Tips to ease communication problems for team members

A Virtual Team — also known as a Geographically Dispersed Team (GDT) — is a group of individuals who work across time, space, and organizational boundaries with links strengthened by webs of communication technology. They have complementary skills and are committed to a common purpose, have interdependent performance goals, and share an approach to work for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. Geographically dispersed teams allow organizations to hire and retain the best people regardless of location. Members of virtual teams communicate electronically, so they may never meet face to face. However, most teams will meet at some point in time. A virtual team does not always mean teleworker. Teleworkers are defined as individuals who work from home. Many virtual teams in today's organizations consist of employees both working at home and small groups in the office but in different geographic locations. The following are some of the tips to ease communication problems for team members

• Allow the team members to get to know each other by arranging occasional face to face meetings. This can also be accomplished using webcams and video conferencing which may or may not necessitate that all team members use the same hardware and/or software applications.
• Allow team members to get an idea of where the overall project is going. This way each member will know how they fit into the project.
• Create a code of conduct. This will avoid delays and will make sure that requests are answered in a timely fashion.
• Do not allow team members to disappear. Have a calendar for each team member so that everyone's schedule is available to view.
• Develop trust among the team.
• Store charts, diagrams, etc. on the internet so that the whole team can see them.
• Create a 'face book' which includes information about background, interests and helps team members get to know each other better. Individuals choose the information to share. Connections and trust are built through relationships.