Dilemmas of Teamwork in Virtual Teams - Essay Example

The varied settings and situations; in conjunction with technological advancements, provide opportunities for virtual teams to exist, collaborate, and achieve their defined goals. However, it is obvious that despite the advantages, there are still challenges and disadvantages that continue to pervade the teams’ performance, as seen from different perspectives. In this regard, the current discourse aims to discuss how the dilemmas of teamwork might be intensified in a virtual team. Likewise, as one is considered a part of a virtual team, the essay also aims to address the dilemmas that apparently exist when class assignments need to be complied with. Dilemmas of Teamwork in Virtual Teams A group or team is normally composed of members with diverse demographic, geographic, cultural, educational, and socio-economic backgrounds, and interact with each other for a specified time frame.

These members utilize specifically essential resources and methodologies to achieve explicitly defined goals. The traditional dilemmas of teamwork are (1) propensities for conflicts due to differences in opinions; (2) miscommunication due to cultural and language barriers; (3) delegation and performance according to roles and responsibilities; and (4) resolving conflicts and managing overall performance. In the Management Study Guide, a comprehensive analysis of virtual teams is presented in terms of defining their advantages and disadvantages; as well as comparing them with traditional teams (Advantages and Disadvantages of Virtual Teams, 2013; Cascio, 2000).

From the information, it was disclosed that the very nature of virtual teams according to levels (individual, organizational, as well as societal) actually contributes to conflicts due to differences in opinions, as well as the roles and responsibilities they play in the organization. In addition, since organizations support diversity and recruit employees from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, there are more tendencies for virtual teams to encounter miscommunication due to language barriers.

Likewise, virtual teams operate through a team leader, whose tasks were delegated by the assigned manager or supervisor. Further assigning responsibilities to team members, without comprehensive knowledge of their respective backgrounds and capabilities contributed to intensified challenges. Finally, in virtual teams, the distance and varied time frames, make conflict resolutions difficult. Managing the overall cohesiveness and performance of virtual team members is more difficult, as a result. Concurrently, the disparity in geographic, cultural, socio-economic, and educational backgrounds of the members of virtual teams exacerbates potential challenges in terms of sustaining effective communication due to language barriers, distractions, disparities in time zones, and expertise or competencies in accomplishing the identified tasks.

This dilemma could be intensified in the virtual team setting since the opportunity to accord immediate feedback and resolve the dilemma through face-to-face interaction is not effectively provided due to the absence of authoritative leaders or managers who are instrumental in the governance and effective management of a team. What dilemmas do you feel when you have to do class assignments as part of a team?