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Virtual intercultural teams 
Session 1: 
Virtual teamwork in my work environment
Learning journal

Except where otherwise noted, the content contained in this document is licensed under a 
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v 4.0. 
The work is attributable to: 
Project Team „Edubox Virtual intercultural teams“ / HOOU

Content / Tasks

1.1	Prelude
1.2	Virtual teamwork, an introduction
	Changes in work environments	
	Virtuality – what are we talking about?	
1.3	Characteristics of virtual teamwork, a critical perspective
1.4	Different types of virtual teams
	Teams and their level of virtuality	
1.5	Virtual team competencies, a general introduction
	Competencies and virtual teams	
1.6	Summary
1.7	Learning review
	Case: IT problems	
	Case: Designing a new office chair	
1.8	Sources, further reading and web links

► 1.2 Virtual teamwork, an introduction
	Changes in work environments	
What do Sayah Berjandi, James Kirwan and Natalia Bialobrzewska have to say about the changes in their work environment? 
	
What has changed in your own work environment in the context of virtuality and teamwork?

	Virtuality – what are we talking about?	
What comes into your mind when you think about ‘virtuality’ or ‘virtualness’? 

	Teams and their level of virtuality	
When looking at virtual teamwork from a perceptual perspective we can consider its discontinuities. Considering a team you have been working with or intend to work with, note down how you would assess its level of virtuality. In order to do this, refer to the five factors that were discussed and, for each one of them, rate your team’s level of virtuality from 1 (low) over 2 (medium) to 3 (high):
Dimension	Level of virtuality  (rating from 1 to 3)	
Geographical dispersion		
Notes: 	
Electronic dependence		
Notes: 	
Level of diversity of team members		
Notes: 	
Flexibility of structural arrangements		
Notes: 	
Safety of communication climate		
Notes: 	
► 1.5 Virtual team competencies – a general introduction
	Competencies and virtual teams	
Below you find a list of competencies supporting the effectiness of virtual teamwork. Please click on the dropdown box next to each item and choose the category of competencies it belongs to.
Dimension	Category of competencies	
Professional usage of information and communication technologies	Choose...	
Open-mindedness towards different ideas	Choose...	
Managing teamwork across different time-zones	Choose...	
Flexibility in dealing with unexpected circumstances	Choose...	
Readiness to change one’s beliefs and work routines	Choose...	
Suspending judgement	Choose...	
Perceiving communication- and language-related challenges and addressing them adequately	Choose...	
Ensuring the visibility of each team member	Choose...	
Interpreting communicative cues to understand other person’s intentions	Choose...	
Choosing between synchronous and asynchronous media	Choose...	
Working autonomously	Choose...	
Emotional strength in dealing with uncertainty	Choose...	
Time- and self-management skills	Choose...	
Reflected awareness of one’s own concepts, perceptions and routines	Choose...	
Virtual self-efficacy and confidence in one’s skills of working in a remote setting	Choose...	
Developing and synchronising interactional routines	Choose...	
Avoiding isolation and emotional disconnection	Choose...	
Switching between different perspectives	Choose...	
Readiness to step out of one’s comfort zone	Choose...	

► 1.7 Learning review
	Virtuality – what are we talking about?	
Considering this case, where do you see the level of challenges on the five dimensions?
Please rate it from 1 (little to no challenges expected here), over 2 (probably some challenges here to focus on) to 3 (highly challenging – strong focus on this needed).
Most importantly, also write down your reasons for your ratings. Please also keep in mind that there is no strict "right" or "wrong" answer. Depending on the interpretation, many different evaluations could be argued. 
Dimension	Level of challenges  (rating from 1 to 3)	
Geographical dispersion		
Notes / reasons for your assessment: 	
Electronic dependence		
Notes / reasons for your assessment: 	
Level of diversity of team members		
Notes / reasons for your assessment: 	
Flexibility of structural arrangements		
Notes / reasons for your assessment: 	
Safety of communication climate		
Notes / reasons for your assessment: 	

	Case: Designing a new office chair	
Considering this case, where do you see the level of challenges on the five dimensions?
Please rate it from 1 (little to no challenges expected here), over 2 (probably some challenges here to focus on) to 3 (highly challenging- strong focus on this needed).
Most importantly, also write down your reasons for your ratings. Please also keep in mind that there is no strict "right" or "wrong" answer. Depending on the interpretation, many different evaluations could be argued. 
Dimension	Level of challenges  (rating from 1 to 3)	
Geographical dispersion		
Notes / reasons for your assessment: 	
Electronic dependence		
Notes / reasons for your assessment: 	
Level of diversity of team members		
Notes / reasons for your assessment: 	
Flexibility of structural arrangements		
Notes / reasons for your assessment: 	
Safety of communication climate		
Notes / reasons for your assessment: