Virtual Teams and Project Management - Coursework Example

Virtual Teams By: Institution: Course: Instructor: Date of submission: Introduction "Virtual" teams that comprise of individuals in various physical settings are on rising. With telecommunication tending to be standard and expansion of companies geographically, work groups tend to span shared workplaces, far-flung offices, hotel rooms, and private homes. Armed with Wi-Fi mobile phones, and laptops, the majority of professionals can work from anywhere. The virtual team formation is apparent. With virtual teams, the employees gain the capacity to skill of managing their personal lives and work in a flexible manner (Ferrazzi 2014, p. 1). Through this, companies can acquire the lowest cost as well as best talents globally and at the same time ensure a reduction of the cost of real estate. However, managers of information development have worked with the virtual team for numerous years (Cordes 2013, p. 13). This began with the emergence of the internet before the domination of online communication. The majority of the people love working as a team in a single locality. With the emergence of the internet, workers such as writers began doing their jobs at home. Instead of losing individual who kept on moving away, managers provided them with a chance to work in a remote setting. Many companies are saving on office space, ensuring that the employees are provided with connectivity and equipment to provide working at home (Pfister & Oehl 2009, p. 161). Following the widespread utilization of internet, big businesses gained the capacity to save a lot of money by ensuring the movement of work to areas of low cost around the globe, and by providing the provision of work to writers in Eastern Europe and Asia. Despite gaining a lot of experience in the management of virtual teams, the team members, as well as managers still, experience struggle to offer the right connection and communication level to enhance the productivity of the team members. According to Govindarajan and Gupta (2001), 82% of managers as well as team members had a feeling that they did not meet their goals and 33% of them felt they did not attain success. According to Deloitte (2005), the majority of the projects (66%) that virtual teams handled did not meet the requirements of the customer (Ferrazzi 2014, p. 1). The majority of the people perceive virtual communication as being as being unproductive compared to the interaction of face-to-face. A study done by teams of global software development proper management of the virtuous team is likely to make that team perform better than those working in the office setting (Pfister & Oehl 2009, p. 163). Apart from that, studies have revealed that the productivity of the virtual team is likely to gain an improvement. To ensure efficacy in the management of the virtual team, four essential factors namely the right team, the right leaders, the right touchline, and the right technology have been outlined by Ferrazzi (Ferrazzi 2014, p. 1). The right team Studies into the size of the team reveal that virtual teams that are small in size with less than ten people have a high likelihood of attaining success compared to large-sized teams. An increase in the size of the team makes some members feel as though they are not part of the success of the team and therefore, fail to make contribution fully. The factor of "social loafing" is more common in a team with over four to five members. It is, therefore, essential to ensure that the size of the group is small. The success of the virtuous team does not always result from the contribution from all members. The successful members of the team have a high level of emotional intelligence, good communication, work well when independent, and have a quick recovery in case of a problem (Cordes 2013, p. 17). According to Ferrazzi, the Meyers-Briggs personality profile is useful in carrying out the evaluation of potential members of the team for the crucial skills. When it comes to the assessment of both weaknesses and strengths, it is essential to consider even the teams deemed strong. Therefore, it is essential to ensure the assemblage of members of the virtuous team, ensure the coaching of those with no necessary skills, and ensure the reassigning of those who have the capacity to help out. In case you are in need of individuals from various areas of the profession, it is essential to subdivide them into different teams. There exists three tiers of a team namely the executive who ensure the development of a strategy, a team for operations towards the completion of the project, as well as the outer group that ensures the supply of experts in certain areas. Sensitivity, as well as awareness to other culture, is essential when dealing with a global group (Ferrazzi 2014, p. 2). The process of team building requires the leaders to carry out the personality test and behavior interviews for instance Myers-Briggs to ensure the screening of the qualities. Small groups enhance the efficacy in the virtual teams. A large group has its setback as it requires an inclusive communication (Korner 2010, p. 16). Right leadership When providing leadership to a virtual team, it is important to utilize skills at interpersonal relationships to ensure an establishment as well as maintenance of communication. Virtual teams are opposite to face-to-face team especially when it comes to the development of