International teams

While some companies are reacting to the economic downturn by cutting training budgets, the wiser ones are seeing the fact that people might have more time on their hands as an opportunity to invest in training that has the potential to impact their business in the long term.

One area which, it seems to me, has a great potential for improvement is making international teams work more efficiently. As offshoring continues, more and more people are finding themselves working in international teams. Especially as many of these teams communicate virtually, the challenges are considerable. If teams don’t work efficiently, there is a serious risk of delays and unplanned costs that can negate any positive effects of offshoring.

Just as the computer didn’t bring the paperless office, so video conferencing hasn’t completely replaced business travel. There is obviously no substitute for a face-to-face meeting, although these virtual tools are becoming more manageable. This week I discovered Microsoft’s "Live Meeting", which seems to me to be very promising.

As Microsoft describes it: "Live Meeting gives you the power to work together with colleagues, customers, and suppliers, no matter where you are. For online meetings, training, and events, Live Meeting is the effective meeting solution that enables you to collaborate with either individuals or large groups — without leaving your desk. With meeting attendees participating from their PCs, you can kick off a project, brainstorm ideas, edit files, collaborate on whiteboards, and negotiate deals at a fraction of the cost and hassle of travel."

Of course, teams need to be trained in the effective use of these tools. Team leaders need to know how to turn cultural differences in their teams from a barrier to success into something positive. To motivate team members around the world they also need a knowledge of working environments and HR policies in different countries.

So, hopefully, there is still a lot of work to be done by those of us in the training community.

York Associates and dialogin The Delta Academy are organizing a conference on the topic of "High performing international teams" that will take place at the University of York in the UK from 17 – 18 September.