Page 76 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

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asynchronously, and rarely meeting face to face. The Roman Empire,
they point out, is another example of a global organization that man-
aged different cultures and economic groups for centuries. Managing
a geographically dispersed workforce is nothing new.
But distance, the authors say, is more than geography. It can also
mean emotional separation or time separation. Their term, “virtual
distance,” refers to the psychological distance that occurs when people
interact primarily through electronic media. This virtual, emotional
distance is affected by physical (geographical, temporal, organiza-
tional) factors; operational (day-to-day communications interactions,
multitasking, technical support problems, uneven dispersion of people
throughout the organization), and affinity (cultural, social, relation-
ship, and interdependence) distance.
But that’s just part of the story. What if you considered distance to
be connected to interpersonal interaction?
Virtual distance is related to what Michael Moore has called
“transactional distance,” which he applied to distance education.
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Transactional distance, he said, is not simply geographical distance for
teachers and learners but also the psychological and communications
space between them that must be crossed. He believes that dialogue,
structure, and learner autonomy can reduce this distance between
learners and teachers. Dialogue occurs with respectful and active
listeners; positive, purposeful, constructive, and valued interactions;
and with the intent of improving student understanding. Structure
is the rigidity or flexibility of program objectives, teaching strategies,
and evaluation methods. It really reflects how far the program can be
responsive to each learner’s needs. Learner autonomy represents the
extent to which the learner, rather than the teacher, determines the
goals, learning experiences, and evaluation decisions. These consider-
ations, when taking the needs of individual learners into account, can
help course designers develop learning experiences that respond to
both learners and the context for learning. Interestingly, transactional
distance is something virtual leaders deal with every day.
For managers of the mobile workforce, the implications are clear.
Until such time as science can make the physical distance seem like