There are, it seems to me, three basic ways company's develop international communications skills in their employees, all three of which have analogies with learning to swim, these basic options are; To throw the employees in at the deep end. This seems like a pretty brutal description, though to be... read more →
Feb
02
Jan
26
Over the years, I have met a number of people who, usually after a few years of living and working overseas, decide either consciously or subconsciously that an overseas location is more attractive for them than a home base job. For some, this relates to a specific location, to others it seems... read more →
Jan
19
The concept of Impostor Syndrome has been discussed in a number of different contexts for some time now. It is also something my colleagues and I talk about from time. Impostor syndrome is a phenomenon which can impact on the way many people, in both co-located and virtual project teams, are able to... read more →
Jan
12
I often come across organisations that choose to skip the set up phase of their project, diving straight into virtual team execution without deciding if it is right for their organisation and their project. These same companies then wonder why they get into problems during execution. Typically the problems are things... read more →
Jan
05
Virtual reality technology is moving at an incredible pace, rapidly approaching the point where it may start to offer a serious option for members of virtual teams to communicate. Until recent times, the costs of the hardware to participate in a virtual reality experience was prohibitive for all but the... read more →
Dec
22
Big data seems to have been everywhere this year, every media outlet, pundit and business seems to have latched on to the concept, or at least the term, many without really comprehending what "big data" means, how it is collected and how it could be used. In all of the... read more →
Dec
15
Getting things done in organisations essentially comes down to the interplay of three emotions, Trust, Respect and Fear, and how your team interacts under each of them. While the ideal position to have is one where trust is absolute and everywhere in all relationships, supported by mutual respect for the capacity... read more →
Dec
08
Social media is seemingly everywhere these days, it is has been a part of the social fabric of most societies for the past 7 to 10 years and for the last few has also been appearing increasingly as part of the business landscape. For many businesses, social media is still little... read more →
Dec
01
Leadership skills in virtual teams are different to leadership skills needed in a co-located team. Leaders of co-located teams need to be able to inspire and direct a team they see around them every day, they can lead by example and by modelling in ways that all of their team members can... read more →
Nov
24
Communications in project teams should always be the most simple they can to convey the intended message. Simplicity in messages is very important, the messages need to be clear, concise and focused on the subject matter. At the same time however, team communications must be culturally sensitive and appropriate and,... read more →