I loved cartoons when I was a child. Still do. Have you ever noticed how simple communication appears in an animated world? I suppose that’s part of the make-believe magic.
The Jetsons were as much a Saturday morning staple in my house as Malt-O-Meal. I loved watching George walk Astro on the moving sidewalk or Mr. Spacely yelling at George via the virtual big screen. Joseph Barbera and William Hanna might have been technological prophets. Oh, airport conveniences and Skype communication are now commonplace, but The Jetsons were early 1960s fare. Too bad communication hasn’t kept pace with our technological advancement.
Technology has revolutionized worldwide commerce. Virtual companies of all types are popping up like wild toadstools. Brick and mortar storefronts are giving way to increasing e-commerce. Regional players are going national, as domestic operations expand internationally.
Without doubt, business owners enjoy a plethora of advantages – reduced costs, greater market share, consumer convenience and accessibility, electronic networking of sister locations, etc. Meanwhile communication suffers due to the inherent challenges of a virtual environment:
• Relationships are harder to form in cyberspace;
• Psychological distance breeds feelings of isolation, loneliness and disconnection;
• Team roles and objectives don’t emerge as easily;
• Communication is even more complex (irrespective of easy access);
• Teammates cannot read nonverbal cues (except for video conferencing, which has its own challenges);
• Rapport is difficult to establish in cold cyberspace.
One and two-dimensional communication is simply inferior when compared with face-to-face interaction. We are wired to be together with others. Technology is no substitute for physical presence, and often impedes relationship.
Nonetheless, ours has become a virtual world, so deal with that we must. Here are some ways to compensate by becoming better virtual teammates:
• Seek and seize frequent opportunities to share more information;
• Get proactively and enthusiastically engaged with those in other locations;
• Strive to be increasingly collaborative;
• Respond reasonably quickly;
• Routinely give updates and “heads up” messages;
• Be purposeful in honing your virtual social skills (phone tone, e-mail etiquette, etc.);
• Provide encouraging, productive feedback to those in other locations;
• Routinely offer assistance;
• Make your own projects and work more visible to other locations (shared network drives, freescreensharing.com, etc.); and
• Travel to other locations for face time as often as feasible.
Bottom line, we all must work harder in communicating with our virtual teams. Judy, Elroy and, yes, even cantankerous Mr. Spacely really are worth the extra effort!
© 2013 Russ Riddle. All rights reserved.