...Virtual vs Face to Face Teams More and more organizations today are moving away from the traditional tall hierarchical structure towards a more flexible and team work based structure. Generally speaking, working in teams has proved more efficient and effective than in separate departments, although tall structures are still in operation in many industries depending on their competitive environment. Working in teams helps employees make important decisions on their own, instead of relying on an often delayed response from a superior. This increases productivity and flexibility and helps an organization respond faster to opportunities in the environment. Teams also consist of employees from across several departments which allow them to work together more cohesively, increasing interdependence toward common goals. Teams have many more advantages over a tall organizational structure, but this essay will focus more on the types of team structures. The two types of teams here are virtual teams and face to face teams. This essay will compare and contrast the benefits received when interacting with these two mediums in a team environment. It will also highlight any shortfalls between the two forms of team structures. The first part of this essay will focus on virtual teams. Virtual Teams Wikipedia also terms a virtual team as a Geographically Dispersed Team (GDT) and defines it as a group of individuals who work across time, space, and organizational boundaries with links...
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...Management Virtual vs Face to Face Teams In: Business and Management Virtual vs Face to Face Teams Virtual vs Face to Face Teams More and more organizations today are moving away from the traditional tall hierarchical structure towards a more flexible and team work based structure. Generally speaking, working in teams has proved more efficient and effective than in separate departments, although tall structures are still in operation in many industries depending on their competitive environment. Working in teams helps employees make important decisions on their own, instead of relying on an often delayed response from a superior. This increases productivity and flexibility and helps an organization respond faster to opportunities in the environment. Teams also consist of employees from across several departments which allow them to work together more cohesively, increasing interdependence toward common goals. Teams have many more advantages over a tall organizational structure, but this essay will focus more on the types of team structures. The two types of teams here are virtual teams and face to face teams. This essay will compare and contrast the benefits received when interacting with these two mediums in a team environment. It will also highlight any shortfalls between the two forms of team structures. The first part of this essay will focus on virtual teams. Virtual Teams Wikipedia also terms a virtual team as a Geographically Dispersed Team (GDT) and defines...
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...Team Synergy’s Top Ten Guidelines 1. Choose the right team members. Not all team leader/managers will have this opportunity, but certainly if you do, it’s probably the most critical. As Goodbody (2005) points out, you first objective is to make sure you have all of the knowledge and skills that you need within the team with the fewest number of people. The larger the group, the more complex it becomes to manage. When considering skill sets, you must not only take into account technical expertise but other skills such as organizational understanding and communication. 2. Defining goals/expectations/vision Having a mission is setting the plan, where the team members will be able to work to one goal to accomplish the task. This is the first practice a Manager must consider in order to get to be successfully. Townsend, DeMarie and Hendrickson (1998) said that virtual teams should determine the configuration of individual teams, dictate their mission, and ultimately determine the type of technical system required and the requisite skills and orientation of the team and its members. By setting expectations and goals each team member will have a clear understanding of what the goals are, and are expected of them to achieve and attain those goals. 3. Defined roles/ responsibilities Members of virtual team will be geographically isolated where the team manager will probably not be aware of the other roles and responsibilities that each member has at their respective...
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...Virtual Organizations vs. Traditional Organizations Question 1: What are some of the major differences between a virtual and traditional organization? Are there any beneficial elements within a virtual organization that could give them an advantage in today’s global market? Traditional organization is one in which all team members work in the same location. Also workers in the traditional organization see each other every day. They can communicate in face-to-face conversations. Employees do not necessarily all work in the same building, but are based in the same general area. Virtual organization is any organization that has at least one team member working remotely and there are several different types of virtual companies and teams. Some remote team members is a company has one or more local members who consistently work from a remote location. Spilt team is a company has two or more locations where employees work out of an office that is local to them. Satellite team members is a company that has a main office and many satellite employees who work from a home office. 100% virtual team is a company does not have a main office, all workers work remotely. Outsourced teams is a company that has a main office, but outsource certain functions to other companies. Having employees who consistently work from a remote location, could help as having trustful source about any new updates or news in the field that the company interested in. It’s easier to communicate via the...
