Q: Are virtual teams more effective than a traditional team where everyone works in the same office?

Introduction:

Virtual teams, or more commonly known as telecommuting, have become a hot talking point in organizations across the world. Telecommuting is a work arrangement in which employees of an organization do not commute to a central location. Instead, they work remotely from their home or off-site office location. Communication with a main office is handled through a computer and/or other source of technology (Amigoni & Gurvis, 2009). The following paper will discuss the repercussions of telecommuting for organizations and why the concept simply deteriorates a company’s productivity level rather than adding value to its employees and organization as a whole. It is our position virtual teams present greater challenges in: Motivation, Work-Life Balance, Management, Personal Interactions, and Performance.

Motivation:

One disadvantage of telecommuting and perhaps the most challenging factor of the individual participating is motivation, especially those of whom are new to the concept. When implementing telework, emphasis should be placed on recruiting the right people (Snell, 2009). “The telecommuting employee needs to be a self-starter and disciplined enough to get the job done” (Amigoni & Gurvis, 2009). Although this may not be seen as impossible, the “business-like” atmosphere has been found to be an underlying motive to accomplishing daily tasks at work. While at home and away from the office, distractions are more ostensible than ever. Things such as children, pets, house chores, or even television can divert the employee from their work and even from productivity. Even the concern of mid-afternoon naps has been recorded as a factoring concern of the cons of telecommuting employees. Lack of motivation has also been a direct reflection of a