Role of Virtual Teams in Work Organisational Structures - Essay Example

VIRTUAL TEAMS & WORK STRUCTURES Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Professor’s Name Date Introduction The very nature of work in modern working environments within organisations has really changed a lot. In fact, until recently, the activities of many companies have really increased in global terms due to the fact that there has been increase in the level of competition from both local and foreign sources as well as a paradigm shift from production to service-based work settings (Townsend, DeMarie, & Hendrickson, 1998). In essence, distinct advancements related to aspects of information and communication technology has indeed fastened the degree for which traditional jobs were done; and this is basically a result of a more complex and dynamic shift. In response to these imminent changes, numerous organisational systems, processess and frameworks have all developed to becoming even more flexible as well as adaptive in nature. Considering the fact that modern technological advancements have continued to be imminent, more organisational structures have opted to put much emphasis on virtual teams as a unique technological feature that is set to organise the underlying units of work amongst employees. Virtual team is basically perceived to be a geographically distributed set of co-workers that have been incorporated using a set of telecommunication and information technologies for purposes of accomplishing organisational duties (Bell & Kozlowski, 2002). The focus of this paper is on examining the crucial role played by virtual teams as a distinct form of technological feature, in organisational work structures and processess. Role of Virtual Teams in Work Organisational Structures It is important ascertain that within any given modern organisational setting; the role of virtual teams cannot be ignored. Virtual teams permits all organisations to have immediate access to the most qualified personnel for specific tasks despite their locations; a factor that has helped these organisations to respond even faster to such aspects related to intense competition while still ensuring to allow flexibility of working from other places apart from the workstations (Bell & Kozlowski, 2002). In comparison to conventional work teams, virtual teams enjoys a substantial set of characteristics that are identified as follows; first, it is important to note that virtual teams enjoy distinct aspect of spatial distance. The most fundamental aspect of virtual teams rest with the fact that they are not restricted by physical boundaries and allows for team members to be separated while executing their tasks (Lipnack & Stamps, 1999). In fact, the particular distance that seeks to separate team members is not an important aspect as compared to the effect it has on interactions amongst team members. Unlike in conventional teams, members of virtual teams do not engage a face-to-face assemble but rather they exhaust a significant set of mediating technologies like video-conferencing as well as electronic mail in order to sustain internal connections and conduct their work duties effectively (Lipnack & Stamps,1999). While it is possible that conventional teams might engage a computerised communication platform; this is mostly used for the purpose of supplementing a face-to-face interaction model (Kirkman, et al, 2004). In their nature, virtual teams are mostly ascertained and emphasized in modern working environment since they can allow companies to come up with strategies set to reduce possible competition as they can be utilised for purposes of harnessing the immediate level of knowledge employees enjoy despite their locality. Distinctively, virtual teams possess the capacity to be apportioned across a set of space; a factor that is deemed to be important in enhancing its technological mediation aspect. In conjunction with some common contemporary advancements electronic mail; in overall telecommunication technologies have indeed played a big part in the transformation of the fundamental structure of work teams (Lipnack & Stamps, 1999). These technologies have the capacity to communicate and share pertinent level of information and data despite the fact that there might be differences in terms of time and space; as well as the fundamental manner for which team members interact with one another (Kirkman, et al, 2004). As much as there is an element of specificity in selecting certain communication technologies; a virtual team is focused on the underlying resources held by an organisation within any given moment meaning that the choice of these technologies should basically be dependent on the overall nature of the tasks that a team seeks to accomplish. Indicative research ascertains to the fact that overall team performance is specifically a functionality of individual level performance or even the outcome of unidirectional aspects that exists between team members (Kirkman, et al, 2004). In such events, integrative communication media channels like electronic mail or screen sharing; will in most cases be sufficient since despite the interface of teams; aspects related to communication technologies is imperative. In the contemporary period, there have been a significant number of studies that have contributed a lot in evaluating the overall effects of computer-related communication as well as group overall decision support systems on team processess and efficiencies (Bell & Kozlowski, 2002). These studies have been able to ascertain that the adoption of asynchronous communication is indeed effective in relation to much less complex tasks that are deemed to be essentially independent in nature like idea generation. In consequence, even more researches indicate that asynchronous communication platforms is mostly quality-efficient in comparison to synchronous communication for easier tasks since production blocking effects that are a result of a single individual being able to communicate at any given moment in time is abolished altogether (Jarvenpaa, & Leidner, 1998). However, with tasks becoming even more complex in nature asserts to the fact that they requires a well-choreographed and coordinated effort. The role of team members has indeed transformed to mere interdependence and thus, a need for a fairly-orchestrated teamwork and immediate feedback is essential. Certainly, aspects related to communication and collaboration demand will improve on tremendously while the aspect of information attains crucial levels. Townsend, DeMarie, and Hendrickson (1998) put forward some imminent factors that are perceived to enhance a shift from the conventional face-to-face teams to virtual teams. These factors that have prompted the adoption of this technological feature amongst organisations are discussed as follows; Primarily, virtual teams are a result of the existing prevalence of flat or even horizontal organisation structures. Interestingly enough, the evolution of these orgnisational structures is deemed to be a definite response to the already triggered competitive operating environments