Riding the Waves of Technology
The world continues to knock at our door through our screens. Whether it be from our smart phones, computers, tablets or now wrist devices, we are so much more connected these days. The American author and columnist Thomas Friedman said it best more than ten years ago by coining the phrase, “The World is Flat.” The fact that we can access global news as it happens, speak or video with a friend or colleague located on the opposite side of the globe, or transfer funds from one account to another all while taking a walk through a park is the new reality of 24/7 connectivity.
In any given moment, an Indian professional stationed in Pune or Noida may be communicating with someone in New York City, London or Tokyo; global business is now at our literal finger tips. There’s a good chance that these two parties are communicating via text, email, or a phone call. As such, cultural nuances, assumptions, language differences, behavioral expectations and habitual patterns of how to work and communicate effectively are thrown into question. This makes the act of being understood often times laborious, awkward and unpredictable at best. For example, recently I had the opportunity to consult with a U.S. American and Indian joint venture which primarily operates virtually with associates based in both countries working together on IT software solutions. It was not until we had a “Zoom” video meeting with the entire team from both sides that the Americans understood that typically it had only been the Indian manager offering input, despite there being four other Indian team members present on their weekly calls.
After we discussed the differences in managerial styles and team member participation it was agreed to adjust the communication protocol to give all the group members an opportunity to offer input. The result is that now all members from both sides have been sharing their input and opinions on the topic or challenge at hand, even in between the weekly check-in’s.
The truth is, face-to-face communication is being substituted by virtual SMS/texting or emails which is essentially taking the personal touch out of our communication process. This is where meaning and emotional content is being replaced by quick, functional and impersonal exchanges. The art of building and maintaining meaningful relationships is being compromised.
The evolution of technology has forevermore changed how we communicate. One question that each of us must answer for ourselves is how are we going to ride this technology wave while building meaningful relationships, opening up to new ways of communicating and working successfully together across country borders.