Virtual Teams vs. Face-to-Face Teams Introduction

With the arrival of the Digital Era, businesses have begun to turn more and more to virtual teams. Virtual teams consist of employees who work together on a project but may not ever meet one another face to face as they are situated in other parts of the world and connected only by the Internet. They can have virtual meetings, share information via direct messages or their workplace portal, and interact essentially like a face to face team—the big difference is that they are never in the same place together and thus are not as impacted by the workplace culture as face to face teams are. That alone presents significant issues when determining how to lead a virtual team. This paper will discuss the similarities and differences of virtual teams and face to face teams, identify the development stages of teams, describe the factors in virtual teams that result in success or that inhibit success, and recommend best practices for leading a virtual team.

Similarities and Differences

The similarities between virtual teams and face-to-face teams are that both consist of individuals who work together on a single project, communicate as necessary, with each member having a specific role or task on the team. The team members are all answerable to a team leader, who in turn is bound to answer to a department manager, and so on. The hierarchy of the chain of command is still going to exist, and reports will still be required of both. The ability to communicate will exist for both types of teams (though it will differ between them, as virtual team members will rely mainly on message boards, threads, emails, or Skype sessions, while face to face teams will have the opportunity to speak in person). The team will exist for a purpose in both cases, and when the project is completed the team will likely be disbanded, though members may be retained for further work just on different projects. In these ways, both virtual teams and face to face teams are similar

The main difference is one of space and time: virtual team members may be separated by distance and time zones making even virtual meetings difficult as waking hours for one half of the team could be sleeping hours for another half of the team. For a face-to-face team, everyone is on the same page, geographically speaking, and cannot attend a scheduled meeting in person in one room. While this may not seem like a substantial deal, it does make a difference in terms of the team coming together to gel as a unit. Part of Tuckman’s five stages of team work, after all, is the forming stage, where members come together, voice their concerns, listen to one another and offer support and encouragement (Tuckman & Jensen, 1977). This first stage of team development cannot be accomplished, in a traditional sense, if a virtual team is spread around the world.

Another difference is that face to face teams have the opportunity to really use emotional intelligence (EI) more fully as this skill allows one to pick up on body language and non-verbal forms of communication to understand what another individual is saying (Salvovey & Mayer, 1990). The use of EI is simply not practical...

For this reason anything of importance really has to be communicated literally and precisely by all members, as subtle hints and signs of expression cannot be conveyed in a virtual team where members are not physically meeting face to face to allow for non-verbal expressions to be of any use.
Development Stages of Teams

The five stages of team development according to Tuckman are a) forming, b) storming, c) norming, d) performing and e) adjourning (Tuckman & Jensen, 1977).

The first stage is the forming stage and it focuses on the moment when the group is coming together for the first time. At this point the group consists of individuals who may be new or may have some concerns and fears about the project. This is the time when they get to voice those worries without fear of judgment. It is important to take the opportunity in the forming stage to let team members do this so that issues are not lying dormant, waiting for the first crack in the team’s unity to spew forth in a fit of crisis. By getting everyone’s issues out in the open at the beginning, the team member can be alert to each of the members’ needs and be attentive to ways in which those needs can be met to help push the member upwards towards the self-actualizing level of motivation that is needed for success (Maslow, 1943). The objective of the forming stage is to enable the team members to express sympathy, positivity, empathy and support no matter what the issue is: team members have to feel that they are supported from the beginning as this more than anything helps to take a lot of stress off their shoulders.

The second stage is the storming stage where the team’s leader comes into focus. The leader may not always be the designated team head. Sometimes it is a member who is really motivated and driven and communicates the passion and vision that are needed by other members to keep them going. This type of member becomes the ipso facto leader and everyone on the team recognizes it and accepts it.

The third stage is norming and this is where the group finally starts to gel and solidify. Everyone understands their role and is pursuing it. There are no more rough spots to smooth out and the main task now is just to stay focused and communicative. Support can be given when needed.

The fourth stage is performing and this development stage is reached when the team begins clicking and firing on all cylinders. The team members see the light at the end of the tunnel and are committed to reaching it in a timely fashion. Everyone is performing their roles in a professional manner.

The fifth stage is adjourning and this is where the team members thank one another for their contributions. This is an important part because appreciation is key element of motivation and allows workers to go on to the next project feeling good about their abilities and wanting to see what else they can tackle (Gerhart & Fang, 2015). Before the team disbands, it is important to acknowledge the role that everyone has played and celebrate the victory together. This strengthens morale…