Videoconferencing in MOT courses: a case of cross-cultural communication and collaboration

Summary form only given. This paper describes the collaboration and cross-cultural communication experiences of two scholars in management of technology in Canada and Singapore. The project was to implement a joint curriculum in the spring of 1998 using advanced technology, including videoconferencing, e-mail, web pages, and computer file exchange. The technical challenges of conducting a videoconference course are well known and no longer seen as insurmountable. Nevertheless, basic issues such as audio quality were encountered in this experiment. The experiment also revealed the extent to which students rely on the basics of communication-voice, gesture, and tone-and when audio problems were encountered very little learning or discussion was possible. Despite these challenges, it was clear from participants' comments that the opportunity to interact with others in another culture and another nation was highly valued. Both groups discovered things about the other side that they hadn't considered before and these discoveries were frequently the topic of post-class debates and discussions. If the technical challenges can be overcome in a cost-effective manner, and training and discussion management issues can be dealt with, then videoconferencing should remain on the table as a viable option for management training in technology and innovation.