The Management of Distributed Projects - Assignment Example

 Introduction There is a lot of importance in making sure the sources of information we use in our organizations are well distributed globally. Today, firms distribute the teams they have globally to different countries. They do this is to have a bigger base for the information they know about the market. This move has both advantages and disadvantages thus the need for tools to coordinated globally distributed team workers. The visual cues that distanced workers lack are also important for effective communication. Dq 3.1 (1) what factors create trust for globally distributed knowledge worker teams, in which many of the team members will never meet each other face-to-face? Distribution of knowledge worker teams is an idea that organizations intending to grow globally adopt. They make this move with an aim of increasing the knowledge base the organization is going to rely on when making decisions. However, this technological move comes with the challenge of team members lacking trust in one another. Therefore, the management has to consider some factors in order to create trust in team players[ CITATION All13 \l 1033 ]. The first factor is employing of proper communication tools to be used by the globally distributed worker teams. Such tools should be those which can be used to make long distance communications effectively. They should also be appealing enough so that the team can at least trust the channel used to pass the information. For example the use of videoconferencing is appropriate in instilling trust in team members[ CITATION Bou14 \l 1033 ]. Commitment among the members is another key factor that determines the trust that globally distributed worker teams will have on each other. Committed team members will ensure they are always ready to participate, and the work they do is perfect. In such a case the team players in different parts of the world will trust the knowledge and work done with their fellows as far as they may be situated[ CITATION Car122 \l 1033 ]. Having common goals as a team is another factor that builds trust in the globally distributed team. The common goals are going to bring the team players together and this is a way of building trust among them. For example, with common goals, members will trust the information brought in by another member since they all believe in satisfying same goals[ CITATION Che12 \l 1033 ]. Dq 3.2 (1)Conduct an Internet search to locate at least one new technology that contributes to improving communication for distributed knowledge worker teams. Organizational portal is one of the new technologies that improve communication among members of an organization or a team who are far away from each other. The tool is based on the idea of creating many platforms that every member will use to communicate to the rest of the team. the technology behind creating a portal for a team or organization is supported with a software. The software should be one that is able to connect many computers at different places that are located far from each other[ CITATION Chu12 \l 1033 ]. The finer the program is, the better for the team. the reason why this is an advantage is because it will enable the portals operate efficiently even when they are far from the control center. All the servers that control the portals are run from the control centre. It is at this point that adjustments and improvements are made to the system. The technology of organizational portal creates a room where all the team members can meet and share information. When a person logs in his or her portal, he can access the home tab where the management makes general communications. Apart from that, the members can use inbox messages to talk to one another[ CITATION Eva12 \l 1033 ]. (2)Describe why and how this tool improves communication for these types of teams. The globally distributed worker teams are usually challenged with making effective communication within the teams. The technology of having organizational portals is aimed at improving communication within such teams. This tool is going to improve communication for those dispersed to far places because it provides a channel where all of them can put their ideas together as if they were all in a room. It is also going to improve the way globally distributed team members pass messages since they will have access to details about the team or organization easily from their portals. With this the decisions made are going to be informed thus good choices for the team[ CITATION Fis12 \l 1033 ]. The procedure of how to use the portals effectively must also be considered. First the team members must have the required log in details to be able to be active in the system. Usernames are issued to every registered member. It is the usernames that are going to be used in identifying the team players. Every user will have a private password that will give him or her access into the system[ CITATION Glu12 \l 1033 ]. Once one is logged into the system through his or her portal, he/she can talk to any other member who is online in any part of the globe. Therefore, communication is enabled despite the distance between people involved in the teamwork. Feedback in such a case is going to be received from different ends and this shows that the communication was effective in passing the message. (3)Would this technology also be beneficial for co-located teams? The technology of creating organizational or team portals is aimed at helping the distributed worker teams connect easily. However, it can also be of greater use to workers who are situated close to each other. Co-located teams are usually those work groups that have their members working in the same environment. There are a series of benefits that the co-located teams will enjoy from the online portals[ CITATION Her12 \l 1033 ]. The most important advantage of this tool that the closely located team members will enjoy is swift communication among them. Even though people work in the same location, there exists some short distances between them. Team portals bridges these distances till workers can communicate as if they were in the same office. Therefore, it makes it easier for even the team leadership to make arrangements since information reaches people instantly. For example, people working in the same building but different offices can use the portals to convey messages so faster[ CITATION Hin12 \l 1033 ]. Another benefit that this technology will have to the co-located teams is creating of convenient operations. With the online portals, the workers can be call to duty easily since the communication is made instant. The technology allows team members to coordinate easily the type of work that they need to do jointly. For example, worker A will do his part of the team’s task and easily pass it to work B who is tasked with completing the role. Online portals make joining of different work portions easier since one will not be forced to travel distances or draft long mails to their team mates[ CITATION Sha111 \l 1033 ]. (4)Do you believe that the results from use of the tool would