How To Bridge The Cultural Gap For A Virtual Team

by Denise O'Berry

Do you have any information on training on Cultural Awareness with a team in France and the US?

The Team Doc Says…

A culturally diverse team is becoming more the norm than the exception these days. One of the best things you can do for your team is identify the values for each team member as our actions are rooted in our values.

You can hire someone to do training for you, but I think that it would be far more effective for the team members to learn from each other. It may not be realistic to have team members meet face-to-face, but today’s technology offers every business the opportunity to meet via video and teleconference very cost effectively.

Have your team meet on a regular basis — every couple of weeks and then at least once a month — to discuss team issues, clarify roles and build trust in one another. It’s so much easier to work together when a team member has a face and not just a name. Communication is key to your team success.

You’ll also want to check out these previous questions (below) on how to make your virtual team the most effective. Just click on the title.

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More info on this topic at:

  1. Distributed Team Building Dilemma
  2. Give Me A Reason To Change
  3. Is Leaving The Team The Best Option?
  4. I Really Don’t Care What The Policy Says
  5. Team Member Feedback Should Yield No Surprises

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Los Angeles Team Building August 13, 2008 at 2:02 pm

This article hits it head on – even if you have employees that are not working directly with each other every day, it is very important to have some contact between them once in a while. It definitely helps to put a face to a name, especially when it is the people you work with!

Denise O'Berry August 16, 2008 at 6:37 pm

You bet! Thanks for taking the time to comment.

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