Dispersed Team Dynamics - Essay Example

Dispersed Team Dynamics: Summative Assessment Introduction The organizational definitions of human resources management has evolved through a long term of processes from the traditional all-under-one-roof system to a globalised structure of participation and supervision. This scientific change in HR management has witnessed a tremendous inflow of human capital to the business organizations without the constraints of political and cultural barriers. The concept of dispersed team dynamics (DTD) introduced as a part of global HR management practices meets the ever-increasing need for acquiring and managing the diverse workforce which promotes high-end standardization of quality performance and extended supply of human capital to the modern companies. The effectiveness of studies on the dynamics of the teams has influential merits for the management students as they can convert their individual skills to collective enthusiasm at their prospective workplace. This essay will focus on the summative evaluation of the different elements of virtual team management and the practical utility of the methods applied in the course structure and identify the questions for future exploration. Distinct Learning Experience The course design for the topic of dispersed team dynamics has successfully covered the different theoretical aspects associated with the virtual team management applications. The basic learning from the course encompasses the technical and scientific knowledge associated with the formation of virtual teams and their functions. The lectures and practical sessions of the course effectively address the essential features of operational management, communication and the principles of collaboration in order to empower the learners to develop their employability at the challenging job market conditions. The course literature evidently focuses on the technical and personal competencies required for the virtual team managers. The current tendencies of the global HR environment of collectively demand the management students and leadership aspirants to explore their own potentials on the basis of the required adaptability skills essential for coping up the change-inflicted challenges. According to Lpesinger and DeRosa (2010), the emphasis of envisioning the changes as part of virtual team management functioning is essential for team leaders because of the importance of visions in strategic planning and decision making (p.93). As part of the course, the virtual team has taken a definition for the students as they realize the scope of this HR practice device across the multi-cultural and diverse employment environment in the global business management based of modern scientific approaches to the human capital. Virtual team formation is a clinical approach to the HR practices in a generalized perspective because of the specifications of the factors playing behind putting a lot of diverse ideas and ideologies coming from all over the world. The experimental importance of designing a virtual team depends on the nature and structure of the organization rather than the size of its business. The most basic significance of virtual teams is they involve the collective operations of individuals while being physically scattered. The management of virtual teams is a great challenge before the managers regardless of their expertise and the brand value of the company because of the many factors pertaining to the cultural transitions involving the process coupled with the alignment of individual performances to the preset standards of the organizational goals. According to an observation, the managers can effectively handle the pressure by applying the tactics like choosing the right team players, defining the purpose to the team, widening the team energy, rewarding achievements and endorsing the interpersonal relationships etc within the diversely located team activities (‘Managing a Geographically Dispersed Team’). As such, the leaders can select members with better skills of communication and cultural tolerance with absolute dedications to work across changing environments. This will enable the leaders to convey the messages easily with regards to the expectations placed on the members who are geographically dispersed. Pleasing the positive performers on the basis of fair appraisals helps in trust building and the consistency of the team players. The introduction and practical application of various technical devices help in the inter-group communication process to go transparently and free of confusions, whereby avoiding the possible conflicts. The absence of a corporate mechanism to balance the performance of the dispersed teams can have an adverse effect on the organizational goals. The cultural and geographical barriers of the operational management of the disperse teams have attracted the global attention of experts who express constant and critical concerns about the present trend of the virtual team management failures and form platforms for endorsements and negotiations based on decisive strategic restructuring management models. According to a study, “one of the most dramatic and widely adopted strategies has been the implementation of virtual teams which onsist of geographically dispersed individuals with specialized skills, collaborating through information technologies, who are brought together to achieve a task, and to with the realities of globalization” (She, 2010, p.3). The academics on the virtual team challenges highlights the need for the timely evaluation of the management process and the reassurance of coordinated efforts of the team members with regards to the timely accomplishment of the organizational goals. With the diverse spectrum of human involvement expanded over the multiple geographical locations, the technical importance of communication depends greatly on the transparency it can build across the team structure. A systematic learning effect related to the technical and instrumental application of the various communication methods is the evident outcome of the course summation. The teachings on the organizational communication bound to the virtual team organizations accentuate the potential of interpersonal and intergroup contacts with regards to the management of the dispersed groups towards the core objective of the functional structure of the organization. The evidence based literature by Stasi (2013) indicates that the existence of a strong and effective system of communication is the most important technical device for ensuring the functioning of a cohesive and interrelated supporting system which is essential for creating an environment of the coordinated efforts of the self-motivated employee groups. In the organizational context, all the kinds of communication have their own important role to play. In order to lessen the rigidity of instructions and responses, nonverbal communication is an essential mediator between the groups in their communication process. The misinterpretation risk of text messages and emails can be eliminated by introducing the signs of flexibility such as emoticons and by using the accurate and pleasing literature aimed at the target receiver of the message depending on the cultural importance of the selected technique in the target group. Effective communication leads to strategic collaborations which are essential for avoiding conflicts in a virtual team environment. The conflicts arising from confusions and lack of cultural acceptance need the proper attention of the leaders, which can be ensured through the transparency of communication. According to Lepsinger and DeRosa, the effectiveness of managers depend on the communication techniques they apply to monitor and negotiate the conflicts which are barriers to the process of building interpersonal and inter-team collaborations (p.96). The practical application of the contextual communication techniques along with their evaluated validity on different contexts as guided by the learning helps the students deliver a better performance both as a leader and as a distinguished coworker in a virtual team. As the challenges surrounding the global environment of dispersed teams are hiking to a new level with the unhealthy growth of competitions, the management students have to underscore the importance of training and developing themselves based on the changing circumstances in order to ensure their position at an international level. The researchers point out that, the competency a virtual team leader depends on his capacity to communicate distinctively within the technical and physical limitations caused by the geographical distances and cultural differences among the team members (Stasi, pp.41-42). Thus it becomes emphatic for the aspirants to focus on the elimination of possible communication impairments by crossing the limitations of cultural and geographical knowledge about the locations across which the employer organizations have or propose to spread the team operations. Conclusion The course on dispersed team dynamics renders an excellent learning experience to the management students for their prospective growth in leadership qualities essential for the future job markets. The learning techniques and methods applied on the prime focus of communication skills and collaborative ideals will effectively address the leadership challenges involving the management of virtual teams. A conclusive overview of the entire course essentially emphasizes the need for the aspects of cultural tolerance and interpersonal skills based on communication proficiency, which collectively designs the personality of a leadership aspirant fitting to the global context of the HRM practices based on virtual teams. References Lepsinger, R & DeRosa, D. (2010). Virtual Team Success: A Practical Guide for Working and Leading from a Distance. US: John Wiley & Sons. Managing a Geographically Dispersed Team. Mind Tools. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_40.htm She, M. (2010). Virtual team dynamics: Issues and resolutions. Athabasca University. Retrieved from http://dtpr.lib.athabascau.ca/action/download.php?filename=mais/MichaelSheProject.pdf Stasi, C. E. (2013). Effective Communications in a Virtual Team. OUBS Alumni Careers Network Industry Insights: Created by Alumni for Alumni. 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