Virtual Teams Challenges and Solutions

Introduction

The advent of technology has brought with itself various diverse changes. Advances in technology have effectively eliminated geographical barriers to communication and collaboration. As a matter of fact, the said changes have brought to the fore new possibilities for global organizations as far as teamwork is concerned. Thus it is now possible for people to undertake on common projects in a teamwork setting even if they are not in the same geographical location. This is what is what could contextually be referred to as virtual teams. It is important to note, from the onset, that there is no assigned definition for virtual teams. This is to say that several definitions have been offered over time in an attempt to define virtual teams. In essence, however, virtual teams could be seen as clusters of organizational employees who do not work in the same physical environment but nonetheless interact as well as collaborate using communication channels that are computer-based. Given that most organizations have today become global entities with operations across the world, the relevance of virtual teams when it comes to the successful coordination of the activities of such organizations cannot be overstated.

It is, however, important to note that although virtual teams are of great relevance in today’s business world; their very nature presents unique team leadership concerns. This is particularly the case when it comes to issues relating to employee interactions in a virtual setting and team leadership. In basic terms, managers could find it challenging to apply the same management techniques and approaches they apply to on-site teams to virtual teams. While most studies have in the past focused on the benefits of virtual teams, it would be prudent to investigate the various factors that inhibit the effective leadership of virtual teams. Further, it would also be enlightening to highlight and assess the various approaches that today’s leaders could adopt in an attempt to effectively direct, control, and govern virtual teams.

Discussion

In the past, typical teams were located in the same geographic setting – perhaps within the same building or office complex. Leading such teams towards the attainment of organizational goals was not considered to be a big challenge as in most instances, work schedules were largely the same and skillsets as well as backgrounds did not vary widely. That is no longer the case in today’s world. Today, team members could, in addition to having different backgrounds and work ethics, also come from any corner of the world and have significantly varying work schedules. This presents many unique challenges for today’s managers and business leaders. In essence, “the successful introduction of a virtual team and its management requires knowledge about the special characteristics of this team and the effective handling of challenges” (Szewc, 2014, p. 67).

To begin with, communication happens to be one of the most veritable challenges in the management of virtual teams. This is more so the case given that unlike traditional on-site teams, virtual teams lack not only intimate physical face to face interactions, but also routinely operate in different time zones. It is important to note that as Szewc (2014) points out, in some instances, the technologies as well as equipment used to facilitate communication between virtual teams may fail – effectively affecting the flow of information and the successful coordination as well as completion of tasks. Next, there is also the issue of cultural differences. In essence, virtual teams are in most cases distributed across the world, effectively meaning that participants are often sourced from diverse backgrounds and cultures (Morley, Cormican, and Folan, 2015). This could present unique challenges in the sense that employees could approach various issues and concerns from different perspectives. Towards this end, ensuring a united approach towards organizational goals could be a challenge for those overseeing virtual teams. Third, it should also be noted that with virtual teams, it is often difficult to effectively address the training and development needs of employees (Szewc, 2014). With no central location and thus constant interactions with employees, a leader could find it difficult to effectively assess and evaluate the various problems or difficulties encountered by individual members of the team. In that regard, therefore, performance deficiencies could go unnoticed for a long period of time.

A review or literature indicates that there are various strategies and approaches that those charged with the management and leadership of virtual teams could adopt in an attempt to effectively direct, control, and govern virtual teams, so as to neutralize the challenges highlighted above. In the words of Bhat, Pande, and Ahuja (2017), “when effectively managed, global virtual teams amplify the benefits of teamwork and possess greater innovation potential than traditional, face-to-face teams” (34). With regard to communication challenges, there is need to adopt the right communication tools to facilitate meaningful interactions between virtual teams (Morley, Cormican, and Folan, 2015). This could include investing in the appropriate software and hardware. Further, there is also need to ensure that communication is collaborated and coordinated via the utilization of the correct communication channels so as to ensure that effective communication occurs across the board. The most appropriate channel is dependent upon the specific circumstances of an organization. Considerations in this case could include, but they are not limited to, conference calls, email, Skype, phone calls, etc. Cultural concerns, on the other hand, could be effectively addressed via the appreciation of the inherent diversity of team members and embracing the relevant adjustments to accommodate this reality (Morley, Cormican, and Folan, 2015). Towards this end, input from each member of the team ought to be sought and incorporated in the final course of action. The training and development needs of employees could be identified by way of approaching teams from an individualistic perspective. In assessing the performance of the entire team, the manager should ensure that he or she does not lose sight of the fact that the whole is made up of parts – and hence the entire team comprises of individual members whose performance also ought to be assessed.


















References

Bhat, S.K., Pande, N. & Ahuja, V. (2017). Virtual Team Effectiveness: An Empirical Study Using SEM. Procedia Computer Science, 122(2), 33–41.

Morley, S., Cormican, K. & Folan, P. (2015). An Analysis of Virtual Team Characteristics: A Model for Virtual Project Managers. Journal of Technology Management & Innovation, 10(1), 71-84.

Szewc, J. (2014). Selected Success Factors of Virtual Teams: Literature Review and Suggestions for Future Research. International Journal of Management and Economics, 38(1), 67-83.