. What was previously science fiction is now science fact. However, as one begins to interact with different cultures, it becomes apparent that technology is not equally distributed across the world. What is commonplace in one area in the world is rare or non-existent in another area. Infrastructure is not uniform throughout the world. For example, many Asian and African countries use hydroelectricity as a primary power source. During the drought season as water supplies run low, power may be cycled on and off for hours or days often with little notice. These brown outs occur even in some states in the United States. As a result meetings may be interrupted or postponed. If an international team member is making a presentation and power is lost other team members may need to finish the presentation.

In other areas of the world the governments own or control the telecommunications provider. At times these governments make it difficult or even prohibit new technologies unless the government is able to exert considerable control and censorship. This may limit the type of technology or communication available.

The bandwidth from one location to another may not be as large or as affordable as in another. This may limit the type of technology used to communicate between teams.

Example: This was illustrated in an engineering class offered synchronously between BYU and several international universities. A few minutes after the class would start the instructor would hear the familiar bleep indicating that someone else had signed on to the video conference lecture. However, no image was shown on the screen as with other locations. Later the instructor learned that a Mexican school had signed on, but in an effort to save bandwidth and cost, no image was broadcast unless the Mexican students were broadcasting to BYU. This became important as the professor realized that the students at the Mexican school could see and hear his presentation and were ready to participate when called upon. This technology made it appear that Mexico was not participating when, in fact, they were.

In another synchronous course, the instructor began e-mailing questions to students he would use in class, prior to the instruction. This allowed students to prepare a response and have the technology on their end ready to share their response. Technology will influence interactions between groups in similar ways. It takes a greater effort to build a meaningful relationship of trust through VCTs. As VCTs change and advance and new technologies are developed, team members need to be ready to adopt and understand how the technologies may be used to improve communication and sharing on their team.

Overcoming the Obstacle. Overcoming the technology struggle begins with understanding what technology each team member at each endpoint has. Knowing this allows the team to plan for who can do what. Overcoming technology struggles becomes a balance between using proven and reliable technology and trying new or upgraded technology. When looking to make this choice it is important to know what the capabilities of each endpoint are. It is also good to establish why you want to switch. For example, if your files are quite large and difficult to e-mail, another web-based file sharing application, such as Dropbox or Google Docs, may be used.

Media Stickiness. It is also important to know that once people begin using a technology they may be reluctant to stop using it for another without a good reason (Huysman et. al., 2003). This is known as media stickiness. While it ensures that you remain with a known technology, it also prevents you from moving to one that is more functional and adapted to your needs. It becomes important to explore new technologies and be aware of their strengths and limitations. Doing so will allow you to make changes and choose technology that fits your needs rather than adapting your needs to fit what technology is available.