Journal of Applied Linguistic and Intercultural Studies (JALIS)

CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS FOR TRUST BUILDING IN VIRTUAL MULTICULTURAL TEAMS

The paper explores successful approaches to communication management of culturally diverse virtual teams. Virtual team leaders often face challenges when building trust among team members. The text presents how cultural diversity in teams influences communication practices, such as active listening, taking turns in conversations, negotiating agreements and following instructions from the team leader. The author suggests five solutions for global team managers: 1) creating common values that all members agree on; 2) observing and moderating discussions to ensure full participation; 3) managing time using a time-converging approach; 4) incorporating hierarchy perception when moderating discussions; 5) using translanguaging approach to maximize mutual understanding between participants. Full text …