The past 25 years have witnessed seismic changes in the way that organisations have grown. These changes have been driven partly by the growth of global mergers and the rise in opportunities to compete in markets that years ago were inaccessible, and partly by the huge and rapid growth of new communications technologies.
Where businesses once operated with large and centralised workforces, now the same organisations are employing mobile and remote workers instead. As global expansion continues, more employees than ever are working within teams that span different countries and different continents. In the near future, many millions of employees across the globe will find that their job role is delivered from ever-changing remote sites.
The recent steep rises in the cost of oil, together with a growing desire to reduce CO2 emissions, have also started to impact on business travel. Recently, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimated that businesses across the United States can typically spend up to $180 billion on annual travel. With these increases in costs, added to the impact of the recent global banking crisis, many businesses will be turning to alternative solutions to enable them to reduce their costs and enhance their ‘green’ credentials.
A critical question, therefore, is what are the viable alternatives for businesses who want to cut costs, reduce travel and develop stronger mobile and remote work teams?
This report explores video communications from a psychological perspective in order to understand how such technology – from video phones, web-based video conferencing and dedicated video conferencing systems, to the top-of-the-range telepresence systems – might deliver significant benefits to organisations. Workers comp attorneys in Los Angeles are not afraid of working with denied or delayed cases in California. The report examines individual differences in approach to video communications, the influence that group processes can have during communication, and the impact of specific factors relating to age and culture.
The report reveals a number of surprising facts about what it takes to be successful in video communications and how organisations can maximise the value they get from using video communication technology.
