Leading Virtual Teams in Today's Workforce - Term Paper Example

? Virtual Teams Virtual Teams A virtual team is made up of employees working outside of organizational, time and space boundaries (Powell, Piccoli & Ives, 2004). Physically, they are distributed in different geographical regions and linked by electronics and telecommunications technology in order to accomplish organizational goals. They may be several small, temporary teams coordinating with each other to fulfill their part in the ultimate objective of a project (Powell et al, 2004). They give organizations a means of procuring the best skills without geographical restrictions. Virtual teams are based on three key aspects; their purpose, the people involved and their links (Lipnack & Stamps, 1999). The purpose is the most significant aspect holding them together and is defined in various steps of action, individual tasks and common goals. This paper will discuss the evolution of virtual teams, the technology used for their successful operation, how to lead them effectively and opinions on why having them is agreeable. Implementing team collaboration in a virtual working space has an assortment of unique challenges (Konetes & Wiggins, 2009). However, apart from the telephone, there are various technological advances available to fulfill this goal. With an array of communication tools, the internet serves as the most suitable medium (Konetes & Wiggins, 2009). Below is a description of a few of them. Google docs It provides free online management of documents and spreadsheets with a Gmail or Google Account. The spreadsheet feature is handy for several employees working on a spreadsheet at the same time and enables collaborative editing of documents. This tool can be used in domain management, payroll coverage, financial reports, directory lists and ranking reports (Carmel & Espinosa, 2011). Time Doctor It is highly efficient in monitoring how time is spent. It can be used to track personal or team time (Carmel & Espinosa, 2011). With Time Doctor, it is possible to know what every member is working on, including how much time they use on such activities. This can assist managers to make changes that enhance productivity. They can also prevent potential problems related to productivity like spending too much time on personal internet use in the working hours (Carmel & Espinosa, 2011). It is a significant tool in monitoring attendance, to do lists, application usage monitoring and automatic timesheets. Jing Project This tool allows virtual team members to capture a screen or video on their desktops (Carmel & Espinosa, 2011). Comments, explanations and voice recordings, can be added to the screen captures. These can then be uploaded to software that converts them into simple links accessible by all team members. It is useful in communicating with developers and designers, where there is a need to explain requirements and changes. It also serves as a substitute when screen sharing is limited by differences in time zones (Carmel & Espinosa, 2011). This tool also allows users to record their screens. Drop Box This is a file sharing tool (Lipnack & Stamps, 1999). When new content is added to the Drop Box folder, it automatically updates all other team members that the file had been shared with, or even another computer a member might be using at home. Drop box can be used to back up documents, passwords and images, share training material, file access from multiple computers and file exchange with clients (Lipnack & Stamps, 1999). Freshbooks This is a web based, easy to setup, invoicing application. It allows employees to add time to company invoices. It is useful in management of billable timesheets, invoicing sales and creating estimates (Konetes & Wiggins, 2009). The advent of telecommuting fueled the evolution of virtual work teams. This was coupled with the need to integrate skills and knowledge across the globe to achieve desired organizational goals. There is also the significant aspect of achieving the goals without having to physically move both human and technological resources. This is further driven by an exponential growth in mobile communication platforms and electronic data services Leading an effective virtual team can be a difficult task (Zofi, 2011). Managers need to understand that they are dealing with people from widely varied backgrounds and cultures, and their main task is to consolidate them into one functional unit serving common company goals (Carmel & Espinosa, 2011). In my opinion, the absence of clear communication results in wasted effort by teams and often calls for repeat jobs leading to frustration among colleagues. The reporting hierarchy should be straightforward enough to make progress monitoring efficient (Lipnack & Stamps, 1999). In my opinion, most virtual teams are not managed properly. A key reason leading to this is the fact that the majority of them are not planned well in advance, but rather evolve into being as organizations grow (Zofi, 2011). Teams are quickly patched up to meet targets and deadlines. Leaders experience difficulty managing teams from different cultural and lingual backgrounds. I believe that leaders need to create a rapport with the team members under them, and this becomes difficult when one is dealing with workers that they have little, if any, physical interactions. Since occasional meetings between the full team and the management are costly, I believe a practical solution to this problem would be to have a selected member travel frequently to represent a remote team to the management. This brings leaders closer to the people, and they also get a sense of belonging