interpersonal relationships that ensure a close working relationship. Interpersonal relationships are essential as individuals gain the capacity to comprehend each other (Pfister & Oehl 2009, p. 167). The existence of trust among the members of the team ensures the provision of constructive criticism. A manager providing leadership to a virtual team should make sure that the members of the team are open as well as honest with each other. Subsequently, it is essential to ensure that people are avoiding accusatory feedback. It is also important for the leader to ensure the development of some standard phrases to be utilized by individuals in the process of providing feedback to avoid the negativity of the same. Apart from that, the leader should make sure that the members of the team are open as well as honest regarding any area that requires improvement. In short, the manager should ensure that he/she is encouraging caring as well as a constructive feedback among the members of the team. It is widely recognized that it is essential for the operations of most of the teams to be guided by clear rules and goals. Apart from that, the leaders should ensure the articulation of the team's purpose (Ferrazzi 2014, p. 3). The genesis of trust is respect as well as empathy. This would begin by leaders urging the members of the team to provide a description of the values they will bring to the team, their background, as well as their work preferences. However, it is important to have a comprehension that the building of a relationship is a process which is ongoing. While employees working in a similar office can speak about the issues affecting their lives, it is rare for the virtual team to take such an action. Open dialogue: once trust is established, the next step would involve opening a dialogue as this is the basis by which success is formed. It is important for the company's leaders to provide an atmosphere where all the members are open with one another. When it comes to the delivery of negative feedback, it is important to utilize phrases such as "think about this, " or I might suggest." Apart from that, it is essential to make recognition of individuals who for the actions that may bring improvement of team collaboration and communication (Korner 2010, p. 17). Guidelines that facilitate team interaction are essential because they help in reducing uncertainty as well as enhancing trust, thereby leading to an improvement of productivity. Virtual collaboration necessitates the presence as well as the engagement of every individual. Right touch points In one way or another, it is necessary for the virtual team to have a general meeting. The initial stage can involve the utilization of video or face-to-face, and this is essential in ensuring teammate introduction, setting up the candor and trust expectations, as well as providing the clarification of the team's behavior guidelines and goals. At this stage which is also called kickoff, body language and eye contact ensure the kindling of personal connections that will ensure the working together of strangers before the development of long-term bond. At this stage, one gains the capacity to assess the work and dynamics of the team to ensure the bridging of specific gaps (Cordes 2013, p. 25). Various strategies including conference call and short-term e-mail can be utilized to make sure that new people are being brought into the virtuous team. One way to enhance their success is meeting them in person, for instance providing them the air ticket to travel to the companies headquarter. Apart from that, it is important to urge the members to video call each other. Another important aspect is ensuring that the member of the team is being paired with a mentor who can guarantee the answering of questions personally as well as quickly. Also, it is important to ensure the development of an app for managing the project which ensures integration with instant messaging to ensure the coordination of discussion as well as the alignment of activities around unmistakably defined tasks, objectives, budgets, and milestones. The objective here is to provide the management of progress (Hart 2008, p. 345). Most of the times, interactive discussion via online means as well as screen progress sharing is all the core team might be required (Potter & Balthazard 2012, p. 12). However, it is essential to have a true management of the project to ensure that the support members are staying in sync and at the same time executive is sustaining interest and have comfort that compliance, as well as financial accountability, have been put in place (Ferrazzi 2014, p. 4). The virtual team leaders must consistently offer motivation to the members as a way of ensuring that they are at their best, but this momentum cannot be sustained by weekly conference and email updates alone. In case there exist no body language or visual cues, misunderstanding is likely to take place, especially when dealing with a large team. The members of the team begin experiencing a feeling of being less engaged as well as discontented leading to a decline in the contribution they make towards the team (Bradley 2008, P. 45). Apart from that, it is important have a session of online video conference as a way of introducing the selected members of the team as well as their assigned role, share the preliminary plans, outline the corporate purpose, set expectations and timeline, as well as