Face-to-face is the most effective media for communication over social media

Abstract

The current trend on globalization and digitalization leads to an increasing need for effective communication and collaboration. Hence, teams can be dispersed globally and therefore, global companies need to know how to develop an effective communication method and manage a diverse international team. Technological advancement creates opportunities in supporting virtual communication. Global human exchanges are accompanied by technologies that affect synchronous and asynchronous communication and therefore can facilitate collaboration. In the past, agreements have been organized through face-toface meetings, whereas nowadays e-mails, video conferences, and social media foster virtual teamwork (Steers et al. 2010). Communication can be described as an intentional activity, which requires willingness, a goal or a certain purpose (Ant et al. 2013). Organizational communication is the discipline which deals with the study of communication processes within the organizational field (Durneac 2012). The discipline needs to be understood to manage communication of global teams. Due to the introduction of new forms of electronic communication media, global leaders can benefit from the facilitation of organizational communication. Nevertheless, technical feasibility does not necessarily mean that the quality of communication improves (Suh 1999). The use of media, especially the distinction between the different types of communication, from virtually to face-to-face. The first model was developed in 1949 (Shannon & Weaver 1998, Ant et al. 2013). The model states, there is a transmitter converting the message into a signal to send it over to the communication channel of the receiver. During the process of transmission, there are unwanted and intended additions, which are called noises (distortions of sound, distortions of shape or shading of a picture or errors in transmission). These noises can change the transmitted signal. The communication system by Shannon & Weaver (1998) is symbolized as shown in figure 1. Watzlawick et al. (1996) stated that communication is not only done via words, but also nonverbal channels like facial expressions, gesture, and body posture (Watzlawick et al. 1996). This goes in line with the research of Thun (2014), who discovered that communication is always multidimensional (Rollka & Schultz 2011). The communication square