as their needs are periodically addressed (Zofi, 2011). I believe mangers need to cultivate and encourage a habit of having dual, complementary objectives in their leadership structures. They should enable their team members to perform their duties while having occasional opportunities to socialize (Lipnack & Stamps, 1999). Team level expectations, work processes, required outputs and coordination structures should be clearly laid out by leaders and adhered to by all members (Carmel & Espinosa, 2011). As the economy keeps changing spontaneously, virtual team managers also need to facilitate and support their teams in the dynamic adjustments as they occur by encouraging informal interactions. Teams must be taught the significance of constantly synchronizing and modifying their expectations and actions to align them to those of their collaborators (Carmel & Espinosa, 2011). With the communication technologies available, the leaders should organize periodic virtual meetings which serve to remind members that they are still a team. Another challenge I believe leaders face in managing virtual teams is the difference in speeds at which technology and people evolve. Technology advances at a much faster rate than people adopt them and this creates a gap between leaders and their virtual teams (Zofi, 2011). Leaders should encourage employees to adopt and embrace changing technology. In this way, they can be in constant touch and work in harmony. According to a study conducted in Europe, only one in twenty leaders confirm that they have not experienced problems due to team members not utilizing advances in technology (Zofi, 2011). The rest admit that they end up getting delayed and distorted reports as a result of the choice of communication medium. I am of the opinion that team members should accept technological changes and fully incorporate them into their working tools to bring them closer to their leaders. As much as having virtual teams has both advantages and disadvantages, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages (Konetes & Wiggins, 2009). The most notable disadvantage is the lack of physical contact and communication. In terms of communication, restrictions of the internet may distort vital messages if they are not clearly laid out, and in worse cases, failure of the electronic communication infrastructure may paralyze operations (Konetes & Wiggins, 2009). However, the advantages have more positive impacts than these few setbacks. There is generally more productivity. Working time is not limited to the conventional eight hours per day. With teams working in different time regions, the work cycle goes on round the clock (Konetes & Wiggins, 2009). Within international organizations, this aspect is convenient for the employer, employee and clients. It makes timely and excellent customer service possible. Virtual teams also save organizations on business travelling and lodging expenses. The virtual workplace streamlines systems from multiple components, departments and projects into a single unified unit that is easily accessible by employers, employees and clients anytime and anywhere (Konetes & Wiggins, 2009). The virtual workplace also offers an organization an extended market opportunity, thanks to geographically dispersed teams (Konetes & Wiggins, 2009). Through the teams located in diverse regions of the globe, an organization is able to establish its presence with clients all over the world. This also enables owners of small businesses to compete on a global level without limiting themselves to a restricted client base (Konetes & Wiggins, 2009). Virtual teams also provide a platform for knowledge transfer. Working with people having different types of knowledge and skills spread across the globe is beneficial to an organization. Through online meetings, wireless technology, remote computer access and teleconferencing systems, employees participate in complex discussions and gain knowledge from anywhere in the world. One participant can enlighten a team of colleagues in another continent on new skills without meeting physically them (Konetes & Wiggins, 2009). An example of an organization that utilizes the virtual workspace concept is Grupo Siro, with its headquarters in Spain. This food manufacturer needed to consolidate the multiple systems they were using into one core unit. With the aid of IBM, they implemented a virtual work space that can be accessed by all their employees in different geographical locations. In conclusion, virtual workplaces have transformed the world into a “global office” (Lipnack & Stamps, 1999). They are advantageous in this era of high end telecommunication technology, and a client can be served from across the world. Virtual workplaces enable employees to work from any location, including the comfort of their homes, saving on transport costs. Some jobs that benefit the most from the virtual concept are consulting, sales and marketing (Lipnack & Stamps, 1999). References Carmel, E., & Espinosa, J. (2011). I'm working while they're sleeping: Time zone separation challenges and solutions. Chicago: Nedder Stream Press. Konetes, G., & Wiggins, B. E. (2009). The effectiveness of virtual teams. Indiana: Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Lipnack, J., & Stamps, J. (1999). Virtual teams: The new way to work. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Powell, A., Piccoli, G., & Ives, B. (2004). Virtual teams: A review of current literature and directions for future research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Zofi, Y. (2011). A manager's guide to virtual teams (1st ed.). New York: Amacom. Read More