Challenges in Virtual Communication: An Intercultural Communication Perspective

Abstract

Pandemic Covid-19 has forced almost every level of industry to adapt to technological advancement in order to remain operating, not to mention multinational companies. When the company consists of employees from various cultural backgrounds, it is found that communication may encounter challenges. The face-to-face interaction during a meeting or work-related matter in an intercultural context could arise difficulties in understanding an individual’s cultural values, way of thinking, the pace of work, and some other matters that would affect the work performance. Let alone the interaction should be mediated, such as holding continuous virtual meetings, due to the major pandemic condition. This study sought the challenges faced by a multinational organization namely Coda Payments, Pte, Ltd which is headquartered in Singapore within the intercultural context of organizational communication. In-depth interviews were conducted as data gathering techniques with seven informants from various cultural backgrounds. Findings of this study show that (1) employees have an adequate intercultural communication understanding within a multinational organization context, (2) similar job orientation eases the organizational communication process, and (3) fluid communication has accommodated uncertainty that possibly arises.