Virtual Teams
esolving the Dilemmas of Teamwork in Virtual Teams

The continual adoption of virtual teams by enterprises globally are making the dilemmas of teamwork more challenging than ever, exacerbated by cultural, distance and time constraints. These dilemmas are made all the more challenging based on the pace of change accelerating, uncertainty over economic conditions and the continual turbulence in global economies. Further complicating virtual teams is the lack of transparency within and between virtual teams. Virtual team leaders have to contend with all of these dilemmas and challenges in order for guide their organizations towards the attainment of their goals and objectives.

Overcoming the Dilemma of Virtual Teams Through Leadership

The continual adoption of virtual teams continues to completely re-order the culture, nature and trust levels across organizations (LaBrosse, 2008). This dynamics Is happening in companies with just 200 employees and a subset being virtual vs. large corporations with thousands of remote or…...

mla

References

Furst, S.A., Reeves, M., Rosen, B., & Blackburn, R.S. (2004). Managing the life cycle of virtual teams. The Academy of Management Executive, 18(2), 6-20.

LaBrosse, M. (2008). Managing virtual teams. Employment Relations Today, 35(2), 81.

Shriberg, A. (2009). Effectively leading and managing a virtual team. The Business Review, Cambridge, 12(2), 2-I, II.

Purvanova, R.K., & Bono, J.E. (2009). Transformational leadership in context: Face-to-face and virtual teams. Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), 343.

Virtual Team Management
What would be the best way to structure this large virtual team?

Virtual teams are unique in that they possess the ability to transcend typical geographic boundaries. This innate characteristic allows the team to be both more productive and efficient in regards to their overall objectives. With 300 individuals however, the task of effective organization can be daunting. This is particularly true, as each member will only be working 5-10 hours on a volunteer basis. As such the best structure, I believe, would be one that provides specialization of labor. I would first structure the team within similar time zones to ensure efficient communication between the groups. Since each member, on average, will only volunteer for roughly 10 hours, timing is essential. In addition, within the specific time zones, I would create functional teams with specific goals and objectives. This format serves three purposes. For one, the time constraint…...

mla

References:

1) Gomez-Mejia, Luis R.; David B. Balkin and Robert L. Cardy (2008). Management: People, Performance, Change, 3rd edition. New York, New York USA: McGraw-Hill. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-07-302743-2.

2) Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries. The Dark Side of Leadership - Business Strategy Review (2003) page 11-26

3) Kotter, John P. & Dan S. Cohen. (2002). The Heart of Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.

Virtual Team Coordination
Communication is more difficult for a virtual team because relationships are more geographical distributed, more asynchronous, temporary, more multicultural, and more likely to extend outside the organization (Kokko, Mar 2007). Collocated teams are demographically located, members have usually worked together for a period of time and already know each other, which help to build relationships, and meetings are face-to-face interaction. Virtual teams may not have face-to-face interactions, which make relationship building difficult, cultural differences can break down understanding in communications, the lack of shared experience have negative effects on sense of trust between members, and time zones can create problems with setting up meetings.

Research found that virtual teams are significantly less socially aware than collocated teams (ranson, Feb 2011). In collocated teams, members have visual cues with face-to-face interactions that communicate without spoken words. Virtual team members do have visual cues. Interactions are based on what a team…...

mla

Bibliography

Adams, J. & A.L., Jan 1997. The Virtual Project: Managing Tomarrow's Team Today. PM Network, 11(1), pp. 230-235.

Branson, L.S.N. & S.C., Feb 2011. Out of Reach and Out of Touch: Differences in social Awareness Between and Within Collocated and Virtual Teams. ASBBS, 18(1).

Kokko, N.V.M. & L.J., Mar 2007. Individual and Collective Compentencies in Virtual Project Organizations. The Electronic Journal for Virtual Organizations, Volume 8, pp. 27-52.

