What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Virtual Team Communication?

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

In this paper I will discuss how a team leader assesses how big the team is needed in order to accomplish the task assigned to them. This paper will also discuss the how conflicts can arise while trying to meet their goals. Such as which person works better in certain areas. I will also talk about how a team leader resolves their problems that may accure. In addition I will also discuss if team work will take longer to complete task along with some of its advantages. I will also point out some of the resistors to team work like not have the proper tools or supplies. I will also discuss how to be proactive so

The essence of this article is noting the fact that virtual teams are only going to be effective when technology is involved. When virtual teams first started, there wasn’t much effective meeting technology available, but now there

Team leaders are an essential element of a successful team. Good leaders oversee the actions of the team and provide feedback that inspires the team to achieve their goals. As the Bible shows us, we were designed by God to work as one unit under Him. We are all united in the purposes of the Lord. His purposes include us working together to further His Kingdom by bringing others to know Him. We are also to be His light in this world of darkness, shining to point the way to Him.

In our current age of technology, societies have been given the opportunity and capability of connecting across distances in ways that were impossible not too long ago. With computer applications such as skype, people can connect from opposite sides of the world. This has created a unique advancement in the way that businesses are run. Handling business with others who are far away is now easier than ever. Curtis (2011) says virtual teams have become so common due to their "potential for flexibility, responsiveness, as well as for cost and production efficiency" (p. 97). Virtual teams are an effective way to bring employees of companies together within the comfort of their own office or home. .

Due to the recent increased utilization of information communication technology in organizations, there has been a rising trend of the adoption of virtual teams. These teams have helped organizations conduct their businesses in a very effective way. In furtherance of that, these teams have also helped in enhancing the speed at which communication is carried out. For instance, team members in different countries or continents can actually contribute ideas for a project in real time via electronic means (Hendrickson, 1998). However, these groups have faced some criticisms which have made them to be underutilized. Some of the issues raised against these teams include lack of involvement and inclusiveness, lack of trust, lack of employees with technical and interpersonal skills and lack of cohesion among others. Past research has revealed that virtual teams have proved to be effective,

Research has shown that the most effective form of communication is face-to-face (Harvard Business Review). Since that is not always possible, as a team, you need to determine what other ways the team can stay connected and focused on the team goals. In today’s world, communication is done across a variety of medias; verbal, visual, non verbal and written includes face to face meetings, conference calls, video conferencing, email, learning platforms, Google documents, spreadsheets, PowerPoint - and the list goes on. Continual regular communication that is transparent and related to team goals can be instrumental in a team’s success. Use technology as a tool in team communications, but always monitor that the technology is a benefit, not a hindrance.

This manual is intended as a reference for projects managers managing projects in a virtual team environment. Our company is moving towards a virtual organization setup. Current project managers who operate in traditional project management environment setup should be trained in aspects related to managing projects planned for execution in virtual environments. Projects that operate in a virtual team environment face

With the advent of cheap and effective information communications technology, the use of "virtual teams" is increasing in many industries. Virtual teams are created on a need basis in order to combine people for a certain project. (Andres, 2002) The major concept is making use of different employees who are not present in a single geographical location and uniting them on a single project. We will look in to the project known as Country Capital Works Program (CCWP) that was undertaken by the New South Wales Police Force in Australia. This project consisted of a virtual team that was created with existing personnel for a certain purpose. This project goes on to confirm that virtual project teams can be created if the need arises. As it can be understood, the lack of face to face communication can lead to a lot of problems. Along with looking at the advantages of virtual teams, their disadvantages will be looked at as well.

Although virtual teams can offer a lot of benefits, they face special challenges that hinder to realize their potential and effectively fulfilling their goals. There are a number of factors attributed to the challenges that currently managers are dealing with, related to global virtual teams; the different organizational setting, the fact that these teams work in different cultural and norms work in different time zones have greatly contributed. The main challenge, however, has evolved from the lack of physical interaction and the absence (or near absence) of non-verbal communication cues (Nydegger, 2009). Cultural alignment and shared goals can be easily lost as a result of a low degree of interaction. The absence or near absence of face to -face- interaction among team members reduce the important aspects of the team i.e. trust and communication towards achieving the shared common goals. Global virtual teams often suffer from poor performance achievement as compared to traditionally established collated teams. Here below are some of the challenges unique to virtual teams:

“Virtual team interactions are almost always assisted by some form of computer-mediated communication technology. Computer-mediated communication is different in many ways from traditional face-to-face communication, perhaps most significantly because the communication is usually asynchronous instead of synchronous” (Berry, 2011, para 1). The difference between the basketball team and the Flight Ops group as previously stated is the flow of communication between its members. However, virtual communication did not apply to the basketball team. However, it did apply to the group forum as a Flight Ops Specialist because sensitive and classified information disseminated down from the top chief on the chain of command (which is the president) to units across the nation and Army groups stationed in other countries. Participating in a selective service virtual communication is important because orders are sent down from the president of the United States and other high ranking persons to carry out missions. This most often included conferences via satellite, e-mail, secured telephone and video conferences. Virtual communication is and still is considered the better form of

The first major challenge is communication. Team members from entirely different cultures are required to communicate to get the work done. Within the team, there are many communication preferences such as using E-mails, Instant Messaging, Skype, Video Conferencing, and discussion boards. My job as a leader is to consider each member’s strengths, weaknesses, and that some of them have never experienced being in a virtual team. That is, I will evaluate each communication preference and choose one way to ensure effective and efficient work. In my opinion, using E-mails or Instant Messaging can be difficult in cross-cultural communication because there are no visual cues to help people avoid misunderstanding and build trust. Although Internet

When the only interaction employees have with their team members is through a computer screen, telephone, or other virtual communication device, it can be hard to overcome some of the fundamental dilemmas that arise during teamwork as discussed earlier. The lack of face-to-face communication makes it harder for team members to establish a strong sense of trust in their co-workers. Cultural differences may also be harder to recognize and thus harder to overcome. Because virtual teams are typically self-directed, a lack of supervision may cause certain unmotivated employees to slack off and fall behind on their required schedule for team deadlines. This lack of supervision makes it harder for management to monitor the progress of the group in order to provide feedback to its members. Yet many of these potential areas of concern can be avoided through wise and strategic managerial choices. Selecting well-equipped employees with the appropriate levels of technical and interpersonal skills is an essential first

While this is a practice enforced throughout the company, it was necessary to make sure that this communications were clear to the virtual team in order to maintain morale and the team’s trust in the company.

A leader should be responsible for directing the team in the right direction towards the goal, serve as a communicator between team and senior management.