Student
Name: CHIU Yee Man, Mandy SID:
51072462
Group
Name: SSquare (group 9)
Self-reflection
of the learning journal of collaboration
Virtual
Collaboration is just like working in the
cloud, it was because it is the method of collaboration between people that is
carried out via technology-mediated communication. People can communicate
through different devices like telephone, email, whatsapp, skype, video
conferencing, audio conferencing etc instead of face-to-face interaction.
Virtual
collaboration is a new concept to me, since I have get use to physical
interaction and communication with my team members. If you ask me to
communicate with my friends by using whatsapp, telephone and email, I think it
is alright for me. But the course MGT6209 requires us to do a group project and
build a virtual team with the other group in the morning session by using the
technology devices. My first impression is “NONSENSE” and “IMMPOSSIBLE”. How can we finish the project without meeting
one another? What is virtual team? Can it work? Is it too ideal? All these
doubts stuffed up my mind because
1. Lack of Trust
Virtual team is a
collection of strangers. It is difficult to collaborate with a person or a team
whom you don’t know each other and never meet one another. Also, the cultural difference
between the members of virtual team gives rise to number of conflicts. As I know most of
the morning class students are came from Mainland. My bad experience with them made me
frustrate. During the discussion process, they recommend the NGO (UNESCO) to represent the
backpackers, however, we don’t know much about this NGO because it is a NGO in China. So
we need to take some time to negotiate and come up with a common view.
whom you don’t know each other and never meet one another. Also, the cultural difference
between the members of virtual team gives rise to number of conflicts. As I know most of
the morning class students are came from Mainland. My bad experience with them made me
frustrate. During the discussion process, they recommend the NGO (UNESCO) to represent the
backpackers, however, we don’t know much about this NGO because it is a NGO in China. So
we need to take some time to negotiate and come up with a common view.
2. Misunderstanding
Virtual
teams are adversely affected by the lack of physical interactions. Most of the
communications in virtual environment is
task-oriented. Both our teams are very clear about
the aim of the
collaboration. During the process, we chose to use email and whatsapp to
communicate. Actually email and
whatsapp is helpful and time-saving device. However, it is
difficult to decipher the emotion feelings of other people through
words. You cannot catch
the tone and real feeling of the other side.
What you can do is guess, this will lead to
misunderstanding and cause difficulties in collaborations.
3. Technological limits
Traditional teams can meet one another during
meetings. They can discuss issues face-to-face and come up to decision and
conclusion at the end of the meeting. However, virtual teams can only rely on
technology for communication. Members that do not understand how to
use the virtual collaboration technology cannot perform their tasks efficiently.
Also, with the experience, by using only email to communicate, it is difficult for us to know whether
the other team gets the email or not. By sending them the first email,
we have wait quite a long to gets the reply. We don’t know whether they have
received our message or not. However, by using whatsapp, the situation is
better since whatsapp can show the seen message.
Although virtual collaboration face lots of
challenge but I agree that it present two unique benefits. The first is
cost effective. Virtual
collaboration is much less costly compare with face-to-face meetings. The time
and cost of transportation has been saved. Since my group are all working
students, it is difficult for us to call a meeting, therefore virtual
collaboration is quite convenient to us. The second is virtual team also makes it easier to bring together a more diverse
group of skills, experiences and knowledge. Within our virtual team, we
have different cultural backgrounds, working experiences, talents and
knowledge. By collaborating, lots of creative ideas can come up which helps to
accomplish the task.
What I have learnt …..
Virtual teams differ from
traditional teams in two ways: (1) They are not usually collocated, and (2) due
to their lack of collocation, members of virtual teams depend primarily on
information technologies rather than face-to-face interaction to communicate
and coordinate their work effort.
But with the experience, I suggest that virtual team members
should meet face-to-face once at the early stage in the team development
process. Although this idea seem contradictory to the entire notion of
virtual teams, but so far no
technology has replaced face-to-face interaction for high-level bonding and
mutual understanding.
Negotiation can be positive or negative, it can be winning or
losing outcomes. This is what I experience during the virtual collaboration
process.
In the beginning, our
group suggests our project is talk about the virtual collaboration between
Apparel Industry and Animation Industry. However, the other group from the
morning class initiate to do the backpackers and the hotel group. After the
discussion within our group and seek advices from our professor, we finally agree with what they propose
but ask them try to think about a 3-stars hotels instead of a 5-stars. It was
because there is no need for a 5-stars hotel to collaborate with the
backpackers. We made the concession
because time is running out, we want to start the preparation as soon as
possible, therefore we don’t want to waste time to negotiate and argue. Also,
be honest, we really think that their suggestion can be take to consideration. We just want to settle the difference
and achieve the best possible outcomes.
