Virtual Teams - Assignment Example

?Virtual Teams Introduction In today’s era of globalization, organizations in various parts of the world are constantly seeking out new and improved methods of conducting business in order to have a competitive edge against similar organizations. The formation of virtual teams is one of the new innovative methods of running global businesses. Members of a virtual team are often located in the various different cities and/or countries in which the organization conducts business. Virtual teams enable organizations to achieve their goals by utilizing various technologically advanced types of communication such as web-conferencing to hold meetings/interact even though team members are in different locations (Divine & Schumacher, 2011, p. 300). It is important to note that even though members of a virtual team may work from different branches of the same organization, their contribution to the team is expected to enable the organization reach a common goal. Body Before an organization decides to form a virtual team as a means of attaining organizational goals, it is critical to evaluate the pros and cons of such a team. Such an evaluation enables organizations to determine if a virtual team would be best suited to meet the needs and goals of the organization. Some of the advantages of such teams are outlined below. First, virtual teams are highly convenient because of the lack of time restrictions. Since the members of a virtual team often reside in different cities/ countries, members are aware, from the onset, that team meetings may be held at odd hours. The communication technology that is used by virtual teams is designed to be effective irrespective of time differences. The ability of such teams to work without time restrictions is very beneficial since essentially, a company can work for twenty-four hours a day (Hungwei & Heng-Yu, 2011, p. 83). This increases the amount of work that is accomplished in one day, which leads to increased productivity. The lack of restrictions on time also means that in most cases, virtual teams hold meetings when members have varying energy levels because of the time difference (Berry, 2011, p. 193). This is beneficial since team members are not likely to be exhausted at the same time, which makes the virtual team highly productive (Ofir & Zhang, 2010, p. 368). Another notable advantage of virtual teams is that they may cost the company less in terms of overhead. As noted in this paper, virtual team members do not necessarily have to be in the office to hold meetings. In fact some members may work for their homes on a full time basis because face to face meetings in the office may not be needed. As such, companies are able to save costs that they may otherwise have incurred on things such as office space and other office amenities (Panteli & Tucker, 2009, p. 113). Virtual teams are also beneficial since they enable companies to acquire the best possible variety of employees that can steer the company to success. In some cases, companies may be unable to hire all the skills they need because they rely on local-based employees who can be able to report to the local office. By making use of virtual teams, companies can ensure that they do not compromise and hire minimally skilled employees (Jacques, Garger, & Brown, 2009, pp. 153-154). Virtual teams can comprise of members who are not able to relocate to the location of the actual office but who are just as skilled as or even more skilled than employees who work from the office. In addition to this, a virtual team is also advantageous since it leads to reliance on a result- based method of measuring employee performance. During the evaluation of the performance of employees who work from the office, some companies may erroneously rate the performance of employees who stay longer in the office highly. However, just because an employee put more effort by staying in the office longer, this does not necessarily mean that such an employee contributes highly to the attainment of organizational goals. Since the performance of virtual teams is measured using a metric system, the evaluation of such teams’ progress is more accurate (Hinds & Bailey, 2000, pp. 125-126). Studies have also shown that virtual teams are beneficial because the nature of online communication that is commonly used by such teams makes it possible to generate more ideas during meetings. During the meetings that are held by virtual teams, members can engage in activities which may be regarded as disruptive in face to face meetings but in the context of an online meeting, they increase productivity (Nazareth, 2011, p. 316). For instance, virtual team members can conduct online research and have side conversations/ consultations with other members while the main meeting is ongoing and this may increase productivity. Last but not least, virtual teams are highly beneficial in a company because they enable the company to increase the diversity of their employees. Because the members of a virtual team may be located in different cities or even countries, they are very diverse. This diversity means that members often have different points of view. Various team members can therefore view any problems, which the team may be required to resolve, from different angles and this increases the chances of such problems being resolved holistically (Rosen, Furst, & Blackburn, 2006, p. 237). In spite of the above advantages, virtual teams also have several cons which companies should be aware of beforehand. One of the main cons of virtual teams is their reliance on low bandwidth communication techniques. Because of the virtual nature of such teams, face-to-face meetings and interaction between members is, in most cases, nonexistent or minimal. As such, team members are not able to view each other’s body language and emotions clearly and this may distort communication and lead to misunderstandings (Hung & Dennis, 2009, pp. 241-242). Miscommunication leads to lower productivity within the virtual team since a lot of time may be spent resolving misunderstandings, which arise from poor/distorted communication. Creating and maintaining an organization/ company culture has been proven to be effective in encouraging teamwork and motivation among employees. A virtual team is therefore a disadvantage in that it is almost impossible to create an organizational culture among employees who work in different locations. The lack of a company culture in a virtual team may lead to lack of sufficient motivation among team members and awkwardness. As such, a company that relies on such teams needs to formulate alternative methods of fostering co-operation, trust and understanding among team members (Saonee & Kirkbey, 2011, p. 277). Another con that companies have to deal with after creating a virtual team is the possibility that team members will take longer to reach a consensus on various issues. As noted earlier, members of a virtual team often have very diverse points of view on various issues. While this may be advantageous, it can also be detrimental to the teams’ productivity. In cases where team members are not willing to accept the point of views of other members without extensive consultations, it takes longer for the team to gain consensus, which leads to time wastage and reduced productivity (Fan & Liu, 2011, p. 10247). Recommendations for Future Development The above evaluation of the pros and cons of virtual teams clearly indicates that virtual teams are highly effective in the attainment of organizational goals. However, in order to enhance this effectiveness in the future, it is important to address the key challenges of virtual teams by relying on some best practices. For instance, since it is evident that miscommunication is a major obstacle for virtual teams, companies should ensure that before the team begins working, it is advisable to ensure that team members are aware of the personalities of other team members. Such awareness can be achieved by holding an initial face-to-face meeting where team members can also make note of each other’s no-verbal cues which they can look for in their future virtual communication (Hung & Dennis, 2009, pp. 241-242). In cases, where team members have diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds, it would be advisable for all team members to be aware of this diversity in order to understand each other’s diverse viewpoints and avoid miscommunication. In order to build a team spirit and trust in a virtual team, occasional face-to-face meetings are advisable. During such meetings, team members can get to know each other better and perhaps even form a team culture that can foster co-operation during future interaction (Townsend & DeMarie, 1998, pp. 18-19). Conclusion Overall, it is important to remember that, as is the case with all other types of teams in the workplace, the most important thing about virtual teams is their output. As such, before creating virtual teams, companies should first identify the desired outcomes they want from their team and then ensure that they invest in processes that maximize the pros of the virtual team while effectively resolving the possible challenges that such a team may face in future. Reference List Berry, G. (2011). Enhancing Effectiveness on Virtual Teams. Journal of Business Communication , 48 (2), 186-206. Divine, M., & Schumacher, M. (2011). 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The role of communication and trust in global virtual teams: A social network perspective. Journal of Management Information Systems , 28 (1), 273-309. Townsend, A. M., & DeMarie, S. M. (1998). Virtual teams: Technology and the workplace of the Future. Academy of Management Executive , 12 (3), 17-29. Read More