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...challenges involved in the creation of a virtual team established to complete a project in which all members are not located in a central location, but are spread across different time zones. Following are specific issues identified which could be problematic in establishing effective communications among the team members of a virtual project: 1. Time Zones (coordination of members and resources and associated issues) 2. Communication (means, styles, uses and associated issues) 3. Personal Team Building and Interaction 4. Managing a geographically dispersed team 5. Distribution of tasks and responsibilities The first challenge is Time Zones. When different departments are located in decentralized areas, two time zones away from the central location, potential problems encountered may include: A. Difficulties in establishing working / personal relationships / trust B. Easier for items / tasks to “fall through the cracks” due to overlapping of time zones C. Lack of face to face, personal interaction in the locality D. Difficulties in scheduling meeting times where everyone is available Solutions for managing differences in time zones in an efficient and effective manner. First, establish the actual times for each member’s time zone and attempt to coordinate team member schedules to maximize team member input and interaction. Establish a rotation of meeting times to be spread equally among team members. Determine the specific time differences...
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...Face to Face vs. Computer Mediated Communication Technological advancements have changed the way we conduct business. It has provided us with numerous alternative methods of communication. We are no longer limited to being in the same room or even the same country in order to communicate with one another. Computer Mediated Communication There are many forms of CMC being used in daily business communications. Emails, instant messaging, webinars, virtual conferences and many more. These forms of CMC allow us to be in constant communication with our co-workers regardless of location. We no longer have to wait to be face-to-face in order to get a response. These advancements have allowed businesses to perform without limitations at a much faster pace. I remember the days of handwriting a telephone message when someone was out of the office. I remember having to wait for the person to return to the office to give them the message and only then, would you have a response. Now, we can send a quick email and rapidly obtain a response....
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...Executive Summary Team Lions University of Charleston SLBM 640 Week # 3 February 7th, 2015 Week Three Executive Summary Assignment As a team identify an organization for which you will develop a voice of the customer project. Plan with your team your individual ideas for application of the readings for a voice of the customer project for an organization of your choosing. What would the team recommend to improve the customers’ engagement? An executive summary of lessons learned from your team projects to date should be entered in the Team Executive Summary assignment. Summary Team Lions continued to develop a plan for Walmart’s transition from that of a traditional product centric organization, to building a more personal based relationship in becoming more customer centiric. The team implemented additional ideas in putting forth the voice of the customer project in considering conducting tests of utilizing direct mail opt-in strategies. Many organizations have dismissed direct mail altogether as too expensive, too slow, too outdated or all of the above. Such opt-in information can be used effectively in expanding our VOC Channel mix if it is utilized correctly. (Roman, 2011). With the amount of data we will be collecting through the Walmart rewards program, we should be able to access a database full of leads in conducting research to compare the results from doing a combined direct mail and email campaign, a direct mail-only campaign, and an email-only...
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...Manual for Virtual Teams Table of Contents So, You Want a Virtual Team, Huh? 3 Introduction 3 The Look of a Successful Virtual Team 4 The Leader's Relief 6 Establishing Team Purpose 7 The Virtual Team Start-up Meeting 8 Local vs. Virtual 9 Operating Principles 10 The Culture Thing 11 “The Safety Net" – Coping With Virtuality 12 Become An Effective Leader 12 Staying On Top Of Things 12 The Technical Needs of a Virtual Team 13 Learning and Technology 13 Selecting Technology 13 Examples of Real-Time Tools (Synchronous) 14 Examples of Asynchronous Tools 14 The Virtual Meeting 15 Planning Your Meeting 15 The Virtual Meeting, cont. 16 Facilitation Tips 16 Types of Virtual Meeting Software to Consider 16 Managing Issues In A Virtual Team 17 Conclusions and Closure for a Virtual Team 18 References 19 So, You Want a Virtual Team, Huh? An Instructional Manual for Virtual Teams Introduction John is so excited! He starts his new job on Monday. In his new job, John will take on a team for a Fortune 100 company. His new company is growing fast, and to keep up with the pressure of rapid growth, they have been expanding across the country. John is new to this matrix-type work culture and needs to adjust his style of work and leadership to accommodate. How will he setup technology and infrastructures to support his new team? What techniques can he use to build trust, agreement and purpose with his new team? How will...
