Challenges and solutions for managing virtual teams effectively

Teams

Virtual teams face a number of challenges -- those common to all teams and those that are unique to the virtual team environment. A team is considered to be "two or more people who interact and coordinate their work to accomplish a specific goal" (Daft, 2010, 504). This is differentiated from a group in that there is a common goal that drives the team. There are a few dilemmas inherent in the team concept alone. These include the surrendering of independence, which causes conflict especially when one is being evaluated on individual and team outcomes simultaneously. Another issues is that there may be free riders on a team, which causes conflict with people who work harder, and ultimately some teams become dysfunctional (Daft, 2010, 505). Daft defines dysfunction as including a lack of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, inattention to results and more. In other words, there are a lot of problems that are inherent with teams.

In addition to the challenges faced be all teams, a virtual team faces unique challenges that relate to its virtual nature. A virtual team is comprised of members who are geographically dispersed, and who therefore are primarily linked through information and telecommunications technologies. Challenges virtual teams face include added difficulties in communication, cultural barriers, time zone differences, greater difficulty in forging team culture, unity and mission, and increased difficulty in monitoring team performance.

It is the team leader's job to manage the virtual team effectively. The managers who put the teams together in particular bear responsibility because it is important to get the composition of the team right in order for the team to be effective. Furthermore, each team member bears greater responsibility for the team outcomes. They need to work harder than in other teams to form the right mindset, and ensure that there is cohesion among team members and adherence to group norms.

In addition to team leadership as a method of solving problems, there are specific things that the management of the virtual team can do in order to ensure success of the virtual team. Three things in particular are the use of technology to build relationships, shape culture and to monitor progress (Daft, 2010, 510). Technology is the key element to the success of virtual teams. In part, this is self-evident because technology is the facilitating factor that allow virtual teams to exist in the first place. However, it is worth taking some extra time to understand the critical role that technology plays in ensuring the success of virtual teams.

The first thing is that technology needs to be used to build relationships. Daft (2010, 511) notes that Nokia's successful virtual teams rely heavily on team composition that involves people who have worked together in the past. This enhances communication and simplifies the trust-building process. Moreover, the culture of the team needs to emphasize the use of technology so that members are not avoiding interaction with the team, that there is a lack of social loafing, and that team members are not bound to only communicating in a formal manner. Having opportunities for team members to communicate informally is important because this gives them a chance to bond.

Virtual teams must be able to build a common culture, as well. This is something that can happen not only through team composition but through the use of technology to reinforce corporate culture and corporate goals. Remember that a virtual team will be comprised of people from all over the world, so it is important to use technology to reinforce the common culture so that individual cultural differences are downplayed. This is especially important with communication styles, as these can cause significant issues -- the team must establish a lot of communication early on to establish common communication norms that transcend the different cultures of the team members.

Lastly, technology can and should be used to monitor progress and deliver rewards. This is important because it is more difficult to monitor teams remotely. Yet, information can be passed around the world very easily, allowing team leadership and other team members the opportunity to evaluate outputs, enhancing the monitoring process. At that point, rewards can be offered to motivate certain behaviors, such as in any team setting.