Loughran, J., n.d. Working Together Virtually: The Care and Feeding of Global Virtual Teams. [Online]

When portals are designed to the specific requirements of Web 2.0 design objectives, companies with virtual teams are finding they can attain higher levels of shared task ownership as well. This is because there are significantly greater levels of trust overall throughout an organization based on the collective contributions of every member of a virtual and in-office team when they share their knowledge and information together (Mancini, 2010). Portals are not the catalyst of trust forming in virtual teams; transformational leadership is because it sets a standard of authenticity, transparency and by a leaders' example, sacrifice for the attainment of a greater goal (Balthazard, Waldman, Warren, 2009). Online tools including social networks, portals, and the e-mail accounts that fuel much of the content interchange all need to be galvanized with a shared vision of how to create virtual teams that trust each other and freely share their expertise and…...

mla

References

Demosthenes Akoumianakis. (2009). Practice-oriented toolkits for virtual communities of practice. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 22(3), 317-345.

Balthazard, P., Waldman, D., & Warren, J.. (2009). Predictors of the emergence of transformational leadership in virtual decision teams. Leadership Quarterly, 20(5), 651.

Bernoff, J., & Li, C.. (2008). Harnessing the Power of the Oh-So-Social Web. MIT Sloan Management Review, 49(3), 36-42.

Casey, V.. (2010). Developing Trust in Virtual Software Development Teams. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 5(2), 41-58.

It would have been much better to have had online tools including a real-time blackboard or electronic space to write down and share files in real-time without having to wait on e-mail for everyone to get the attachments. Also, the ability to collaborate in real time, the next step in the virtual team process, would have been much more effective with better electronic tools. This also parallels with the virtual team lifecycle process. The growing reliance on collaborative platforms that can manage real-time communication and collaboration continues to grow as companies recruit globally for their virtual teams to get the best talent available (Townsend, DeMarie, Hendrickson, 1998)
In conclusion, the experiences of being part of a virtual team showed me just how critical it is to have a common set of expectations and a clear approach to communicating what needs to be done. Just relying on electronics-based tools doesn't make…...

mla

References

Berry, G.R. (2011). Enhancing effectiveness on virtual teams. The Journal of Business Communication, 48(2), 186.

Furst, S.A., Reeves, M., Rosen, B., & Blackburn, R.S. (2004). Managing the life cycle of virtual teams. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 18(2), 6-20.

Townsend, A.M., DeMarie, S.M., & Hendrickson, A.R. (1998). Virtual teams: Technology and the workplace of the future. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 12(3), 17-29.

An important limitation of the study was that team members and their experiences of team leadership were not included in the study. A team leader's perception of effective communication may, for example, not be experienced in the same way as a team member receiving the communication. On the other hand, the results of effective team work appear to imply that certain categories of communication are experienced as more effective than others. A limitation of the qualitative research methodology is the fact that opinions are by nature arbitrary. This is particularly so since only the leadership sector of the work situation was interviewed.

In applying the methodology, it will perhaps be interesting to make a combined study of both team leaders and team members. The perception of team leader and their communication strategies could then be compared with the experiences of team members. The use of technology and two-way communication strategies could…...

mla

References

Holton, E.F. And Swanson, R. (2005). Research in Organizations: foundations and methods of inquiry. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Kimball, L. (1997). Managing Virtual Teams. Group Jazz. Retrieved from: http://www.groupjazz.com/pdf/vteams-toronto.pdf

Sivunen, A. (2006). Strengthening Identification with the Team in Virtual Teams: The Leaders' Perspective. Group Decision and Negotiation. Vol 15.

Team Norms," author Karten (2003) discussed the importance of social norms in improving performance in teams within a business organization. Technically, Karten defined it as a concept "that concern(s) how team members will interact, communicate, and conduct themselves as members of the team" (par. 1). Moreover, team norms are reinforced primarily in groups with specific characteristics, such as those who are known to have high perceived social cohesion and performance within the team or group (Patterson, 2005:482). It is in these conditions that team norms are introduced, promoted, and instilled in team members.
The development and establishment of team norms are not just dependent on group characteristics, but also on the value system established within the team. This system puts value to specific beliefs determined within the team, and each member's perceived value for each belief would then determine the development of this belief to a shared belief or norm.

