Improving Communication in Virtual Small Groups

1. Determine the best communication method. Virtual teams often use different technologies for communicating and sharing information. Electronic messaging—like e-mail and instant messaging—is relied on heavily as virtual teams increase in size and geographic location (Timmerman and Scott, 2006). File-hosting Web sites like Dropbox and Google Docs allow virtual teams to share meeting notes and reports. Phone calls, videoconferencing, and collaborative platforms are appropriate for discussing complex matters and making decisions. Team members should understand what technologies to use for handling routine communication, managing group documents, and conducting meetings. Importantly, be sure that every team member has the proper login details and the capability to use the technologies.

2. Provide specific directions before meetings. Take time-zone differences into account when scheduling a meeting. If group members are from vastly different time zones, schedule meetings so that members take turns being inconvenienced. It’s not fair to expect any one person to always be available during very early morning or very late evening hours. Also identify the purpose, expectations, and desired outcomes of each meeting (Nunamaker et al., 2009).

3. Involve all group members. Make sure all participants have a chance to contribute to group discussions and meetings. You can do this by asking everyone to share something at the start of a meeting or by asking each person to give a response to questions posed at different points in the meeting (Nunamaker et al., 2009).

4. Use the cooperative principle. It’s especially important to craft informative, honest, clear, and relevant messages when you’re taking part in a virtual group interaction. That’s because team members have few or no nonverbal cues to interpret your communication. (See Chapter 5 for more on the cooperative principle.)

5. Attend to the group’s social needs. If virtual teams are able to meet face-to-face occasionally, this will promote team identity and foster group cohesion (Siebdrat, Hoegl, & Ernst, 2009; Timmerman & Scott, 2006). When costs, time, or distance get in the way of such gatherings, help your team develop other ways of attending to members’ social needs. Make time for conversations about things other than work, such as group members’ interests or hobbies. Or create a team Web site that contains pictures of each member and information about their backgrounds and interests. Getting to know one another can help team members feel more of a social connection.