Managing International Virtual Teams: A Question of Proximity and Technology[La gestión de equipos virtuales internacionales: una cuestión de proximidad y tecnologías]

The emergence of international virtual teams in organizations poses a number of management challenges due to the geographic and temporal dispersion of team members as well as the inherent multiculturalism of such teams. In theory, international virtual teams offer companies several tangible benefits, notably in terms of reduced costs, increased efficiency, creativity, performance, etc. In practice, however, there are a number of obstacles to managing such teams from a distance. To start, this article discusses three major challenges related to the management of international virtual teams; these are referred to as "the 3 Cs": communication, confidence and intercultural comprehension. Second, we analyze two international virtual teams within the same company that are managed using two very different management styles: proximity management and distance management. This analysis allows us to compare these management approaches and their effect on the functioning and effectiveness of the respective teams. Third, we highlight five key conditions of success for improving confidence within international virtual teams: composition of virtual teams, circulating information using information and communication technologies (ICT), avoiding management based solely on ICT, giving preference to proximity management and monitoring team outcomes. Functions: international, HRM, management, operations management, IT Industries: telecommunications, IT