Topic:Collaboration Skills for Virtual Cultural Teams - Essay Example

It is important for each member to respect the cultural diversity. Virtual Collaborative teams (VCT’s) consist of team members which are dispersed through different parts of the globe but work collectively to achieve a common goal. The collaboration is done through the use of the modern technology where the communication is made easier by emails, web conferencing, instant messages and web chats. The reason for using VCT’s by many organizations is that the cost is low, the work is completed efficiently as time is not a barrier for work and the communication between the employees is more effective than face to face meetings in the usual offices (Anawati & Craig, 2006).

But the perfect VCT is employed, if the communication level is excellent and a mutual understanding is present between the members of the VCT. This can be achieved by employing relationship building skills that can eliminate the confusion that may arise while working from different cultural backgrounds. Here we will discuss in detail, some of the components for building relationship skills in a virtual collaborative team (Roy, 2012). Trust: To have a strong relationship personal or official, trust is the first building block of a relationship.

Same can be applied to VCT’s. The members of such a team which cannot communicate face to face, needs the factor of trust for each other to have respect; to communicate effectively and consider the cultural differences of one another. The trust can be built if the team members indulge in personal communication before the project through web conferencing. This will increase the personalization element among the members (Martins, Gilson, & Maynard, 2004). Environment: The working environment for The VCT’s should be open for feedback, suggestion and criticism by all the members.

The members should be able to engage in active debate to discuss the