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...Virtual Teams: A Review of Current Literature and Directions for Future Research1 The DATA BASE for Advances in Information Systems Anne Powell Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Gabriele Piccoli Cornell University Blake Ives University of Houston Winter 2004 (Vol. 35, No. 1) Introduction Global competition, reengineered product life cycles, mass customization, and the increased need to respond quickly to customers’ needs are just some of the more pronounced trends currently driving organizational change (Grenier & Metes, 1995; Miles & Snow, 1986; Miles & Snow, 1992). One of the building blocks of these successful organizations is the Virtual Team. As a consequence, a growing number of organizations are implementing them or plan to implement them in the near future (Lipnack &Stamps, 1997; McDonough et al., 2001) and their use is expected to continue to grow (Carmel & Agarwal, 2001; McDonough et al., 2001). The increasing popularity of virtual teams has spurred a parallel growth in research examining various aspects of virtual team adoption and use. Recent research has studied virtual team inputs, socioemotional processes, task processes, and outcomes. Much of this literature focuses on comparisons of virtual teams and traditional teams. Virtual Teams Traditionally, both the terms “team” and “group” have been used to describe small collections of people at work. While the two terms are often used interchangeably...
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...MANAGING VIRTUAL PROJECT TEAMS A research project submitted to the faculty of San Francisco State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Business Administration by Bryan Rolf Trautsch San Francisco, California December 11, 2003 Copyright (c) 2003 by Bryan Trautsch. CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL I certify that I have read VIRTUAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT by Bryan Rolf Trautsch, and that in my opinion this work meets the criteria for approving a research project submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Business Administration degree at San Francisco State University. ________________________________________ Dr. Robert C. Nickerson Professor of Information Systems ________________________________________ Dr. Sam S. Gill Professor of Information Systems ABSTRACT MANAGING VIRTUAL PROJECT TEAMS Bryan Rolf Trautsch San Francisco State University Fall 2003 The purpose of the project is to explore the communications and collaborations issues associated with managing virtual project teams. In order to establish a better understanding of the problem, the paper evaluates virtual teams against more traditional collocated teams to provide some background and depth to the research. The method used in the research was in the format of a questionnaire consisting of six questions. The questionnaire was delivered via e-mail to various project managers with virtual project team experience dispersed through...
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...MANAGING VIRTUAL PROJECT TEAMS A research project submitted to the faculty of San Francisco State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Business Administration by Bryan Rolf Trautsch San Francisco, California December 11, 2003 Copyright (c) 2003 by Bryan Trautsch. CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL I certify that I have read VIRTUAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT by Bryan Rolf Trautsch, and that in my opinion this work meets the criteria for approving a research project submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Business Administration degree at San Francisco State University. ________________________________________ Dr. Robert C. Nickerson Professor of Information Systems ________________________________________ Dr. Sam S. Gill Professor of Information Systems ABSTRACT MANAGING VIRTUAL PROJECT TEAMS Bryan Rolf Trautsch San Francisco State University Fall 2003 The purpose of the project is to explore the communications and collaborations issues associated with managing virtual project teams. In order to establish a better understanding of the problem, the paper evaluates virtual teams against more traditional collocated teams to provide some background and depth to the research. The method used in the research was in the format of a questionnaire consisting of six questions. The questionnaire was delivered via e-mail to various project managers with virtual project team experience...