Value…...

mla

References

Karten, N. (2003). "Creating team norms." StickyMinds Website. Available at:  http://www.stickyminds.com/sitewide.asp?Function=edetail&ObjectType=COL&ObjectId=6736 

Kirkman, B. (2002). "Five challenges to virtual team success: Lessons from Sabre, Inc." Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 16, Issue 3.

Nesdale, D. (2005). "Group norms, Threat, and Children's Racial Prejudice." Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Patterson, M. (2003). "The influence of team norms on the cohesion of self-reported performance relationship: a multi-level analysis." Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Vol. 6.

virtual team leading practices adaptable a MNC 10 years . Defend selection a political, economic, technological stance
Virtual team leading practices

The virtual team is generically understood as a team in which the members do not come together in a specific location, but they interact within the virtual community, with the aid of technological advancements.

Virtual teams are becoming more and more common within the modern day community as a result of increasing popularity of service operations as opposed to manufacturing, as well as due to the advent of technology which supports telecommuting and telecommunications -- the primary means in which virtual teams can function. The virtual team is managed through a wide array of practices, some adapted from the traditional operations of management, whereas others especially created to fit the needs of virtual teams. At this level, a question is being posed relative to the means in which the practices of…...

mla

References:

Dev, S., 2003, Best practices of managing virtual teams, IT People, last accessed on February 7, 2011http://www.expressitpeople.com/20040531/cover.shtml

Siebdrat, F., Hoegl, M., Ernst, H., 2009, How to manage virtual teams, MIT Sloan Management Team,   / last accessed on February 7, 2011http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/articles/2009/summer/50412/how-to-manage-virtual-teams 

Thompsen, J.A., 2000, Leading virtual teams, Quality Digest,   last accessed on February 7, 2011http://www.qualitydigest.com/sept00/html/teams.html 

2010, virtual teamwork best practices: focus on people, Kolabora, last accessed on February 7, 2011http://www.kolabora.com/news/2005/01/29/virtual_teamwork_best_practices_focus.htm

collaboration technology can assist virtual teams in today's business world. As Andriessen (2012) shows, there are positive and negative effects to using collaboration technology -- what needs to be better described is how these effects are produced and why.
Because of the still relative newness of virtual teams and collaborative technology (Gilson, Maynard, Young, 2015), it is essential to organizational success in the Digital Age that these concepts be understood as fully as they possibly can be. That requires assessing the nature of the relationship and how collaborative tech impacts virtual teams. As Fan, Chen and Wang (2014) note, collaborative tech has different effects depending on "creativity and idea generation performance" in the sense that "direction-giving instructions generate more ideas under the demanding feedback approach" while "receiving instructions with more empathetic language" results in "higher creativity performance under the encouraging feedback approach" (p. 421). This shows that collaborative technology and…...

mla

References

Andriessen, J. (2012). Working with groupware: understanding and evaluating collaboration technology. UK: Springer-Verlag.

Fang, C., Chen, Y., Wang, C. (2014) E-leadership effectiveness in virtual teams:

motivating language perspective. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 114(3): 421-437

Gilson, L., Maynard, M., Young, N. (2015). Virtual Teams Research: 10 Years, 10

To violate or doubt the intentions of team members is to invite isolationism, and eventually the balkanization and break up of the group if it goes on too long (Sager, 2008). This is a delicate balance for any manager to keep, as they are expected to get significant results from their team weekly yet if a virtual team member is not producing the approaches to getting greater productivity vary significantly from strategies used within an office. Above all, the need to maintain trust while also being a more supportive, transitional leader vs. An autocratic and demanding one is critically important (Wakefield, Leidner, Garrison, 2008). Only by adopting this type of management style can a virtual team member hope to be successful. The upside of course is that members of virtual teams have remarkable skills for the most part and often put in many more hours than those who work…...

mla

References

Purvanova, R., & Bono, J. (2009). Transformational leadership in context: Face-to-face and virtual teams. Leadership Quarterly, 20(3), 343.

Sager, K. (2008). An Exploratory Study of the Relationships Between Theory X/Y Assumptions and Superior Communicator Style. Management Communication Quarterly: McQ, 22(2), 288.

Shipley, M., Johnson, M., & Hashemi, S.. (2009). Cognitive Learning Style and its Effects on the Perception of Learning, Satisfaction and Social Interactions in Virtual Teams. Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, 14(2), 17-27.