justify its cost? One big challenge that organizations and teams face when implementing new ideas is the mode of financing these projects. Costs of operation and implementation become a major determinant before organizations decide on whether to adopt a technological idea. To create the portals it will need installation of software that supports the technology. Acquisition of the software will cost the team some money which may be difficult to get if the involved organization is not running on large scale business. If the business is being operated on large scale we expect it to enjoy economies of economies thus access more funds. Another cost that comes along with adopting the portal is the cost of running the software and the servers. There has to be some technicians to manage the entire system so that it becomes efficient. Employing the technicians will cost the organization or team. Servicing fee for the system also adds up to the costs that have to be incurred[ CITATION Mat11 \l 1033 ]. Even though the expenses that are faced with the team management due to the implementation of the portal technology are high, the outcome is off high value. For example, the team saves a lot of cash that could otherwise be used to finance movement of workers from place to place. With the portal technology the team members can communicate efficiently without making expensive travelling arrangements. When we consider the cost of running the program and the amount of revenue saved due to its implementation, it is clear that the organization gains from the technology. Therefore, the portal technology is worth the cost. Dq 3.3 (1)What is the effect of not having visual cues regarding those with whom you are communicating? Visual cues are necessary if we want to make our communication effective. visual cues are things such as laughing, having eye contact with the audience, wearing smiles or crying. Such things are those that involve sight. Therefore the presence of the messenger and the recipient of the message at the same point are necessary. People making communication from distanced places lack such an opportunity. There are a variety of challenges that come along when communication lacks visual cues. When communication is made without consideration of having visual cues, it becomes hard to know the commitment that the receivers of the messages to the directives given. Visual cues such as the facial expressions that the listeners make when communicating show if people are interested in what they have heard. For example, passing information to people and you note that they are all ears and nobody is dozing off is a sign of interest in what is being talked about. In such a case, it is anticipated that they will be committed to the task force they are given. Lacking visual cues will also prevent us from stressing points effectively when communicating. There are some things which should be stressed when informing people about. Visual cues help in expressing stress on the messages we want acted upon immediately and effectively. For example, a long face when communicating sad information stresses the point that it is worth working on it. (2)What methods do you use to become acquainted with your fellow classmates and colleagues to compensate for the lack of visual cues? When I miss out when my colleagues and classmates are being communicated to with presence of visual cues, it is necessary to find a way to communicate. There are various ways through which one can get acquainted with the rest who had the visual cues. Some of them I can rely on to make myself up to date. One of the methods I prefer using is holding discussions with my colleagues and classmates who were present when communication was made with the visual cues. Having discussions with them will give me an opportunity to know what I missed. For example, they can explain to me what was being stressed by the message passed. In discussions I get to know why some ideas were brought up in the communication and the expected feedback. Doing my own research about what was communicated to the class is also important to get one acquainted with fellow classmates who attended the entire session. A study on the already discussed idea gives room for one to know the things that could only be gotten through having visual cues. In the research one can come across some previously conducted lessons that were recorded on video. Such videos contain the entire clips with some moves and visual cues that are necessary to enhance understanding. Therefore, watching such clips about the communication sessions will help me in getting what I missed due to lack of the visual cues. 3)Discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of the absence of visual cues for communication in globally distributed teams. Visual cues are very important in passing of message from one person to another. It enhances understanding and makes the process of communicating easier in different capacities. For example, communication without these visual cues has some disadvantages. One of these disadvantages is that it becomes hard to display emphasis in some information that is being communicated. For example, one a person is stressing that something has to be done urgently it becomes hard if visual cues are not used. Absence of visual cues also disadvantages the messenger since it becomes harder to know the instant feedback that the receivers of the message gave when they first had about the information. The first response give on getting some information serve as the best way of knowing if they are really comfortable with what is required of them from the message. Lack of the visual cues in communication among globally distributed teams also has advantages. The message conveyed without these cues are usually exact to the point. The unnecessary information that people sometimes use in communication are avoided in this case. Time is also saved in such type of communication. The people involved talk directly about what they are concerned about thus less time is needed for the communication process. For example the globally distributed team members do not need to take a lot of time converging for the message to be conveyed. Conclusion It is important to distribute the knowledge team workers we have globally. Doing this makes us have a wider source for the knowledge we require in our organizations. However, it is also advisable to make sure the work that these globally distributed teams do are well coordinated. The different technologies that bring dispersed workers together are thus important to every team. References CITATION All13 \l 1033 : , (Allison, 2013), CITATION Bou14 \l 1033 : , (Boundless.com, 2014), CITATION Car122 \l 1033 : , (Carmody, 2012), CITATION Che12 \l 1033 : , (Chesebro, 2012), CITATION Chu12 \l 1033 : , (Chudoba, 2012), CITATION Eva12 \l 1033 : , (Evaristo, 2012), CITATION Fis12 \l 1033 : , (Fisher, 2012), CITATION Glu12 \l 1033 : , (Gluesing, 2012), CITATION Her12 \l 1033 : , (Herbsleb, 2012), CITATION Hin12 \l 1033 : , (Hinds, 2012), CITATION Sha111 \l 1033 : , (Shamp, 2011), CITATION Mat11 \l 1033 : , (Matheson, 2011), Read More