Communication within a geographically dispersed organisation. An analysis and evaluation

Abstract. The communication within an organisation is essen tial in order to make the business function. A well functioning communication does not only make the work more effective and productive but it also generates a working climate with good prerequisites for people to be comfortable and willing to make an effort. More and mo re rganisations today have their co-workers located on different sites around the world and in these cases, when people who are geographically scattered are collaborating, the communicatio n are even more essential and at the same time also more vulnerable. This study has looked at the communication at a department in a large Swedish organisation. The department’s members are ituated all over the world, in Sweden and Germany as well as in Japan and USA. The study firs t looked at the theory that exists today about communication in geographically dispersed environme ts and virtual teams, what the concept of communication in a global environment means, what f acilitators and barriers exists to this communication and actions that can be taken in order t o improve it. Secondly the study consisted of an analytical part of the communication at the rese arched department where qualitative interviews were performed with the department’s members. These interviews showed the members perception of what does and does not function with the communication and their ideas for improvements. The study of the theory and the finding s from the interviews showed that the communication at the department work well in general b ut there are measures that can and need to be taken in order to improve the communication, both m easures to keep and retain positive behaviours that exists today and to introduce new behavi ours in order to improve the communication and to make it more effective. The communication within an organisation is essen tial in order to make the business function. A well functioning communication does not only make the work more effective and productive but it also generates a working climate with good prerequisites for people to be comfortable and willing to make an effort. More and mo re rganisations today have their co-workers located on different sites around the world and in these cases, when people who are geographically scattered are collaborating, the communicatio n are even more essential and at the same time also more vulnerable. This study has looked at the communication at a department in a large Swedish organisation. The department’s members are ituated all over the world, in Sweden and Germany as well as in Japan and USA. The study firs t looked at the theory that exists today about communication in geographically dispersed environme ts and virtual teams, what the concept of communication in a global environment means, what f acilitators and barriers exists to this communication and actions that can be taken in order t o improve it. Secondly the study consisted of an analytical part of the communication at the rese arched department where qualitative interviews were performed with the department’s members. These interviews showed the members perception of what does and does not function with the communication and their ideas for improvements. The study of the theory and the finding s from the interviews showed that the communication at the department work well in general b ut there are measures that can and need to be taken in order to improve the communication, both m easures to keep and retain positive behaviours that exists today and to introduce new behavi ours in order to improve the communication and to make it more effective.