What is ahead…
-Definition
-Why Virtual Teams?
- 7 Basic Types of Virtual
Teams Definition
-Critical Success Factors
-Virtual Team Sociology
-Myths and Reality A Virtual Team – also known as a Geographically Dispersed
Team (GDT) – is a group of individuals who work across time,
space, and organizational boundaries with links strengthened by
webs of communication technology. They have complementary
skills and are committed to a common purpose, have
interdependent performance goals, and share an approach to
work for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.
Geographically dispersed teams allow organizations to hire and
retain the best people regardless of location.
A virtual team does not always mean teleworkers. Teleworkers
are defined as individuals who work from home. Many virtual
teams in today’s organizations consist of employees both
working at home and small groups in the office but in different
geographic locations.
Why Virtual Teams?
§ Best employees may be located anywhere in the world.
§ Workers demand personal flexibility.
§ Workers demand increasing technological sophistication.
§ A flexible organization is more competitive and responsive to the
marketplace.
§ Workers tend to be more productive – less commuting and travel time.
§ The increasing globalization of trade and corporate activity.
§ The global workday is 24 vs. 8 hours.
§ The emergence of environments which require inter-organizational
cooperation as well as competition.
§ Changes in workers’ expectations of organizational participation.
§ A continued shift from production to service/knowledge work
environments.
§ Increasing horizontal organization structures characterized by
structurally and geographically distributed human resources.
Overview 1
7 Basic Types of Virtual Teams
Networked Teams consist of individuals who collaborate to achieve a
common goal or purpose; membership is frequently diffuse and fluid.
Parallel Teams work in short term to develop recommendations for an
improvement in a process or system; has a distinct membership.
Project or Product-Development Teams conduct projects for
users or customers for a defined period of time. Tasks are usually non-
routine, and the results are specific and measurable; team has decision-
making authority.
Work or Production Teams perform regular and ongoing work
usually in one function; clearly defined membership.
Service Teams support customers or the internal organization in
typically a service/technical support role around the clock.
Management Teams work collaboratively on a daily basis within a
functional division of a corporation.
Action Teams offer immediate responses activated in (typically)
emergency situations.
Overview 2
Critical Success Factors of Virtual Teams
§ The existence of availability standards.
§ Ample resources to buy and support state-of-the-art reliable
communication and collaboration tools for all team members.
§ The existence of corporate memory systems such as lessons learned
databases.
§ The existence of written goals, objectives, project specifications, and
performance metrics; results orientation.
§ Managers and team members with a better-than-average ability to
accurately estimate.
§ A lower-than-normal ration of pushed to pulled information.
§ Team communication is prioritized by the sender.
§ Human resource policies, reward/recognition systems as well as
career development systems address the unique needs of virtual
workers.
§ Good access to technical training and information on how to work
across cultures.
§ Training methods accommodate continual and just-in-time learning.
§ There are standard and agreed on technical and “soft” team
processes.
§ A “high trust” culture; teamwork and collaboration are the norm.
§ Leaders set high performance expectations; model behaviors such as
working across boundaries and using technology effectively.
§ Team leaders and members exhibit competence in working in virtual
environments.
Overview 3
Virtual Team Sociology
Within the virtual connection is an opportunity for efficiency and team synergy
unrealized in traditional teams and worker interaction. The realization of these
possible outcomes is reliant upon the development of new team sociology
inclusive of all virtual team members with their varying geographies and
cultures; including contingent workers from outside the immediate organization.
Building blocks of the “new” sociology:
§ Team members have to adopt and adapt to new technologies.
§ Members must be more adaptive – “resilient” to a changing variety
of assignments and tasks during the life of any particular team.
§ Team membership more dynamic with changing tasks and
responsibilities.
§ Roles will be more dynamic because virtual teams are more flexible
regarding organizational responses to market needs.
§ Members are required to have superior team participation skills;
team membership is fluid requiring team members who can quickly
assimilate into the team (the responsibility for assimilation is
primarily with the new member).
§ Virtual teams will be expected to be able to repeatedly change
membership without losing productivity; little time will be available
for team members to learn how to work together.
§ Technology such as intranets can streamline socialization of new
members by coming up to speed quickly with archived written
information, video, and audio recordings.
§ Employees will have to learn to join teams and accept new members
without the benefit of time-related socialization. Norms and role
expectations must be expressed explicitly to new members who must
quickly acculturate.
Overview 4
Myths and Realities
What myths have been communicated about GDT’s and how do those
myths compare with reality?
Myth Reality
1. Geographically 1. GDT’s can match or exceed the performance of
dispersed teams other teams for some tasks. They provide an
are not as advantage in some areas. Some co-located teams,
effective as when brainstorming, lock in on a single idea too
traditional teams early. This happens less frequently with a GDT.
where everyone
is located in the
same place.
2. Co-located teams 2. Face to face interaction is not always the most
are always effective approach. When there are cultural or
preferable. personal differences electronic communication
may be more effective.
3. Team dynamics 3. Research has shown that GDT’s develop
are the same. differently than co-located teams and therefore
have different dynamics. (Interventions and/or
team building processes may need to be different
for GDT’s versus co-located teams.)
4. Team members 4. Trust can develop just as quickly when there is
cannot develop high focus on communication and interaction,
trust. regardless of co-location or dispersion. The team
should define “trust” and the behaviors it would
take to build it.
5. There is no 5. Accountability should be based on measurable
accountability. outcomes. This means shifting to a results-
oriented paradigm. Out-of-sight does not mean
unaccountable.
6. When things go 6. GDT’s fail more often due to lack of “soft skills,”
wrong it’s not due to lack of technology skills or function.
because of GDT’s can use technology to enhance relationship
technology. building and speed team development.
7. There is no 7. Leader and members’ roles are different with
difference in GDT’s, especially concerning disciplined
roles when interaction and communication. Some GDT
comparing a leaders indicate they spend twice as much phone
GDT to a virtual time with a GDT as with a co-located team. The
or co-located increased time, especially in the initial project
team. phase, is needed to establish relationships.
Overview 5
