What is a global team and its benefits?

Welcome to the future of collaboration — working seamlessly with people all over the world. Exactly what is a global team?

Today, work teams come in many different forms. Where some may share local office space, others may be scattered across different continents and gather only in the virtual space. That’s one element of a global team. Let’s dive deeper into what exactly makes a team a global one and why these types of teams are a necessary force in the workplace.

What is a global team exactly?

In a classic business model, employees typically work in the same office. A global team, on the other hand, consists of employees who work remotely across different countries and time zones.

When you are part of this type of team, the virtual space is your common meeting ground. Teammates ditch the physical office setup and more traditional approach to take advantage of different types of software and technology to connect and collaborate with one another.

Why are global virtual teams important?

Global teams typically — though not always — exist when a company has an interest in more than one market. For example, Apple Inc. has operations in markets literally across the globe, including North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Having team members that reside in the market they’re serving can be a huge advantage. With a global team, companies can tune in to local markets and ensure their marketing strategies are optimally effective.

Sometimes, a global team simply exists because your teammates live in different areas, regardless of the market interest. As remote work becomes more and more common, companies can recruit top talent from almost anywhere in the world, creating a robust and exciting team to work alongside. It can even be beneficial to have some of these teammates working in different time zones to cover various hours or shifts, especially if customer service is a factor in your business.

Three dimensions of a global virtual team.

While global virtual teams can boost a company’s effectiveness, they also come with their unique challenges. To have success, you can focus on the three dimensions of a global virtual team — leadership, trust, and communication.

• Leadership. Virtual leadership is challenging but essential for global teams. Your team will likely have people from different cultural backgrounds and on different schedules. Good leadership will set the tone for your productivity and collaboration.
• Trust. To function well as a team, co-workers need to be able to rely on one another. Trust is critical with a team that isn’t physically side by side. How can you know that your teammate will do his part on time? You can build trust through exercises and get-to-know-you games, but the best way to build trust is to experience success together on a high-stakes project.
• Communication. Communication is tricky in virtual teams, but especially in teams that are living in different time zones and may have some language barriers. Clear communication is essential to avoiding misunderstanding and maintaining efficiency. Good leaders can decide how and when to use virtual communication, anywhere from messaging and email to video meetings.

Benefits of global virtual teams.

Fortunately, virtual global teams are worth the challenge of managing them efficiently. They’ll also be able to use their diverse market expertise and languages to contribute to your team. Instead of navigating global markets from afar, you’ll have eyes and ears on the ground. As a bonus, team members tend to be more collaborative in global teams and report fewer problems.

Skills required for global team management vs. traditional teams.

Managing global virtual teams requires additional skills compared to managing an in-person team. In a traditional team, much of the staff will often be from the same geographical area. There’s also the built-in structure, support, and accountability of showing up to work next to your team members.

In global team management, however, your leadership will need skills like the following:

• Cultural competency. This includes thoughtfully considering cultural differences and recognizing them as a strength to your team. It’s important to reflect on how culture influences your own behaviors and give your team members the benefit of the doubt. With cultural competency, you can take differences that could cause friction and use them to build a resilient and diverse team.
• Effective communication. Effective communication includes understanding when to use which communication medium. You also want to communicate as clearly and concisely as possible. Setting expectations and ensuring that your team understands will go a long way.
• Relationship building. It may seem inefficient, but setting aside time specifically for socializing and relationship building can ultimately help your team work better together. Social time would seem more natural in a traditional office setting, but it’s still important for a virtual team. As team members build relationships, they’ll understand each other better, communicate better, and develop more trust.
• Supportive leadership. Although a team member might actually be physically alone while working, supportive leadership will make sure that they know that they are backed by their team and their leader. A supportive team can make all the difference for its members that may feel isolated or overwhelmed. It can also allow your team to take on more ambitious ideas and projects.

Key factors in managing a global virtual team.

Global team management can be both challenging and rewarding. Fortunately, there are many tips and tools you can use to help things go as smoothly as possible, such as:

• Effective communication software
• Efficient project and time management software
• Regular check-ins with individuals
• Meetings that all team members can attend in their time zones
• Virtual office hours
• Two-way feedback

More resources on virtual or remote work and business.

Now that you have an understanding of what it takes to lead successful global virtual teams, here are additional resources on virtual or remote work and business:

• Learn about remote digitization software.
• Traveling and working? Check out our packing list for digital nomads.
• Understand the definition of remote collaboration.
• Learn about the role of virtual assistants.
• Discover how remote collaboration tools can help your team.

Whether your team is in the same building, on the other side of the world, or somewhere in between, effective team collaboration is always necessary for success.

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