Many companies today rely on employees around the world,
leveraging their diversity and local expertise to gain a competitive edge.
However, geographically dispersed teams face a big challenge: Physical
separation and cultural differences can create social distance, or a lack of
emotional connection, that leads to misunderstandings and mistrust. To help
global team leaders manage effectively, the author shares her SPLIT framework
for mitigating social distance. It has five components: • Structure. If a team
is made up of groups with different views about their relative power, the
leader should connect frequently with those who are farthest away and
emphasize unity. • Process. Meeting processes should allow for informal
interactions that build empathy. • Language. Everyone, regardless of language
fluency, should be empowered to speak up. • Identity. Team members must be
active cultural learners and teachers to understand one another’s identity
and avoid misinterpreting behaviors. • Technology. When choosing between
videoconferencing, e-mail, and other modes of communication, leaders should
ask themselves if real-time conversation is desirable, if their message needs
reinforcement, and if they are opting for the technology they want others to
use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]