Virtual Teamwork and the Future Generation: The Challenges of Teaching Intercultural and Virtual Competences

The Growing Importance Of Digital Communication Skills

If we take a closer look at virtual teamwork in a corporate context, there is still a gap between the expectations of the employers, the performance of teams, and the level of capabilities of young people for working in virtual environments. Since virtual teams continue to increase in importance, the central question of this research is, what digital communication skills does this so-called “Generation Y” - which has grown up with digital communication systems - have in the initial phase of their professional career, especially in the globalized environment? Moreover, the purpose of this article is to find out, which role (virtual) communication training plays in higher education institutions.

Since key qualifications, such as digital and intercultural competences, are essential prerequisites for success in the working world, universities and colleges are increasingly starting to integrate competence training into their curricula. This chapter shall serve to foster a better understanding of the challenges that accompany teaching while developing digital and intercultural communication skills with special attention to virtual teamwork. This research is grounded in an European context, including a point of view as well as examples from the German environment in higher education institutions. Although the examples presented are representative and substantiated through studies more robust research can expand this topic. Nevertheless, the goal of this analysis is to identify problems and evaluate information about the interaction of the young generation as they work in virtual work teams in order to serve as a recommendation or guideline for how to teach digital communication skills and integrate the topic in today’s academic conversations.