ABSTRACT
To succeed in the global economy today, more and more companies are relying on a geographically dispersed workforce. In the context of global teams, the structural factors determining social distance are the location and number of sites where team members are based and the number of employees who work at each site. The team is a single entity, even though individual members may be very different from one another. The leader should encourage sensitivity to differences but look for ways to bridge them and build unity. It is important to remind team members that they share a common purpose and to direct their energy toward business-unit or corporate goals. Good communication among coworkers drives effective knowledge sharing, decision making, coordination, and, ultimately, performance results. Global teams work most smoothly when members get where their colleagues are coming from. The modes of communication used by global teams must be carefully considered, because the technologies can both reduce and increase social distance.
