Leading in a Multicultural Virtual Organization
Refer to the article “Successfully Transitioning to a Virtual Organization: Challenges, Impact and Technology,” where the author presents factors that can enhance or derail success in a virtual organization.
Imagine that you are a certified project manager at Arup. Arup conducts robust post-project peer reviews. You are assigned to assess the Water Cube team’s performance managing a global, virtual, and diverse project team.
Prepare a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses these items:
- Select two enhancers from the model in Figure 1 below. Assess whether or not the Water Cube project management team achieved the selected enhancers. Identify specific examples to justify your assessment.
- Select two derailers from the model in Figure 1 below. Assess whether or not the Water Cube project management team successfully avoided the selected derailers. Identify specific examples to justify your assessment.
| Figure 1: A Model to Enhance Leadership Skills for Success in a Multicultural Virtual Organization | |
| Enhancers | Derailers |
| Promote trust and maintain effective working relationships with virtual workers. | Inability to establish the additional levels of trust required with remote workers |
| Establish virtual guiding principles and organization charters to ensure the organization is in alignment. | Inadequate communications skills required for virtual network effectiveness |
| Identify and define virtual worker roles, responsibilities, and accountability. | Lack of comfort and expertise with technologies required for success in the virtual organization |
| Establish a reward and recognition process commensurate with the virtual organization characteristics while maintaining consistency with traditional organization structure. | Inability to address conflict resolution within the group |
| Demonstrate cultural competency when interacting globally. | Lack of sensitivity toward different styles of communication |
| Source: Successfully transitioning to a virtual organization: Challenges, impact and technology. (2010, April). HR Magazine, 55(4), 1–9. | |
References:
Successfully transitioning to a virtual organization: Challenges, impact and technology. (2010, April). HR Magazine, 55(4), 1–9.
Smits, K. (2017). An invisible constraint: Don’t overlook the power of organizational culture. Here’s how to nurture a positive environment. PM Network, 31(5), 24.
another reference:
Zou, P. X. W., & Leslie-Carter, R. (2010). Lessons learned from managing the design of the ‘Water Cube’ National Swimming Centre for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 6(3), 175–188.
Answer preview
Derailers are those aspects or attributes that can delay the or push back the progress of a project. As the project manager, we were aware of some of the derailers that would emerge, and we worked very hard not to be affected. One of the derailers was that of inadequate communication skills for the virtual teams. Communication is always key, and when it is compromised, it becomes a factor that can lead to failure (Zou, & Leslie-Carter, 2010). However, the project team was able to counter this, and communication did not affect us by any means. A second derailer that affects a project team is that of an inability to address and come up with a conflict resolution between the virtual employees. Many are the times when workers seem not to agree with each other on some items which are either way healthy. However, if the disagreements are not addressed in infancy, they can end up becoming more significant issues than thought. The water cube project had a very well outlined procedure which helped in the addressing of conflicts, and this did not affect them at all.
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