I would support Rachel Vance's concerns, with a slightly different
perspective.
Rachel said:
>I am taken aback by the vision of a virtual team which so seamlessly
>includes participants from remote areas (ala Amazon example) along with
>Swiss, Japanese and other technologically advanced locations. We're
>missing some basic understanding of global realities if this is a future
>we think can exist.
While technology is allowing us to move more easily into communicating and
working across different times and places, and even different languages,
the cultural dimension becomes more heightened. "Leading Business Teams,"
a book on technology and group working, has a brief chapter on this issue.
It discusses the potential role of "cultural translators" in such
scenarios.
-- Peter A. Smith Orbis Learning Corporation 74363,3637@compuserve.com"Individual learning is a necessary but insufficient force for organizational learning." Argyris, C. & Schon, D.A.