Siebdrat, F., Hoegl, M., & Ernst, H.. (2009). How to Manage Virtual Teams. MIT Sloan Management Review, 50(4), 63-68.

Nike Virtual Team
There are a number of challenges that will be faced in putting this team together and making it work effectively. There are basic logistical challenges with respect to time zone issues, and functional issues (some members may have little contribute if their regions are not directly involved in the project). Additionally, there could be some language barriers as some members are not as good with English as others, and there may be differences in vocabulary, idiom and communication style that creep up as well. hile all members should share the Nike corporate culture, there may be some differences with culture between the different group members, in particular with respect to how teams should function, to leadership and to other elements that will affect the team's work.

There are a number of ways that these challenges can be overcome. The first is that the team should be created with a…...

mla

Works Cited:

Hofstede, G. (no date). Cultural dimensions. Geert-Hofstede.com. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from  http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html 

Atherton, J. (2004). Tuckman's model of group development. NSCU. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from  http://www.ncsu.edu/csleps/leadership/Group%20Develoment%20-%20Tuckman.pdf 

Phillips, J. (no date). Virtual or collocated teams? Instructing.com. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from http://instructing.com/2010/05/virtual-or-collocated-teams/

web-based system managing a virtual team, deliver a business-critical project" Identify analyse principle considerations system, including techniques operating .Evaluate traditional agile methods system, terms optimim delivery project outcomes.
Web-based virtual team management

The new labor force and the virtual team

Humans have been developing labor relations for millennia now, but these relations have never been as developed and complex as they are today. The basis of the modern day labor system was set in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with the commencement and development of the Industrial evolution. During those days, the population moved from the villages to the tows as the factories were opened and in need of labor force. The early employees were nevertheless exploited, put to work long hours, to live and work in unsafe and unsanitary conditions and paid miserable wages. Women and children fitted in this category as well.

Gradually however, the labor force evolved. It gained more…...

mla

References:

1997, Web-based management, The Mathematics Department at the University of Stuttgart,   last accessed on February 20, 2012http://www.mathematik.uni-stuttgart.de/~floeff/diplom/report/node11.html 

Berman, K., Knight, J., 2008, Financial intelligence for entrepreneurs: what you really need to know about the numbers, Harvard Business Press, ISBN 1422119157

Buhlmann, B., Need to manage a virtual team? Theory and practice in a nutshell, Cuvillier Verlag, ISBN 3867270724

Egeland, B., Effective management of virtual teams, Project Insight,   last accessed on February 20, 2012http://www.projectinsight.net/community/blogs/online-project-management/archive/2011/02/22/effective-management-of-virtual-teams.aspx 

Identifying Best Practices for Supporting Virtual Teams About half of all multinational corporations already use virtual teams in some capacity, and current trends indicate that they will become increasingly commonplace in the future (Minton-Eversole, 2012). Although definitions vary, virtual teams are typically regarded as being comprised of a group of individuals that are located in different geographic locations who communicate primarily through collaborative electronic communications platforms (Minton-Eversole, 2012). Given their growing importance, identifying best practices for supporting virtual teams has assumed new importance and relevance today. To this end, this paper examines five issues that IT departments are likely to face in supporting virtual teams and an architectural diagram depicted how virtual teams collaborate and access common documents, software, development and testing facilities. In addition, a description of five advantages and disadvantages of using virtual teams for global enterprises is followed by a description concerning how various challenges can be addressed.…...

mla

References

Bergiel, B. J. & Bergiel, E. B. (2009, July 1). The reality of virtual teams. Competition Forum, 4(2), 427-431.

Duarte, D. L., & Snyder, N. T. (2006). Mastering virtual teams: Strategies, tools, and techniques that succeed (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Gern, S. (2013, May-June). Virtual teams versus traditional teams: A review of literature. ISOR Journal of Business and Management, 11(2), 1-4.

Jones, N. B. & Graham, C. M. (2015, March). Virtual teams in business and distance education. Journal of Business and Economic Policy, 2(1), 49-53.

