The Birth Of Virtual Teams

Virtual team can be defined as a group of individuals who are from different locations geographically but depend on communication technology to communicate, share work run projects as a group. These individuals run these errands in a space called the virtual environment which is created by the IT departments and maintained through various software technologies. Virtual teams or as at times referred to as remote teams have nowadays become very important aspects of most businesses. The individuals use video conferencing and mass emailing to run the errands as a group. Fiber optic technology has completely changed the aspect of virtual team, the individuals may not be familiar with each other but through this technology, they can

| Employees in geographically dispersed locations can work together in virtual teams using video, e-mail, and the Internet.

These groups rely on technology to communicate with one another and to accomplish the tasks allocated by the organization. One benefit of a virtual team is that they use technology and this can help increase efficiency and productivity of the members. The virtual teams also assist in the development of intellectual capital. The composition of the virtual groups helps improve quality as well as the outcome. The other benefit is the efficiency of communication. Some of the challenges include the distance between the members. The significant distance may dilute leadership, weaken human relations as well as amplify dysfunction. Virtual teams are hard to manage especially when it comes to goal setting, task distribution, coordination and member motivation. Virtual organizations rely on trust that the other members will fulfill their roles since it is not possible to monitor them closely (Hoppe, 2011). The virtual teams may face some internet challenges such as slow internet or disconnection. This problem can be handled through the use of alternative methods of communication such as mobile phones. While making a virtual team, the team members should address all challenges which may hinder communication by coming up with all possible substitutes of means of communication. These organizations rely heavily on the internet for video conferencing and sending emails. However, when the internet fails, they

Virtual Team on the other hand is a group of people working across time, space, and organizational boundaries which communication links are strengthened by the internet. It should be noted that virtual teams can also mean individuals spread across different cultures and languages. (“Virtual Team - Origin, Definition and its Scope,” 2016). More so, this team of geographically dispersed professionals working together as a unit despite distance are committed to achieving a single objective, holding one another mutually accountable.

A virtual group is a gathering of people who work crosswise over time, space and authoritative limits with connections reinforced by networks of correspondence innovation.

As a 69-year-old company, Lowe’s has a well-established organizational culture that long pre-dates the concept of virtual teams. As such, the company still has embedded in its culture certain concepts that impede its ability to be truly effective in the virtual team collaboration space. One such concept is the idea that decisions are made in meetings and not by individuals or through ad-hoc consensus. This notion generates obstacles to fast and effective decision-making, since it requires the coming together of global workers in a single meeting. That by itself creates logistical challenges due to time differences. Lowe’s can benefit from encouraging and supporting decision-making practices that utilize the knowledge and experience of

The value of communication was viewed within the context of virtual teams, as participants reported feeling valued by fellow team members and believing that these virtually-oriented coworkers exhibited tangible aspects of care in their interactions with them. This appears to confirm analysis provided by Dunn, Grumman, Raisinghani, & Stalling (2015) that identifies communication as a crucial component within virtual teams. Based upon this internal and external evidence, the recommendation is ensuring that effective communication takes place at all phases of team operations and that team leaders ensure that each member has ample opportunity to express ideas and to be heard. Leaders should also innovate in terms of how they establish communication channels within a team context as this capability appears to have a direct bearing on team member

Hertel, Guido, Susanne Geister, and Udo Konradt. 2005. “Managing virtual teams: A review of current empirical research.” Human Resource Management Review 15 (1): 69-95. doi: 10.1016/j.hrmr.2005.01.002.

such teams cross organizational boundaries as team members are not necessarily to be from the same organization. Also membership frequently is diffuse and fluid, with team members rotating on and off the team as their expertise is needed. Team members may not even be aware of all the individuals, work teams, or organizations in the network. Depending on the complexity of the issue, additional members to the team may be added at any time. The duration these teams last may vary significantly depending on how fast or slow the issue is resolved. Such type of virtual teams often is found in consulting firms and in high-technology

Globalisation has led to many changes in the international marketing and global advertising industry. Many international companies have projects spanning a variety of nationalities, involving great geographical distances and a range of time zones. In this scenario, companies are forced to make virtual teams - which are comprised of members who are located in more than one physical location (Peters and Manz, 2007). This virtual team trait has fostered extensive use of a variety of forms of computer-mediated communication that enable geographically dispersed members to coordinate their individual effort and inputs (Attaran, 2002). In addition, commitment to a virtual team goal may be further complicated by the single or coherent line of

As a manager of a virtual team I believe that it is extremely important to understand what key characteristics are needed in order for the team to flourish and excel. The ability to openly communicate, Understand cultural differences as well as overall knowledge of technology are some of the fundamentals I would be most concerned about. Communication is the major key to a prosperous team/group. If a team leader and/or group member has trouble with openly communicating with others, it will be impossible for team rules and regulations to be established. It is crucial for a virtual team to

Have you ever heard the saying, 'A chain is only as strong as its weakest link '? This analogy also applies to the performance of virtual teams. Team Johnny Bravo started out with good intentions, but struggled to find balance working within a Leaderless, Modular design structure. A lack of explicit team norms will impact communication and production efforts. This paper will discuss four operating norms, concerns with a lack of norms, actions to overcome those concerns and norm recommendations for Team Johnny Bravo.

Research Topic: The purpose of the study is to overcome one of the important virtual team challenges(i.e., work motivation). This study indicates using management practices over motivational challenges as a focus of the study. The present study also uses VIST model of Motivational processes in teams. The authors clearly presented the background information of the problem and has educational significance. The title of the study is brief, informative and avoids vague terms.

A team comprised of international components presents an interesting challenge in regards to management. Various problems can potentially arise in regards to organizing the team, developing rules that govern the team and assigning tasks. One method in which to mitigate all of the above mentioned rules is by setting performance standards for the entire team to adhere (Alexander, 2000). One such standard involves the use of a balanced scorecard. A balanced scorecard allows each individual irrespective of their position within the team to have a core set of standards in which to abide by. These standards will also include the job function and the roles of each member with the job function. The scorecard provides an ideal medium in which to judge performance as well. By viewing the scorecard management can easily pinpoint areas of opportunity and improvement (Blair 2010).

There are several key difference between a traditional team and a virtual team. In a traditional team, communication is continuous, members coordinate, accommodate and work together. In an virtual team, the communication between team members is asynchronous, members work in different locations and require less monitoring. The government has considered the option of using a virtual team to review the great barrier reef program. Virtual teams provides several benefits such as flexibility, High responsiveness and cost reduction.