Thought Item #1-B

Written By: Aaliyan Khan

Professor Jana Raver

MGBL 853: Global Virtual Teams

Queen’s University, Smith School of Business

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In a world where technology is constantly evolving to offer more accessibility and

connectivity, it is up to leaders to enable more performance effectiveness within their global

virtual teams. To create this effectiveness, leaders must select team members who can be

emotionally present when working with others and provide them with the resources to manage

their workload to develop that presence towards each other in moments of collaboration and

connection.

Selecting the right team members plays a critical factor in the performance potential of

teams. While factors such as good communication, high EQ, and resilience are all important to

consider in member selection (Ferrazzi, 2014), it is essential to find people who understand and

implement a level of mindfulness into their work and interactions. This mindfulness level means

they focus only on the matters before them. Being mindful ensures that team members focus on

their team members and are free from physical and emotional distractions.

When a team member is distracted in moments of teamwork and collaboration, even

when they are not working on anything in front of them, it can hinder their ability to display

empathy - leading to a lower level of respect if other team members notice distraction. When

distracted, a team member cannot be attentively aware of other’s needs, roles, and perspectives,

which hinders the potential of effective teaming that requires this awareness (Bernstein, 2016). A

team can avoid these issues through mindfulness, being physically and emotionally present, and

enabling performance effectiveness.

There are several things that managers can do that can foster more mindfulness in their

teams. Leaders can deliberate with their team members on what is expected of them and provide

guidelines for interactions to avoid uncertainty (Bernstein, 2016). Leaders can remind their team

members to be free of distractions when communicating with other team members. While
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physical distractions are easy to notice, if a team member is distracted by something emotionally,

it is important for that team member to have the resources to acknowledge and address that

distraction. Using tools such as task-management software, a planner, or a journal (to name a

few) can help team members reduce the likelihood of their emotional distraction to carry forward

in communication with other team members, as they have taken the steps to “de-clutter” their

mind with those distracting thoughts and ideas. A team member with information overload will

lessen their problem-solving ability (Hallowell, 2005). Similarly, if the information overload is

from their internal thoughts, they cannot have collaborative and genuine interactions with their

team members.

It is important to note that this recommendation has certain cultural boundary conditions

that must be considered. First, this recommendation emphasizes the importance of emotional

intelligence and mindfulness in team members. Different cultures may have varying views on

emotional expression and mindfulness practices. Some cultures may prioritize emotional

restraint and collectivism over individual emotional awareness (Menabney, 2019). Furthermore,

this recommendation discusses the importance of empathy and respect within teams. These

values can be culturally influenced, with some cultures emphasizing respect for authority and

others valuing egalitarianism and open dialogue (Torelli et al., 2020). Finally, the concept of

information overload and its impact on problem-solving and collaboration can be influenced by

cultural attitudes toward multitasking, efficiency, and work-related stress (Yip et al., 2020).
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References

Bernstein, E. (2016). Leading teams. Core Curriculum in Organizational Behavior, Harvard

Business Publishing.

Ferrazzi, K. (2014). Managing yourself: Getting virtual teams right. Harvard Business Review,

92(12), 120–123.

Hallowell, E.M. (2005). Overloaded circuits: Why smart people underperform. Harvard

Business Review, 83(1), 54–62.

Menabney, D. (2020, February 11). Why Emotional Intelligence Needs Cultural Intelligence

when working across borders. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/darrenmenabney/2020/12/30/why-emotional-intelligence-

needs-cultural-intelligence-when-working-across-borders/?sh=2e761e1661a7

Torelli, C. J., Leslie, L. M., To, C., & Kim, S. (2020). Power and status across cultures. Current

Opinion in Psychology, 33, 12–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.05.005

Yip, J. A., Levine, E. E., Brooks, A. W., & Schweitzer, M. E. (2020). Worry at work: How

organizational culture promotes anxiety. Research in Organizational Behavior, 40,

100124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2020.100124