Minten-Eversole, T. (2012, July 19). Virtual teams used most by global organizations. Society for Human Resource Management. Retrieved from   andtools/hr-topics/organizational-and-employee-development/pages/virtualteamsused mostbyglobalorganizations,surveysays.aspx.

What ITL does. (2017). Information Technology Laboratory. Retrieved from  https://www.nist.gov/itl/about-itl .https://www.shrm.org/resources 

Appendix A

Virtual Teams in Organization Research Questions
The fundamental research question is to examine the deliberations, advantages, and disadvantages of virtual teams in organizations. Deliberations in this regard take into account a question on the manner in which members of virtual teams deem altering their activities and behaviors so as to operate efficaciously. The fundamental research question is followed by sub-research questions:
1. What are the most idea practices and implements employed in virtual teams?
2. Which competencies and skills support effective work in virtual teams?
3. What is the role of communication and reliance within virtual teams and how can it be facilitated?
Research Hypotheses
A research hypothesis is a distinctive statement of expectation that delineates in material terms what is anticipated to take place in the study. The research hypothesis is pivotal to the research efforts, whether the research approach is quantitative, qualitative, and explanatory or exploratory.
Taking into consideration the research question aforementioned, the research hypothesis…...

“No man is an island.” “There is no I in team.” Organizations have long been aware of the fact that the synergies generated by a team can result in great things being accomplished, greater than the individuals could hope to embark upon alone. The existence of online technology has enabled organizations to cobble together new teams in ways that could never have been dreamt of in the past, as individuals from all over the globe can interact using video conferencing, email, and other forms of social media. As noted by Ferrazzi (2014): “Companies can use the best and lowest-cost global talent and significantly reduce their real estate costs” (par.2). In other words, the best IT specialist in India can interface with a top-notch marketing specialist in the company’s United States headquarters.
But creating an effective virtual team is not as easy as stirring up a stew according to a recipe and…...

1. The role of emotional intelligence in effective leadership
2. Transformational vs. transactional leadership styles
3. The impact of diverse and inclusive leadership on team performance
4. The importance of integrity and ethical decision-making in leadership
5. How mentorship and coaching can enhance leadership skills
6. The role of communication in effective leadership
7. The challenges and opportunities of leading in a globalized world
8. The qualities of a successful team leader
9. The significance of adaptability and flexibility in leadership
10. The impact of authentic leadership on organizational culture and employee engagement.
11. The relationship between servant leadership and organizational success
12. The role of leadership in driving innovation and....

1. The impact of transformational leadership on job satisfaction in a fast-paced work environment
2. Comparing the effects of transformational and transactional leadership on job satisfaction in the healthcare industry
3. The role of leadership style in promoting job satisfaction and employee retention in the tech industry
4. Exploring how the blend of transactional and transformational leadership styles can enhance job satisfaction in a diverse workplace
5. The influence of transactional leadership on job satisfaction in a highly competitive business environment
6. Analyzing the relationship between transformational leadership and job satisfaction among remote workers
7. Investigating how different leadership styles affect job satisfaction levels in non-profit....

Essay Topic 1: The Impact of Transformational and Transactional Leadership Styles on Job Satisfaction in Organizational Settings

Introduction: Define transformational and transactional leadership styles and their key characteristics.
Body Paragraph 1: Discuss the positive effects of transformational leadership on job satisfaction, such as increased motivation, empowerment, and a sense of purpose.
Body Paragraph 2: Explore the contrasting effects of transactional leadership on job satisfaction, focusing on its potential for creating a more structured and predictable work environment.
Body Paragraph 3: Analyze the influence of leadership style on organizational factors that affect job satisfaction, such as employee engagement, work-life balance, and....

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations were forced to transition to remote work in order to ensure the safety of their employees. This sudden shift presented challenges for both employers and employees, particularly in terms of maintaining productivity and employee well-being. Human Resources (HR) departments played a crucial role in supporting employees who were struggling with remote work during this challenging time.

HR departments took proactive steps to address the unique challenges that remote work presented to employees. One key initiative was the implementation of virtual mental health resources and support programs. With the isolation and uncertainty brought on by....