Something which comes up quite frequently in discussions I have with colleagues, particularly those new to working in virtual teams, is whether there is a protocol for establishing contact at the start of participation in a new project. I have discussed this with a number of colleagues and given it... read more →
Jun
28
Jun
21
Often, during the process of initiating new projects, it seems that agreed budgets come under pressure. This occurs particularly when the newly appointed project manager and client are reviewing where the monies are to be spent when one of the the first things to be questioned and, often subsequently removed, is the... read more →
Jun
14
In many conversations, discussions and meetings, the language and words spoken generally do not convey the whole story. Some would say that only 10 to 20% of the message in any conversation is actually conveyed through spoken words. There are facial expressions, tones of speech, hand gestures and, of course,... read more →
Jun
07
One of the most readily apparent challenges facing the development of a communications plan for any international project is determining the best way for the project to communicate across time zones. This is a problem which changes in complexity and impact as the time zones spread out, but, regardless of... read more →
May
31
So, here is a question for you to ponder, do you have communications equality in your project? does your project and corporate hierarchy, structure and access to communications tools and technology match your project's communication aims and processes... Many projects make bold claims of being open to input and contributions... read more →
May
24
Within communications in international projects, one often overlooked facet which can be easily addressed, requires complex and committed effort and can cause substantial damage if handled badly is the management of communication silos and other barriers affecting communications between the various international parties. One of the biggest influences on a... read more →
May
17
For most of the time the virtual teams approach has been used in the modern industrial world, which is really since the internet and computer technology reached a point where it could support multi centre work, one of the key aspects most heavily exploited has been the outsourcing of more labour... read more →
May
10
With natural disasters and disruptions seemingly occurring somewhere in the world every week, whether earthquake, flood, tornado or cyclone. In recognising this, I got to thinking about the way that international projects often rely on their communications, both the face to face component, and their often relatively formalised and centralised communication and power... read more →
May
03
The advent of the video conference should have marked a quantum change in the way international project coordination meetings are conducted, however, a combination of the technology initially being both extremely expensive and complex, along with the immature technology at its launch, made it difficult to access for the majority... read more →
Apr
26
Marginalisation is a real problem faced by many if not all virtual teams at some point. However you structure your virtual work teams, you will almost always find some groups who feel they have more and some groups less control over the way the project is run. There will be groups who get... read more →