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...910E24– Binnj on the Apple iPad Binnj’s chief executive officer (CEO), Clay Hutcherson, has assembled a team of people for a 100-day “science experiment” to determine whether a new high-tech business venture is worth pursuing. He is focusing on an untapped market—a new kind of restaurant menu service built on the Apple iPad platform. Members of the team are excited and have been furiously working o the project while retaining their full-time jobs. They have developed a prototype of the technology and business offering, pitched the idea to several clients and generated significant interest. The case, as you will notice as you read, is set at the end of 100 days, when Hutcherson must decide on the next steps. Address separately each of the following directional questions in sufficient detail with associated analysis/rationale. It may help to go through the additional reading material (Fang & Neufeld, Journal of Management Information Systems (JMIS) 2009; Hamilton et al., Sloan Management Review (SMR) 2010; and Shane & Venkatraman, Academy of Management Review 2000 – on my G:\2014 Spring 433\Harvard Case folder) PLUS Http://www.marketingteacher. com/lesson-store/lesson-pricing.html site (for pricing strategies) in answering the questions. 1. Discuss the key enablers that have allowed Binnj to engage in this “science experiment”. When working in a virtual team what tools would one rely on and what problems are likely to be experienced? a. The key enablers of...
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...Running head: Traditional vs. Team Work Environments Traditional vs. Team Work Environments and the Potential for Self-Managed Teams Traditional vs Team Environments This paper will explain the differences between traditional environments and team work environments. According to Exhibit 12.1 in our text book, in the traditional environment the managers determine and plan the work, and in a team environment the managers and team members jointly determine and plan the work. Jobs are narrowly defined and cross-training is viewed as inefficient in a traditional environment. Team environments feel jobs require broad skills and knowledge and cross-training is the norm. Most information is considered “management property” while it is freely shared at all levels in the new team environment. In the traditional environment training for non-managers focuses on technical skills rather than continuous learning that require interpersonal administrative and technical training for all. In the traditional work environment risk taking is discourage and can result in punishment, but risk taking is encouraged and supported in the new team environment. Traditionally, rewards are based on individual performance but the new team work environment rewards worker based on individual performance and contributions to team performance. Lastly, managers usually determine “best methods” but in the new team work environment everyone works to continuously improve methods and processes. (Bateman...
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...Introduction This paper will cover several topics related to high-performing teams and work groups. It will discuss how these two kinds of workplace people sets and how they differ in their pursuit of organizational strategy and compare these differences to virtual teams. It will identify the characteristics of successful leaders of high-performing teams and finally discuss why high-performing teams are important to organizations. High-Performing Teams and Work Groups Before we can define high-performing teams or work groups, we will need to define the term team first. A team can be defined as a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. "That definition lays down the discipline that teams must share to be effective (Katzenbach, 2005). Organizations utilize teams to perform operational and project based tasks. People working in teams have the capacity to solve complex problems that cannot be solved by individuals working alone. People working in teams bring more resources to a task, including a variety of perspectives, knowledge, skills, and experience (Capella University, 2008). This diversity of perspectives, knowledge, skills, and experience allows a team to outperform the sum of its parts and is a critical component of a team being labeled as a high-performing team. Teams come in many forms, they can be permanent or temporary, they can be...
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...promoting the brand because whenever someone sees PlayStations PS logo they immediately recognize it as PlayStation; it is far more eye catching than just the word Sony. The second reason I like Sony is because of VR. There’s something so fantastically science-fiction about the concept of virtual reality. It’s the closest thing we have to jetpacks and hover-boards, those futuristic technologies we watched on TV as kids, and read about in books. And with virtual reality, we’ll be able to finally drive in flying cars and take trips to the moon. Because VR is so steeped in science-fiction, I can’t help but also recall the dire warnings: People lost in alternate worlds, virtual reality junkies, incapable or unwilling to unplug. Perhaps anti-social isn’t even the right word—unsocial, detached, and isolated. When we play games on the TV or our PC or phone, we’re often playing in proximity to others, and for better or worse the experience is often shared. VR encourages a new kind of selfishness. One really cool, really crucial feature of Sony’s Project Morpheus is the ability to mirror the VR screen onto your TV, allowing other people to play alongside you without having anything strapped to their faces. Indeed, comparisons to the Wii and its attempt to change...
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