hear any concern or objection that might cancel or alter the involvement of the virtual team. It is also essential to ensure the setting up of the session of training wherever necessary (Korner 2010, p. 20). The Right Technology Poor communication can lead to the falling of the finest leadership, talented workers, as well as virtual teams of top-notch. It is, therefore, essential to ensure that all the platforms are integrating the various communication types. It t is essential to look for systems that do not necessitate access codes, but provide a single stick or automatic recording or automate or facilitate transcription. When the systems are at their best, they have the capacity to monitor the time spent by each in talking compared to listening. One of the best tools that can be utilized is the direct call. Other technological strategies that can be employed include virtual team rooms and discussion forums (Ferrazzi 2014, p. 5). Evaluate (compare and contrast) examples of where virtual teams have worked well and where they have worked against effective outcomes Virtual teams can be categorized as either dismal failure or dramatic success. They have the capacity to ensure the amplification of the costs as well as the benefits of teamwork. Apart from that, a well-designed and managed virtual team can guarantee the harnessing of talents across the globe to offer solutions to the business problem, ensure the creation of new products, as well as service customers. However, there are cases where virtual teams can fail if little or no attention is paid in the way they are designed, managed, as well as supported. Therefore, it is essential for an organization to ensure the creation of conditions that will ensure efficacy in virtual teamwork (Potter & Balthazard 2012, p. 17). In comparison with the face-to-face team, virtual teams are characterized by complexity as they work across border linked to distance, time, as well as the organization and at the same time utilize electronic means of technology to ensure collaboration and communication. However, such teams can attain efficacy with the existence of specific supporting conditions. The effectiveness of any virtual team can be enhanced by numerous factors, and at the same time, various methods can aid in the production of outcomes (Cordes 2013, p. 33). Owing to the limited channels of communication, the virtual team's success as well as effectiveness is determined by the type of the project worked on by the group, the people who are selected, and the manner by which the team is being managed. A virtual team does not attain success in all projects. For instance, a project that has the tendency of relying on integrated and sequential work for example in the manufacturing or engineering present itself with various challenges. Another situation is a situation where the work of each person is dependent on what other people are doing for instance, in sports. In that case, tasks have to go via a strict workers' sequence in a short period (Chu, Collins, Cordes, Hancks, & Zellmer 2012, P. 70). The performance in virtual team varies depending on an individual. It is important for the member to have self-motivation as well as work independently. It is important for an individual to be strongly result oriented. Successful outcomes of a virtual team are dependent on the capacity of members to ensure the application of communication technology as a way of producing as well as utilizing information to come up with solutions to problems (Ramesh & Dennis 2002, p. 1). However, time, technology, and space interaction bring hindrance to the decision making, exchange of knowledge, as well as management of the virtual team. The effectiveness of the team as a successful time dimensions structuring, task, technology, and context. For example, tasks that are complex for example collaboration, planning, as well as decision-making may have efficacy when their performance occur in a virtual environment because the interaction process can be fostered by technology. According to Korner (2010), the performance of the virtual team can be significantly elevated when the members receive training on the work process, the utilization of technology, as well as task structure. However, the mediation by computers can lead to a limitation of the processes of information necessary to ensure efficacy in collaboration and communication. Virtual teams have a high efficacy when it comes to performing tasks of low complexity (Potter & Balthazard 2012, p. 20). However, problems of higher complexity, for instance, work performance based on knowledge by majority of virtual team members have less penetrable boundaries and at the same time calls for high real-time interaction degree. Apart from that, the functions of collaboration and the communication of the virtual team are in most cases independent; ad combines asynchronous and synchronous interaction methods. This ensures that the members of the teas are working across space and time constrains. For instance, during the field operation, military forces' members have a limitation in the utilization of rich media. Similarly, alternatives for instance, text chat may not be effective in ensuring the provision of gestural and verbal cues of communication that ensure the clarification of meaning in teams using face-to-face (Korner 2010, p. 28). According to studies, the positive synergy generated through face-to-face teams