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  • Essay / The Age of Technology

    Introduction In the technological age we live in, the workplace has long gone beyond the traditional boundaries of buildings and, further, the geographic boundaries of countries. Today's workplace is no longer defined by mortar, stone, internet connection and seating in the name of desks. It goes beyond that. The productivity of any organization that hopes to be in the top 100 in its industry or country is judged by the organization's ability to use the 24-hour clock to achieve its expected goals. Time zones are no longer a barrier to productivity. Technology has enabled humanity to work, literally across time and space. This coalition of workers spread across different geographies constitutes what is known as a global team, the main subject of this document. Managing a global workforce can be interesting, challenging, scary but surprisingly rewarding. This article aims to explore communication between global teams as they have come of age in today's organizations. Currently, it is rare to find organizations that are not geographically dispersed. Whether higher education institutions (universities) or for-profit organizations, it is economically feasible to have branches in different locations with the aim of reaching a larger customer base and diversifying services that an organization can offer. It is common to hear that a certain service of an organization is offered in a specific branch. Universities in Kenya have used this type of approach, such as Kenyatta University, which has its law students on one of its constituent campuses and those studying medicine on another campus. It is therefore essential for any geographically dispersed organization to know how to initiate, motivate and support communication between its teams which can sometimes be made up of people from different cultures (countries). Definition of Terms Global Communication: A term used to describe ways of sharing, connecting, linking and mobilizing across political, geographic, economic, cultural and social divisions. Global Team – A team made up of members scattered across the world. The “team” is made up of smaller teams, each in their own country or geographic region. Virtual team: term used synonymously with global team. Culture – Patterns of environmental stimuli, physical cues, and implicit (or explicit) factors used to convey understanding among people in a geographic area. IM-Instant Messaging, is the use of technology, through various social platforms, to send text messages in real time. 1.2 Overview of Global Teams Culture and experiences are some of the factors that affect effective communication. However, organizations, especially those with global teams as part of their organization, are largely unaware of this critical information (Smith, 2014). Global teams are traditionally made up of people from different countries, and therefore different cultures. As a result, these individuals (teams) have unique experiences which, as noted, determine their understanding of any element of communication. These differences are commonly observed in cultural communication styles and their frames of reference. A good example of a cultural difference within global teams might be the fact that many non-exempt U.S. employees spend approximately 50 hours or more per week working. For them, a typical workday does not last eight hours, but extends to 10 or 12hours per day. Indeed, in the United States, working remotely (from home or anywhere) is considered part of work (Smith, 2014). Compare this scenario to that of a non-exempt worker in Kenya, France or Germany who probably won't work a minute more than eight hours a day. Additionally, people in these countries usually cut off all work-related communication when they leave the office. This, among other examples, shows the variations and difficulty of leading a global team, without even considering their communication. Additionally, according to Brewer (2015), these differences will carry over into and oppose their communication. Therefore, this leads to the failure of any project undertaken by a global team. At the end of this article, it is worth checking the differences in cultures, work ethics and practices and their impact on communication. Additionally, this article aims to establish the communication challenges of a global workforce or team, communication structures in global teams, and how a global leader motivates a team that works and lives in various countries. 2.0 Technologies Used by Global Teams to Communicate A) Video Conferencing Tools A video conference is a live visual connection between two or more people residing in separate locations for the purpose of communication (Bozon, 2016). There are a variety of video conferencing tools or software available for use by global teams. The most effective, however, is Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is a video conferencing and chat-based interaction tool that allows global teams to have virtual meetings, with members located across the globe. On this platform, when an open meeting begins, the technology notifies all team members and lets them know who is live (who is participating). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essayA project manager in London, for example, might join a meeting of members in Kenya, South Africa, etc. This technology also allows all members to leave video and audio of the meeting live on their laptop or desktop computer in case something relevant comes up and their input is needed. Microsoft Teams users generally feel like they are in the “same place,” according to Bozon (2016). Other teleconferencing tools worth using are: Zoom, which, among other features, allows the user to share a common "whiteboard" that allows them to share notes and illustrate what is being discussed. 'he wishes. Added to this are GoMeeting and Slack.B) Document sharing tools Documents are an essential part of any team's communication, after all, it is non-verbal communication. It follows that global teams should have ways to share documents, as it may be necessary for teams to work on a single document or for members of different global teams to collaborate to create a document. The most widely used document sharing tool today is Dropbox, which not only allows simultaneous access to different people around the world, but also tracks changes made to the document. This makes it easier for teams or individuals to know the progress of a document and who last accessed or updated it. Added to this is Google Drive, which is largely underestimated and used. Google Drive remains the most feasible option for teams wanting to work entirely online, as its tools enable both the creation and sharing of documents among multiple.