Culture & Communication

Global
Teams
Team Members:
That Work
- Abhishek Shandilya UM18134
- Abinash Sadangi UM18135
- Akshay Grover UM18137
- Akshay Singh UM18138
- Alisha Hafiz UM18139
- Ankita Panda UM18140
- Ankita Rath UM18141
- Ankush Agrawal UM18142
S.P.L.I.T. Framework
This framework is used for identifying and successfully managing
social distance. It consists of 5 components:

• Structure
• Process
• Language
• Identity
• Technology
STRUCTURE
The team dynamics are determined by the perception of power. If, in a company,
most team members are located in Germany, with the minority living in USA,
then people living in the majority group may feel resentment towards the
minority group. And what happens if the leader too happens to live among the
majority group?
To address this power imbalance, following points need to be addressed:

1. Who we are - Zero-Tolerance for culture insensitivity

2. What we do - Common purpose toward business-goals
3. I am there for you – Cohesion in the groups
PROCESS
The process of communication in an organization must be unfettered
and not restricted to just formal meetings. It should also include:

1. Feedback on routine interactions

2. Unstructured Time
3. Time To Disagree
LANGUAGE
Fluency gap between different team members needs to be
addressed.
This can be done by establishing certain Rules of Engagement for:

• Fluent Speakers
• Less Fluent Speakers
• Team Leaders
IDENTITY
A leader can ensure that a mismatch of perceptions doesn’t lead to
conflicts among people of different identities by:

1. Regularly soliciting inputs from all teams uniformly

2. Empowering teams to take decisions
TECHNOLOGY
Depending upon which technology is used, communication between a team can be
instantaneous or delayed.

Instantaneous Communication
- More context
- E.g. – Skype, Viber

Delayed Communication
- Lacks contextual cues (for exchange of information only)
- E.g. – Email, FAX
A Case Study
What are the challenges faced while working
in a team across Global Boundaries?
 Social & Physical Distance
vs
Emotional Connection in Teams.
How to maintain a balance between them ?
What role does language play in global team
interaction ?
What can a team leader do to ensure that the
groups perform effectively and contribute
equally ?