With globalization and advances in information technology, virtual work arrangements have become a staple in organizations. The business reasons for having employees working virtually are: reduced real estate expenses, improved customer service, leverage global talent, reduced time to market, environmental benefits, to name a few. Virtual teams have significant advantages; however, it poses some challenges too. A rich body of research has listed the following cha l lenges with v irtua l teams: rel ationa l communication and trust, cultural issues, feelings of isolation (out of sight, out of mind), differences in work ethic, risk of low productivity as some team members may not use time wisely and others may suffer burnout Ferrazi (2014). Given the premise that the team is spread across locations and time zones, engaging such a team seems to be a major challenge for any organization. The complexity of communication effectiveness, trust and employee engagement becomes multi-fold in a virtual environment. The role of leadership communication has undergone a paradigm shift in the last few years. Read more
