Effective Communication on Virtual Teams

 

Effective Communication on Virtual Teams

Deana Messer

University of Arizona Global Campus

EDU 337:  Collaboration in the Virtual Classroom

Dr. Julie Allen

January 27, 2026

Advantages of Working on a Virtual Team

1) Find the Best Talent

    When working on a virtual team, you can take your time and find people who have the best talent-- whether they are in Switzerland, USA, or South Africa. No matter the project, you can find the best talent to work on said project.

2) Increased Flexibility

    Members on the team can sometimes decide when and where they work-- whether it be by the pool, in a home office, or in a coffee shop. There is some flexibility in hours while working remotely as well.

3) Companies can Save Money

    "Fully virtual teams also carry huge savings by avoiding the need to invest in a physical office space." (Dimitrov, 2024) This demonstrates that companies do not have to pay for leasing a building or utilities. Companies love saving money when not having to support offices for all their workers.  When employees don't have to take time to commute, they are more productive while at home. This, too, saves the company money in the long-run.

4) There are More Diverse Perspectives

    When you bring a group of people together from a variety of countries, cultures, and backgrounds, you are going to have a higher rate of creativity. There will be ideas brought up that may have never been brought up before and problems will be solved at a faster rate because we are bringing up diverse ways of thinking.

5) More Productivity

    "...having some team members in a different time zone can enable work to happen while other team members are off, ensuring everything is done by the deadline." (Dimitrov, 2024) This statement means that there can be many people working around the clock to complete work. Some team members will be sleeping within their time zones while others are working. What a great way to complete a task!

Challenges of Working on a Virtual Team

1) Higher Cost for Technology

    "These costs can also come from purchasing physical technology like laptops, cameras, monitors, etc. to ensure team members can meet, discuss, and work effectively from a distance." (Dimitrov, 2024) This statement proves that when a company must provide equipment to a remote team, it may become extremely costly to give all team members keyboards, laptops, webcams, and other tools needed to be a successful virtual team. 

2) Feeling Disconnected from Each Other

    Though a virtual team works on projects or collaborates on workplace content, there is very little time to understand one another as a person. Rarely do virtual teams take the time to listen to a person's outside interests or struggles. This makes the people on the virtual team feel disconnected and lonely. This could mean that that morale and collaboration will suffer.

3) Culture is Difficult to Build

    "First is that a lot of culture building comes down to simply seeing what others are doing. When not working together in a physical office, that happens far less often." (Dimitrov, 2024) This demonstrates that virtual teams struggle creating a culture of their own simply because they don't have the ability to view one another or communicate in person. Yes, a virtual team can set up meetings online, but truly a virtual team is only able to see what they want one another to see, therefore creating a false culture while they are working online. 

4) Struggles with Technology

    There could be electricity outages or software updates that could create a rift in productivity for virtual teams. Some team members may not be familiar with specific software or technology and may require more training to do their job efficiently. Both of these examples slow down the productivity of a virtual team. 

5) There May Be Security Issues

    "But virtual work means more people accessing sensitive information from more places using more devices." (Dimitrov, 2024) With many people getting information about the company while working remotely, it's possible that that information may be leaked into the hands of hackers willing to bring down a company. 

Overcoming the Challenges of Working on a Virtual Team

     The first challenge that was discussed was the cost of technology that went into creating a successful virtual team. The company should pay for one collaboration tool (instead of many) so that the whole company will be communicating on the one software. With only one collaboration software being used, there will be less training needed as well. Companies can also negotiate with vendors who sell licenses for their products. 

    Another challenge is that members will not feel connected with one another. According to Birje (2023),  ..."team-building exercises give remote staff an opportunity to better interact with one another, which leads to more open, effective, and empathetic communication within the team." This means that more team-building exercises should be built into virtual team meetings. This will help the team feel more connected not only as co-workers, but as people.

    Culture is difficult to build on a virtual team, but not impossible! In order to build a culture on a virtual team, One must encourage meaningful conversations both with chat and with video calls. Having regular discussions to get to know one another in a deep, meaningful way will create a culture of trust amongst the team. Another way to create culture on a virtual team is to celebrate how each team member contributed to a project. Lastly, create shared norms for the group as to how to make decisions, how to communicate, and when to collaborate. This will reduce the number of misunderstandings on the team.

    Technology is a blessing, but sometimes a curse. On a virtual team there may be times in which technology may prove to be a curse, but it doesn't have to be. A way to solve this problem is to provide training to all team members so that they understand how to work the software they will be utilizing for their role. Another way to solve this problem is to educated team members on how to reach out to IT support should something go awry. Team members should also be updating their software regularly as well as testing technology prior to important meetings.

    Security is often a concern with remote workers. There is a simple solution to this challenge. Remote workers should be on a virtual private network (VPN) to ensure that all the data that is being used by the worker is secure and not accessible to outsiders. Team members should also be given cybersecurity training to ensure they are not clicking links or opening unsafe emails that may open their computer to hackers or unsafe individuals. The last solve for this challenge would be to have team members use multi-factor identification to continually keep information secure from the wrong hands.