cannot be easily obtained in virtual teams. Managers have difficulties in the creation of team synergies as well as to overwhelm the absence of informal as well as interactive learning. Letting the members of virtual team be together for any form of discussion ensure an improvement of serendipity chance. When it comes to the virtual team, avoiding process loss as well as generating synergy is not easy in virtual team since face-to-face interaction is rare. Therefore, virtual team faces the challenge of creating synergy without day to day physical encounters. To overcome this, it is important for the virtual team to ensure team building as well as scheduling of face-to-face meetings (Ramesh & Dennis 2002, p. 1). However, virtual teams have helped in addressing the process losses of the team linked with personality conflicts, politics, cliques, power, cliques and stereotyping that are common with the face-to-face teams. Apart from those visual cues, for instance, gender/race can lead to a decrease in the performance as well as integration in a team characterized by division. The divisive demographic dissimilarities are less in the virtual team because of the minimization of face-to-face contact. Other studies have revealed that virtual collaboration ensures the generation of minor participation, leading to an increase in the overall attachment and integration of minority members. Besides, other studies have identified that the decision support systems of electronic group assist the virtual groups in coming up with decisions of high quality compared to teams using face-to-face interaction (Potter & Balthazard 2012, p. 23). According to Ramesh & Dennis (2002), virtual teams lack physical interaction and nonverbal and verbal cues, as well as social interaction especially with coworkers and manager which is essential in most of the jobs, and this makes the workers have a feeling of being isolated. There has been the documentation of the loneliness witnessed in the executives of long distance and the main challenge in virtual team involves overcoming the challenge of isolation resulting from the team member's isolation from the traditional social network of the workspace. It is likely that the members of the virtual team will have less productivity, as well as satisfaction, compared to those working face-to-face (Cordes, Sean 2012, P. 35). However, the best way to overcome the team member isolation is through the use of training sessions as well as team building. According to studies, the personal relationship among the members of the virtual team can be developed through the use of preliminary face-to-face meetings (Lipnack, n.d. p. 17). Apart from that, the company should have an annual meeting as this will help in overcoming the isolation feeling. With face to face missing, communication between the manager and the virtual team is usually via e-mail or phone call. It is also important for the isolated members of the team to ensure the building of contacts network with the company as well as have a close communication with the company's headquarter. Another way to ensure the inclusion of the isolated members of the team is through the establishment of a mentor-protégé relationship. The manager should identify the virtual team members who may require more frequent communication (Korner 2010, p. 33). Bibliographies Cordes, S. 2013. Impact of process protocol design on virtual team effectiveness. Iowa: Iowa State University. Ferrazzi, K. 2014. Managing yourself: Getting virtual teams right. Harvard Business Review. Korner, V. J. 2010. (Virtual) teams that succeed. University Heights, Ohio, John Carroll University. Lipnack, J. A. (n.d.). Vitual teams: The new way to work. Pfister, H. R., & Oehl, M. 2009. The impact of goal focus, task type and group size on synchronous net‐based collaborative learning discourses. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25(2), 161-176. Potter, R. E., & Balthazard, P. A. 2012. Understanding human interaction and performance in the virtual team. Journal of Information Technology Theory and Application, 4(1), 1–23. Powell, A., Piccoli, G., & Ives, B. 2004. Virtual teams: A review of current literature and directions for future research. Data Base for Advances in Information Systems, 35(1), 6-36. Ramesh, V. and Dennis, A. 2002. The object-oriented team: Lessons for virtual teams from global software development, Proceedings of the Thirty-Fifth Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Hawaii. Gibson, G., & Cohen, B. 2003. Virtual teams that work: creating conditions for virtual teams effectiveness. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons. Cordes, Sean. 2012. Handheld Tube Tours: Increasing orientation engagement with viral videos and mobile devices. American library Association Midwinter, LITA Mobile Computing IG Virtual Meeting for ALA MidWinter, January 11, 2012. Chu, F., Collins, T., Cordes, S. Hancks, J. and Zellmer, L. 2012. Reaching beyond Academe – Library Outreach to Rural Communities, ACRL 2012 Spring Virtual Institute, Extending Reach, Proving Value: Collaborations Strengthen Communities, April 18-19, 2012. Bradley, L. 2008. The technology that supports virtual team collaboration, in J. Nemiro, M. Beyerlein, L. Bradley, & S. Beyerlein (Eds.). Hart, R. K. 2008. The handbook of high performance virtual teams: A toolkit for collaborating across b oundaries (San Francisco: Jossey Bass. 331-343. Read More