Read Sean Dubberke’s MOBILITY magazine article by clicking here.

All employees of global organizations are candidates for intercultural training, and the article highlights the methods and strategies experts use today to build the global business skills required to perform internationally.

RW3 CultureWizard

84% of Global Employees Not Prepared for Today’s Work Requirements
Study shows virtual work poses significant challenges to a majority of corporate employees

NEW YORK, NY – According to a study conducted by RW3 CultureWizard, an intercultural communication training organization, 87% of white collar employees of multinational companies conduct at least part of their work virtually. The study went on to find that while the vast majority of these employees encountered challenges in virtual work, only 16% had any training to prepare them.

The study had a stunning response rate: 3,300 business people from 103 countries. ”It is clear that the survey struck a nerve,” says Charlene Solomon, president of RW3. “In fact, the huge response itself is one of the key findings. There is a pent-up demand for expressing the difficulty of working virtually across time zones, languages and cultures.”

The 2012 Virtual Teams Survey Report – Challenges of Working in Virtual Teams found that in the virtual workplace decisions take longer and are harder to make, the absence of visual cues makes it more difficult to collaborate and building team trust is difficult. The survey also found that working across time zones rivaled communication and other culturally based challenges as the biggest hurdle facing corporate employees.

“It appears that while nearly everyone in today’s workplace recognizes the need—and appreciates the value—of virtual work, it is not easy, especially when cultural differences, time zone challenges, accents and communication styles enter the equation,” says Solomon.

The survey unearthed some surprises:
– 41% of virtual team members never met their colleagues in a face-to-face setting.
– 87% of respondents indicated at least 25% of their productivity depended upon working virtually.
– 33% said at least half of their virtual teams were outside the home country.
– Respondents reported virtual teams were most different from face-to-face teams in managing conflict (70%), expressing opinions (55%), and making decisions (55%).
– The top five challenges during team meetings were: insufficient time to build relationships (79%), speed of decision making (73%), lack of participation (71%), different leadership styles (69%), and the method of decision making (55%).

“The rapid pace of globalization and the growing number of collaborative software solutions have enabled virtual work, and the demand for skills from around the world have made it a necessity, but virtual team work is not intuitive,” says Michael Schell, RW3’s CEO. “It’s about time we recognize the human side of the equation.”

For more information or an interview on the 2012 Virtual Teams Survey Report, contact sean.dubberke@rw-3.com or dial +1-212-691-8900.

RW3 CultureWizard is an intercultural training consultancy that specializes in creating online solutions and e-learning facilities for its multinational organizations. Founded in 2001 and with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and London, RW3 blends over 30 years of experience in teaching global culture with cutting edge technologies. The company’s services include instructor led cross-cultural training, global and virtual team building and international assignee support.

RW3 CultureWizard

Here is the relevant excerpt:

Newell Rubbermaid, which has employees in more than 70 countries, requires its vice presidents and above to go through its Working in a Global Matrix program to help those leaders build skills they need to be successful in a global environment.

‘The program allows leaders to learn how conflict can be used to reinforce relationships within the organizational structure,’ Hults said. ‘[It] helps them understand their personal leadership style and how that can both help them and hinder them when working internationally. They can then use these insights to help them make adjustments in how they lead to be more effective outside of their home country.’

Further, every employee can access free of charge the CultureWizard, an online tool that provides an array of information about a country’s population, culture, economy and other stats. ‘It gives them an opportunity to learn a bit about the culture and the people that they’re seeing before they go into a country,’ he said…

By taking proactive steps to identify and develop the next generation of global executives, organizations can march boldly into today’s uber-competitive business battlefield.

Click here to read the full article. Thanks, Brian!

RW3 CultureWizard

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