Virtual Team Leading Practices Adaptable a MNC

¶ … 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 virtual team leading would be able to support the management of a multinational corporation today and in ten years time. At a more particular level, it would be necessary to identify which practice of virtual team leading would be best able to support the management of a MNC today and in a decade's time.

In order to answer the question, it is first imperative to point out some of the most notable practices of virtual team leadership. These refer to the following:

(a) The building of a community which is constructed on mutual trust, respect and the affiliation of the team members to the same projects (Thompsen, 2000).

(b) Focus on people. Within virtual teams, tasks often take a secondary importance to people. In this order of ideas, leaders of virtual teams strive to create environments in which the objectives are not only technical, but understood and followed by people. Also, emphasis is being placed on agreement, patience, communication, collaborative entertainment, collaborative development or the construction of strong relationships (Kolabora, 2010).

(c) The extensive usage of technology to assign tasks, to manage the projects, to communicate, measure outcomes, clarify roles and responsibilities or to stimulate efficiency (Dev, 2003).

At a general level, all the above mentioned virtual team leading practices are applicable in the management of a multinational corporation today and in a decade's time. In spite of the general acceptance of this statement however, it is necessary to explain how and why these practices are applicable now and in the future in the management of a MNC. Additionally, as mentioned in the introductory section, it is important to reveal which of the practices is the one most suitable for the management of the MNC. In this order of ideas:

(a)

The building of a community based on trust and respect, as well as fairness and the affiliation of the team members to the same projects represents the managerial ability to construct an organizational culture, in which the employees of the multinational corporation are united under the same values and principles which guide the operations and the success of the company.

This feature is crucial today, but even more so in the future when the decentralization of the business processes is expected to increase even further. In such a context, a strong culture is imperative.

(b)

The focus on people is necessary today as the staff members have metamorphosed into the most valuable organizational asset. The employees are the ones who ensure high quality of products and services and they as such ensure revenues sustainability. The role of the staff members is increasing within all categories of economic agents, but even more so within firms which focus on services rather than on products and where customer satisfaction is directly pegged to the nature of the relationship between employee and client. The practice of focusing on people is as such crucial today and it will even increase in importance in the future as the trend of incremental services in the detriment of manufacturing is maintained.

(c)

The role of technology is similar to that of the focus on people in the meaning that emphasis on both elements have increased significantly throughout the past recent years and they are expected to maintain their ascendant trends within the future periods. In this order of ideas, this practice of virtual team leadership is necessary in the current management of multinational corporations and it will become even more so important in the coming years.

Out of the three practices of virtual team leading, the construction of the community is the most important one which can support the adequate management of the multinational corporation today as well in ten years' time. This conclusion is supported by arguments at the levels of political, economic and technological fields. In this order of ideas:

The political field is subjected to continuous changing legislations and firms can only overcome these challenges if they are internally strong and benefit from a stable organizational culture in which the staff members are capable and committed