But here comes to the main conflict between two groups
“SSquare” and “Do It Better”. In our point of view, we want to represent the
backpackers’ side from the backpackers
forum. However, they will represent the 3-stars hotel and suggest that the NGO (UNESCO) to represent
the backpackers. Both of us try to make our stand clear through
whatsapp and the message is sending to and fro and cannot compromise. So our group member sent an email to them
by making a table and asking them to fill in the table to justify their stands
and convince us to follow their ideas. Finally, we win and they willing to use
the backpackers forum to do the final project.
What I have learnt …..
Skills
to Negotiating Successfull
1. Understand what drives you and
others
Negotiating is
needs-based. What you ask for and the way you
behave when you negotiate are based on your needs. Since my
group is represent the backpackers therefore it is important to
us to know well and grasp the meaning and understanding of
the backpackers forum. What “Do it better” recommend is the
NGO from the Mainland which we don’t really know. So it
will be difficult for us do the preparation. Therefore we initiate
to do the backpackers forum instead of the NGO. It is
important to look at what we want and see how we reframe
what we are asking for to meet both our needs.
behave when you negotiate are based on your needs. Since my
group is represent the backpackers therefore it is important to
us to know well and grasp the meaning and understanding of
the backpackers forum. What “Do it better” recommend is the
NGO from the Mainland which we don’t really know. So it
will be difficult for us do the preparation. Therefore we initiate
to do the backpackers forum instead of the NGO. It is
important to look at what we want and see how we reframe
what we are asking for to meet both our needs.
2. Negotiate with honor, knowledge and understanding
Communication is an
important part of negotiating. Being able to apply 4Cs, care, clear,
comprehensive and calm can help to form the foundation for maintaining the
respect of both
parties.
CARE we try to show our understanding of
their situation and appreciate their efforts put in the
project.
CLEAR we try to make our idea and framework clear by
sending an email and drawing a
diagram to them.
COMPREHENSIVE by making
a table, we try to integrate our ideas and make our stand more
clear to them.
CALM whenever conflict arise, we stay calm and discuss with
one another before reply
to their
message.
3. Negotiate actively, honestly and fairly
The negotiating process has six stages. They include asking
questions, making affirmative
statements,
framing, listening, reasoning and reframing. When we negotiate whether using
the
backpackers forum or not, we have try to ask them why they think NGO is
suitable in this
situation and why they don’t want to chose backpackers forum.
We listen to their concerns and
ideas and also try to make them understand why
we chose backpackers forum.
4. People easy to compromise under time pressure
People will give things
away under time pressure and the longer you can keep the other side
involved in
the negotiation which the deadline is approaching, the more likely the other
side is to
move around to your point of view and make concession. In our
situation, both groups
understand that our presentation is on 16th
April, so if we continue to drag on the same issue,
none of us will benefit.
Therefore, one side will make concession.
Conclusion
Virtual collaboration and
building virtual team is a new experience to me. Virtual team are a great way
to enable teamwork in situations where people are not in the same geographical
location. But because of this, conflict is more easy to arise. In order to
solve the conflicts, the starting place is respect other people’s point of
view, no matter how much they vary from your own. Also together with tactics
negotiation skills and successful communication, conflict can be resolve and
comes to a win-win situation.
References:
1. Robbis, S.P. & Judge, T.A. (2011). Essential of Organizational Behaviior (11th Edition). New
Delhi: Pearson Education.
2. Handy, C. (1995). Trust and the Virtual Organization. Harvard Business Review, May-June,
1995.
Delhi: Pearson Education.
2. Handy, C. (1995). Trust and the Virtual Organization. Harvard Business Review, May-June,
1995.
3. Ginny Pearson Barns, Ed.D. (1998). Successful Negotiating, National Press
Publications.
4. Roger Dawson (2001). Secrets Of Power Negotiating (2ng edition). Career Press Franklin
Lakes,
NJ.
NJ.
5. Harvard Business Essentials (2004). Creating Teams with an Edge. Harvard
Business School
Press.
6. http://blog.fastfedora.com/2011/10/virtual-teams-pros-cons-best-practices.html
Press.
6. http://blog.fastfedora.com/2011/10/virtual-teams-pros-cons-best-practices.html
Appendix
Group
communication with morning team
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