Culture Matters Decision-Making in Global Virtual Teams

Global virtual teams (GVTs) have evolved as a common work structure in multinational corporations due to their efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The cultural differences can produce great benefits in terms of perspective, creativity, and innovation, butcan also exacerbate interpersonal tensions, miscommunications, and clashing decision-making behaviors. This book outlines cultural competencies specific to GVTs and sheds light on management strategies for creating an optimal inter-cultural GVT environment. It covers theory, decision making strategies, and activities for cultural competence and problem resolution, all told through vignettes and lessons-learned.

GLOBAL VIRTUAL TEAMS. Anywhere, Anytime and with Anyone--Virtual Work Place. What is Global Virtual Teams? Characteristics and Element of Global Virtual Teams. CULTURE AND ITS MEANING. Cultural Definition and Distinctive Layers of Culture. Edward Hall: High Context vs. Low Context Intercultural Communication. Fons-Trompenaars: Seven Cultural Dimensions. DECISION MAKING PROCESS and ACTIVITIES. Problem Identification. Proposal Making. Responses and Deliberation. Solution. CULTURAL INFLUENCE ON DECISION MAKING. Specific vs. Neutral Communication Styles. Time Rigidness vs. Time Flexibility. Individualism vs. Communitarianism. Task vs. Relationship Oriented. STRATEGIES AND COMPETENCIES FOR MANAGING GLOBAL VIRTUAL TEAMS. What Managers Should Know about Working Together at a Distance. Why Need Cross-Cultural Competencies for Global Leaders. How to Manage GVTs--Do’s and Don’ts for Culture and Decision Making. IN A NUTSHELL. Cultural Matters! Globally Distributed Collaboration.

Dr. Norhayati Zakaria is an Associate Professor at Faculty of Business and Management at University of Wollongong in Dubai. Dr. Zakaria earned her Ph.D. in Information Science and Technology and MPhil. of Information Transfer, both at Syracuse University and MSc. Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy. Her research expertise combines several interdisciplinary fields, including cross-cultural management, international business, and computer-mediated communication technology. For more than a decade, Dr. Zakaria has established international research collaborations with global scholars from the United States, Japan, and Canada. As a principal investigator, she has obtained international research grants from the Asian Office of Aerospace Research & Development (AOARD). From 2006 till now, she serves as a Senior Research Faculty Associate at the Center for Research on Collaboratories and Technology Enhanced Learning Communities (COTELCO) under American University where she led projects using global virtual teams. All her research works are built on qualitative research method in which she believes provide illuminating results with deep insights and rich descriptions of culturally-attuned phenomenon at workplace face-to-face or virtually. Since she has been trained in the Western educational system, actively engaged in international research collaborations, and has experiences in teaching at the Middle Eastern region, she has developed eminent cross-cultural competencies with vast global experiences.