that is a result of improved global competition as well as the recently witnessed advancements in regards to both information and transportation technologies (Townsend, DeMarie &Hendrickson, 1998). The fact that there is organisation flattening result to decision authorities to experience a lower degree that leads to a reduction in the need for numerous layers of management. Considering a fewer level of centralized and hierarchical management structure; most organisations face a structural and geographical distribution of human resources, which then calls for the adoption of virtual teams for purposes of cutting down o costs. Notably, the growth and development of virtual teams lies in the paradigm shift of manufacturing and production-based tasks to service-focused and knowledge-based ones. In their nature, most production processess are mostly structured and defined while service-based is intensively dependent on imminent cooperation of team members in dynamic work conditions that are linked to customer requirements (Townsend, DeMarie &Hendrickson, 1998). The definite level of success for service-based industries has been a result of their capacity to flexibly respond to consumer’s immediate needs as quickly as possible. In truth, this flexibility triggers the shift from a highly structured orgnisational form to more ad hoc ones (Townsend, DeMarie &Hendrickson, 1998). Thus, virtual teams enhance this orgnisational based flexibility since they incorporate the efficiency of technologies thereby allowing them to directly involve an improvised set of dynamism in both team membership and work culture as a whole. Accordingly, the existing pattern in the underlying working environment is focused on alterations witnessed amongst employees’ level of expectations and the manner for which they will participate in executing specific work duties within their work stations (Townsend, DeMarie &Hendrickson, 1998). Modern employees that would have witnessed a great deal in working within an environment of personal computers; smart phones and electronic sessions are likely to embrace orgnisational flexibility in regards to virtual teams. An organisations’ newer employee base is expected to be technologically savvy and thus, as a result will be dependent on this form of advancement being practiced within their underlying workplaces (Jarvenpaa, Shaw, & Staples, 2004). In fact, a good example showing the way for which employee expectations have been changing and thereby affecting workplaces is witnessed with the ever-increase of the number of employees that opt to engage telework operational alternatives present (Townsend, DeMarie &Hendrickson, 1998). It should be understood that most of these teleworkers operate mostly from the comfort of their homes or a given remote locations that is linked directly to the home offices through such technological platforms as telephones, modems and electronic mail. Such telework platforms as virtual teams seems to help organisations in cutting down their overall cost hence improve on savings to employees by way of scrapping-off unnecessary time-consuming movements to distinct central platforms and thereby offering employees a much flexible way of coordinating and taking care of their work and family life responsibilities (Jarvenpaa, & Leidner, 1998). Research indicates that teleworkers through virtual teams constitute the fastest growing and developing segment of an entire workforce for any given organisation (Townsend, DeMarie &Hendrickson, 1998). In teleworking, organisations can go ahead to adopt virtual team’s platforms for the purpose of expanding their overall potential ranges that fosters employees involved in a highly collaborative teamwork in order to achieve high efficiencies even in the very remotest places. Of notable interest to note, the current improvements witnessed within the areas related to global trades and corporate activities has resulted to imminent changes in the entire working environments for most organisations. Recent economic trade pacts like GATT as well as economic growth in such countries as China and Europe have ensured to trigger a significant set of opportunities for international trade (Jarvenpaa, Shaw, & Staples, 2004). Despite the fact that there sizes might vary distinctively, all of these multinational organisations are in dire need of a high degree of coordination and collaborations amongst their personnel and customers regardless of the existing geographical boundaries. Therefore, efforts made to transform these networks of coordinators into fully linked virtual teams has the capacity to improve on both the efficiency and quality of communications within this ever-changing and challenging operational environments. In capitalising on virtual teams, it is crucial to understand the fact that they cannot form the overall organisational panacea and that the degree for which organisations may benefits from adopting this technological advancement might differ in great lengths (Martins, Gilson, & Maynard, 2004). The process of developing the required technology and employee skills that are deemed to be effective in conducting virtual teams is certainly restricted by costs relating to time and financial resources that should be laid in order to achieve competitive advantages of these teams. In this regards, thus, organisations should comprehend the fact that the adoption of virtual teams can provide intense set of opportunities however; they are called to attain a clear and concise understanding of the overall goals and objectives they have for virtual team’s implementation processes (Martins, Gilson, & Maynard, 2004). This means that the organisation’s initial priority should be to effectively develop virtual teams and thereafter, set necessary ideals that should be used to overcome the underlying resistance that relates to companies embracing extensive innovation practices. Conclusion To sum up the discussion, it can be noted that virtual teams is an important technological aspect that is currently being revered by most organisations to achieve a competitive edge and also, cut down on competition and unnecessary costs. As more workers opt to work from home, organisations have perceived the need for introducing virtual teams in their work structures for purposes of reaching each and every team members despite their geographical locations. Virtual teams have also been seen to alter the way multinationals work in foreign countries since they can still outsource services from talented personnel living in different areas for work duties. The future of work operations is likely to embrace virtual teams since most people are now focused more than ever to attain a work and family kind of balance hence most organisations are even coming up with unique ways of advancing this technological feature. References List Bell, B.S. & Kozlowski, S.W., 2002. 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Townsend, A.M., DeMarie, S.M. & Hendrickson, A.R., 1998. Virtual teams: Technology and the workplace of the future. The Academy of Management Executive, vol.12, no.3, pp.17-29. Read More