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Real world problems of decentralized teams

CNET posted this article on the difficulties of working with people distributed all over the world. Language barriers, cultural differences, different time zones and expensive travel costs... ...amazing that people get any work done at all these days.

Add to that the problem with hard to use technology that strips away visual cues and real contact between people. Very difficult indeed.

Here's a management challenge: Run a 16-country, multilingual team that operates on both sides of the international date line, and make it capable of interpreting thousands of arcane and sometimes conflicting government regulations for product designers back home. And try doing it at a time when travel budgets are tighter than ever.

It's a common sight in many offices: groups of people huddled around a spiderlike Polycom speakerphone for a meeting with colleagues in any number of remote locations. Meeting via phone is often a useful tactic, but have you ever noticed the dynamics of those meetings? If the groups are uneven in size, members of the larger group tend to dominate the conversation and engage in side talk while someone else is speaking. Unable to see each other, people inadvertently interrupt and miss significant visual cues. Some members almost never speak, and by the end of some sessions it appears that there have been two meetings (or three or however many nodes make up the meeting) instead of just one.

The challenge of global employees - Tech News - CNET.com

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