Understanding the process of cross-cultural code switching of global virtual teams in knowledge sharing

Globalization is reshaping the international business landscape and shifting traditional work structures to a more flexible, dynamic, and virtual work structure. — This has led to the use of Global Virtual Team (GVT) —which has become a common working structure in most organisations, with email being the most popular medium
for global virtual teams to bridge the language barrier gap. However, cultural diversity has resulted in miscommunication, which has had an impact on the virtual business environment. Despite the absence of face-to-face interaction and a diverse cultural background, virtual team members could adjust their communicative behaviour to account for the lack of nonverbal cues and cultural differences. The cross-cultural code-switching concept, which refers to the shifting of behaviour when people communicate in a foreign setting, served as the foundation for this study, which aimed to explore and understand the cross-cultural code-switching process of high-context GVT members. Twenty-two (n=22) Malaysian employees who participated in a GVT were interviewed for the study. The qualitative research method with semi-structured
online interviews was used to collect data. To gain a better understanding of the cross-cultural code-switching process, the data was analysed using a qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. The findings revealed that high context GVT members switched cross-cultural codes in three stages: initiation, convergence switching, and internalisation. It also discovered the cultural factors and reasons for the switch, as well as the challenges that high context GVT members faced when
switching communication styles. This study theoretically extended Hall's cultural context in a virtual setting and bridged Molinsky's cross-cultural code-switching model with intercultural communication theory. In practical sense, this study
proposed a cross-cultural code-switching training for effective intercultural communication in a virtual setting. This that would help various GVT stakeholders, including Human Resource managers and GVT project leaders to communicate more effectively with people from other cultures.