Working in Virtual Teams

Working in virtual teams pertains to working without the need to go to the physical office. It is now one of the efficient means to save time and money from traveling.

It offers great advantage especially for people who are from far locations but have the skills and capabilities for the job.

What is Virtual Team?

Virtual teams are best means to allow teamwork in situation wherein people are not just sitting in a similar physical office at same time. Virtual teams are employed by many companies as well as other organizations to cut real estate, relocation, travel and other cost of business. This is ideal for business and corporation that uses visual organization to outsource operations, build global charisma or need less common skills or skills from some individuals who are hesitant to relocated or travel from their home locations.

  • The Difference of Virtual Team

    The fundamental principles of virtual teams are the same as the ones applied in the traditional teams. However, there is one significant difference. This difference is the method the team members can communicate together. Instead of employing the complete spectrum as well as dynamics of face-to-face and in-office exchange, the teams are using the technology to communicate such as virtual conference, teleconference, phone calls, faxes and e-mail.

    Due to a restricted communication means, the effectiveness and success of virtual teams is much more precise that the form of project that the team will work on. It is basically, depends on the people chosen for the job as well as how the team is supervised.

  • What is the Projects Ideal for Virtual Team?

    Not every type of project is appropriate for a virtual organization. One of the challenging scenarios here is projects like rely greatly on integrated or sequential work as usually the situation of manufacturing. This type of team needs a lot of real-time exchange of information to make sure that the workers are following the right direction or step-by-step process of the job.
    It only means one thing working in virtual teams requires you to work independently without too much instruction needed by the supervisor. Then all they need to do is to produce a strong-result orientation. Additionally, the member should be able to work without the need or external structure or control. One essential factor is the communication skills. The member must be capable of communicating positively, constructively and clearly even if the channels of technology is only limited.

  • The Challenges of Virtual Teams

    The managers of virtual teams should also need to focus on maintaining clear objectives, communication rules and performance standards. Individuals who have unreliable hypothesis on what they can expect from the team. In order to prevent misunderstandings and build-ups, it is very essential to replace contained assumptions into clear protocols and rules that each and everybody agrees and understands. Communication is very important here.

    Lastly, one of the challenges of working in virtual teams is building the relationship and trust between the members of the team. Trust plays an essential way unblock the communication and sustaining the motivation for each members of the team.

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