Managing Virtual Teams.A Case Study - Essay Example

Elise Editor February 27, Managing Virtual Teams Criera has reached a point in his business development that required the company to transform the firm in order to stay ahead of the competition. The overhead costs associated with running an office full-time were hurting the profit margins of the company. The solution to the problem was to force the employee to telecommute with access to a small office space. As the office manager of the enterprise it is your job to manage the human capital of the firm.

Employees that telecommute are still in need of guidance and leadership. Running a virtual company can be a rewarding experience for everyone involved. The employees are given greater freedom to complete their work task based on their own schedule. In general each employee has greater flexibility over their daily routine. Employees that telecommute get a change to spend more family time due to the fact that their homes become their home offices. It is very important you trained your employees to learn how to manage their time adequately.

Telecommuting requires self-discipline in order to be able to meet the work deadlines of the job. In the news media business information travels fast, thus companies need employees that can stay on top of the latest trends. In order to manager a virtual staff you need to keep the lines of communication open. I recommend that you switch your cellular phone provider or change the plan in order to give all employees phones with unlimited minutes. The employees need to stay united and being able to call each other for support in work related matters should be encouraged.

As part of their home office equipment each employees must have a printer, fax machine, copier, digital camera, desktop or laptop computer, and broadband internet access. All the materials must be provided by the company since moving to a virtual environment should not cost the employees any out of pocket expenses. Instead the telecommuting arrangement will save the employees money in gas, car maintenance, and prepared foods. Teams have changed in composition and style over the years. Six attributes of virtual teams are: 1.

Shifting team membership 2. Team members can include people from outside the organization 3. Most people are members of multiple teams 4. Team members are distributed organizationally and geographically 5. Teams form and reform continuously 6. Teams have multiple reporting with different parts of the organization (Kimball, 1997). The creation of a virtual organization at City Criera should be encouraged and promoted from within as a strategic move to improve the organizational culture of the company.

The move will prevent the layoff of employees at the magazine. The employees have to adapt to a new way of doing business. Working as telecommuters will provide freedom and the self-satisfaction of being able to produce without the need of a supervisor look down your neck. The employees will be able to increase their productivity with the time savings going towards the benefit of the employees. References Kimball, L. (1997). Managing Virtual Teams. Retrieved February 27, 2011 from http://www.groupjazz.com/pdf/vteams-toronto.pdf