Maximizing the Effectiveness of Global Virtual Teams

Abstract

Global virtual teams (GVTs) are an ever-expanding reality in today's oilfield. In comparison to a traditional team in which individuals are co-located and regularly work face-to-face to accomplish their goals, GVTs work while separated by time, space and even culture. Their use allows organizations to leverage a concentrated group of technical experts in combination with local teams. However, GVTs operate differently than co-located teams. When organizations assume otherwise, they are likely to be disappointed with the results. This paper consists of a review of scholarly literature along with news sources, observations and interviews with individuals who work in GVTs in the oilfield. Maximizing the benefit of GVTs requires organizations to acknowledge and accommodate the manners in which global virtual teams differ from co-located teams. When this is not done, teams will lack efficiency, yield poorer performance, and result in a less satisfied workforce. While personal leadership styles such as transformational leadership are often found to be most effective for co-located teams, shared leadership as well as styles that are less relationship-based may be more effective when face-to-face interactions are less accessible. Much of the communication in global virtual teams is computer-mediated and asynchronous, for example, by email. Without body language, tone of voice, and real-time reactions, this kind of communication often invites misunderstandings and fails to convey team member intent. This can be especially challenging during inter-cultural communication. Technologies such as phone calls, web- and video-conferencing, and even augmented reality can enrich and improve the effectiveness of communication. Flexible scheduling can also help teams who are separated by multiple time-zones. Finally, team cohesion and effectiveness can be substantially improved through judicious use of travel for working site visits where teams have a chance to work together in real-time as well as engage in personal social interactions. Increasing the intentionality with which organizations support and manage their GVTs has the potential to substantially increase their effectiveness. Despite the prevalence of GVTs in oilfield organizations, a search on this topic in the OnePetro oilfield literature database yields few results. This paper describes many of the challenges that exist within global virtual teams that are less likely to be present within co-located teams. It also proposes leadership strategies, technology, and other methods that organizations can use to overcome these challenges and maximize the effectiveness of their GVTs.