Dilemma: A leader in a global virtual team appreciates chatting with her team about everything and nothing – privately and professionally. Everything is communicated in a big jumble. She does it to make them feel like a team across the distance. Her employees feel compelled to participate, even though it is difficult for them to do any concrete work in the meantime. Because in the middle of a story about her new house, an important message comes in relation to their work. So, if they are not part of the chat, they will not get crucial professional information.
Just like other global tech organizations, there’s plenty to do for the employees. They actually have a hard time keeping up. This challenges the fact that when they have to chat, they can’t focus and concentrate on work tasks.