Virtual Communication Barriers

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2. Main barriers in Setting Up a Virtual Organization Three most important categories can be emphasized: leadership issues, technological aspect and establishing efficient communication. Leadership Leading in the virtual environment poses challenges to those accustomed to traditional work groups in functional organizations. Virtual program and project management demands a new approach that requires an evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of nontraditional work and the leadership competencies to manage at a virtual level. Leadership skills are crucial for virtual work. They include a strong focus on relationships, emotional intelligence, a track record of results and innovation, a focus on process, feedback giving ability, coaching…show more content…
Problems with context awareness and shared understanding appear. Even though the video channels permit to see the partner’s face, there are still fewer cues for regulating the social interaction because of the poor non-verbal communication. The eye-to-eye contact is difficult. The virtual communication makes the conversation more impersonal. The feeling of impersonality of the communication can lead to the illusion of the reversibility of phenomena, the disturbance in the self-presentation, ethical problems and language misunderstandings. In non-video communication the lack of visual reactions from the public recompenses the fear about the consequences. The physical distance and a faint feeling of social presence can make us less inhibited. VT have problems with language and cultural differences. Cultural diversity within virtual teams can lead to an inexact understanding of the message, especially if taking into consideration the lack of body and nonverbal language that, in some cases, has the role of emphasizing or completing certain essences of the…show more content…
They’re deprived of non-verbal cues that indicate whether a colleague is on board or annoyed. Virtual employees can go days without contact, leading to feelings of isolation. Virtual employees who feel isolated are less likely to contribute to the team, which hinders innovation and effectiveness. - Lack of social interaction For all its perks, working remotely can be draining. Team members miss out on the office banter, the working friendships that get us through a tough Tuesday. It’s difficult for virtual team members to see how their work fits into the big picture, so they become despondent and demotivated. - Lack of trust You can’t see what other people are doing, you don’t get responses immediately and you’re rarely working (or in some cases awake) at the same time. It’s easy to see how virtual working breeds distrust. Trust can be a big problem when only some team members are virtual; office workers fall for ‘shirking from home’ stereotypes, while those at home feel hard done by for missing out on long lunches and cupcakes in the

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