5 Ways to Effectively Communicate Online

1) Instant Messaging

    "Instant messaging is an important tool to quickly communicate with colleagues, peers, or seniors in real-time using text messages, voice calls, and video calls." (Birje, 2023) This method of communication is used typically when a team member requires a fast response from another team member. Documents and files can often be shared through instant messages as well.

2) Email

    This method of communication is used when multiple people need information and it often requires documentation. "It allows you to record conversations as well as attach files or documents, making it a convenient way to share relevant information. "(Birje, 2023) Email is convenient especially when communicating with people in different departments or outside of the company.

    

3) Online Meeting via Video Platform

    Online meetings are typically used when people are spread out geographically but attempting to discuss a complex project or idea. Online meetings give participants the ability to see one another, their reactions, and make a stronger connection that just email or instant messaging. Polls and quizzes can be utilizes during these online meetings to create even more interactivity.

4) Project Management Tool

    A project management tool is one in which all the team can view who is assigned to what task of a particular project. This is also a place in which documents concerning a project is stored. "With the use of project management tools, remote teams can effectively track progress, identify potential bottlenecks, and ensure timely project delivery." (Birje, 2023) This proves that using a project management tool will enhance productivity and can track the progress of a project.

5) Video Messages

    This method of communication is used when a person wants to explain a process or show something in particular to their team members. This method of communication allows the receiver to view it any time they wish. It also allows the person to re-watch the material in case they didn't understand the message the first time. 

The Importance of Good Communication While on a Virtual Team

    Communicating with team members who may or may not be in the same time zone proves to be difficult. To add to that challenge,  members may have cultural differences, varying personalities, and different ways they prefer to work and communicate. As if it wasn't difficult enough, this team must align and work towards the same goal-- completing a project together. Communication "...allows for clear articulation of goals, responsibilities, and expectations, which are essential for remote teams to function optimally. "(Kaplan, n.d.) This proves why communication is the foundation for any virtual team to be successful. Without communication, the team won't have alignment, frustration will be present, and ultimately, the project deadline may be missed.

Example of When Communication Was Not Present

    In college, I was tasked with working with a group of people to build a unit in which all four subjects--- social studies, science, math, and language arts--- were represented. We have four people in the group and each of us had a specialty subject (one of the four subjects listed above).   I had known one of the girls in my group prior to this project assignment (Dee), so we already had built a rapport with one another. The other team members were a bit shy and didn't show initiative when we were discussing the various parts of the project. As it turned out, after we had left our classroom, Dee and I called and emailed one another and tried to meet up with the other members of our group. They ignored our phone call messages as well as our emails. In the end, Dee and I ended up completing the entire project ourselves. Luckily, we were able to assess our team members and their contributions to our project, and the professor was made aware of their lack of contributions to our project.

    This experience was frustrating because me and my other team member had to double our workload simply because our other team members refused to communicate with us. Dee and I were bitter about the extra work and panicked when we couldn't communicate with our team members. The lack of communication caused panic, frustration, and bitterness among our "team." Without communication you can't set up deadlines, expectations, quality checks, or feel more at ease with your final product. 

3 Suggestions to Improve Communication on a Virtual Team

1) Respond and Support

    "To help develop trust on a virtual team, encourage everyone to respond promptly to requests from their teammates, take the time to provide substantive feedback, proactively suggest solutions to problems the team is facing, and maintain a positive and supportive tone in communications. " (Hill & Bartol, 2018) This statement is advising that team members respond positively and in a timely manner so that team members will build trust with each other. This is proven to work because members of the team will begin to rely on each other when they know they will get a positive response and help on a task. 

2) Be clear in your messages to your team

    Many times we use emails or instant messages to communicate, however, this can sometimes make the receiver of the message read the message in a negative tone. "...recipients of an email that is intended to convey positive emotions tend to interpret that message as emotionally neutral. Similarly, an email with a slightly negative tone is likely to be interpreted as more intensely negative than intended." (Hill & Bartol, 2018) When communicating to team members highlight important information and try to pump positivity into the email. If in doubt of the tone of your email, have another co-worker read the email to ensure your message doesn't have a negative tone. 

3) Select the right technology

    Email, instant messages, and video conferencing calls all have different capabilities and serve different purposes within the virtual team realm.  As a team, there should be discussions about when each tool should be utilized to make everyone's role a bit easier. When the right communication tool is selected, miscommunications are diminished, goals are aligned, and projects can be completed in a timely manner.

Resources

Birje, A. (2023, October 19). 15 practical communication tips and guides for remote teams. Airmeet. https://www.airmeet.com/hub/blog/15-practical-communication-tips-and-guides-for-remote-teams/

Dimitrov, D. (2024, March 29). 7 advantages and disadvantages of virtual teams. Dreamix. https://dreamix.eu/insights/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-virtual-teams/

Hill, N. S., & Bartol, K. M. (2018). Five ways to improve communication in virtual teams. MIT Sloan Management Review. Retrieved from https://ctsicn.org/sites/g/files/zaskib901/files/2021-04/Hill%20%26%20Bartol%20-%20Improving%20Communication%20in%20Virtual%20Teams.pdf

Kaplan, S. (n.d.). Mastering the art of virtual team communication: Strategies for success. SorenKaplan.com. https://www.sorenkaplan.com/virtual-team-communication/