Virtual teams (VTs) are increasingly popular working arrangements. Its undeniable efficiencies are tempered by cultural and language differences that lead to what I call ‘Lost in Translation’ challenges. A common difficulty seen in global virtual teams concerns differences in understanding of English, both in proficiency levels and in interpretation. For example, words like “yes” or “done” often mean different things in different cultures. I propose four strategies that can increase your effectiveness as a virtual manager. These recommendations come from extensive research I have conducted on culture in the virtual space including extensive interviews with virtual managers and team members.
Four strategies to get lost in translation
When researching material for my book, I asked VT managers and team members: How do you keep team members from getting lost in translation despite cultural differences? Below are suggestions worth repeating.
1. Be curious
Keep an open mind, sharpen your ‘people antenna’ and ask questions. Know that your culture is not the only one in the world. Be willing to learn about diverse cultures and trust your colleagues enough to ask questions. If your team is cross-cultural, ask everyone to participate in creating a team glossary so members are clear on the different variations of English expressions.
2. Accommodate cross-cultural differences by putting it in writing
Encourage your team to understand and adapt to each other’s personal work styles and preferences. To facilitate this, provide multiple channels of communication, clear instructions for each phase of a project, and check back frequently. For many cultures it is better to stick with the written word to confirm the verbal. Many managers follow up their virtual meetings with written summaries to ensure clarity. Some cultures (many Asian cultures) are more structured and respond to a ‘tell me how to do it and I’ll wait for your address’ approach, while other cultures (the US) are more entrepreneurial and might ‘go ahead and do it and get sloppy‘, as noted by a VT manager at a technology company.
3. Create cross-cultural collaboration
When working across cultures and time zones, it’s important to create common ground across the team. One way to do this is to create shared goals, provide clear and specific direction, and offer support and encouragement. Besides establishing communication routines and regularly checking in on your virtual team, what else can you do? A VT manager from a litigation firm told me: “It’s just a matter of finding that connection with people, finding the common piece that connects us as human beings, and it always starts with respecting people and their experiences and discovering new ways to connect people.”
4. Become a true culture manager
Whether local or global, look across the horizon at the landscape, recognizing that events in one place impact another. I call this type of visionary leadership VISTA leadership. It requires advanced understanding, insight, and hyper-openness to how people interact across cultures.
As so beautifully put by a client who led a global team at a healthcare solutions company, “When it comes to becoming a culture manager, you need to know that you don’t know. There are so many unknowns and you have to manage them and look for them.”
I hope these four strategies for UN-lost in Translation will help you translate English to English on your own computers.
Copyright 2011 – Yael Zofi and AIM Strategies®. All rights reserved