...Papers, Essays and Research Documents The Research Paper Factory JoinSearchBrowseSaved Papers Home Page » Business and 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...
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...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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...The aim of this essay is to define teams and examine the reason why organisations rely on teams and what are the advantages and disadvantages in this process. Then, it will describe why are some teams effective and other fail. Finally, the essay will introduce a new form of team called “virtual teams”. Assignment 3 The aim of this essay is to define teams and examine the reason why organisations rely on teams and what are the advantages and disadvantages in this process. Then, it will describe why are some teams effective and other fail. Finally, the essay will introduce a new form of team called “virtual teams”. Human beings have always worked in collaboration with each other for creating friendship and social relationship with others, or for the benefits of their diverse perspectives, support and competences for a situation. As a consequence people create group, which include individuals together, even if they have any interdependence or organizationally focused purpose. In a company, managers form teams, which are groups of two or more people who collaborate with and influence, each other. People in a team are mutually accountable for achieving common goals associated with organizational objectives and perceive themselves as a social entity within an organisation. The aim of building teamwork is for meeting new challenges and achieving results that a person cannot realize alone. For example, New Zealand Post’s largest delivery branch in Marua Road, Auckland...
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...Virtual Teams: A Review of Current Literature and Directions for Future Research1 Anne Powell Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Gabriele Piccoli Cornell University Blake Ives University of Houston Abstract Information technology is providing the infrastructure necessary to support the development of new organizational forms. Virtual teams represent one such organizational form, one that could revolutionize the workplace and provide organizations with unprecedented levels of flexibility and responsiveness. As the technological infrastructure necessary to support virtual teams is now readily available, further research on the range of issues surrounding virtual teams is required if we are to learn how to manage them effectively. While the findings of team research in the traditional environment may provide useful pointers, the idiosyncratic structural and contextual issues surrounding virtual teams call for specific research attention. This article provides a review of previously published work and reports on the findings from early virtual team research in an effort to take stock of the current state of the art. The review is organized around the input – process – output model and categorizes the literature into issues pertaining to inputs, socio-emotional processes, task processes, and outputs. Building on this review we critically evaluate virtual team research and develop research questions that can guide future inquiry in this fertile are of inquiry. ACM Categories:...
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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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...Disadvantages of Collaboration in the Workplace Teams and groups exist in all levels of industries and organizations. Groups can be small or large, local or remote, coached or self-directed. Teams are found at all levels of business, from a multi-billion dollar corporation that builds jets to a small waterpark employing lifeguards and clerks. Successful teams need some form of leadership, good communication, problem-solving skills, and a purpose. Successful groups can achieve tremendous results,. When teams work together, everyone is working toward one common goal and completing the project with successful results. Average groups do just enough to achieve a goal, and then there are groups that are extraordinary. They achieve superior results and team members come away from the group experience with a newfound respect of what he or she helped accomplish. A study revealed eight performance indicators linking extraordinary groups and group members agreed. Each team member agreed teams must: have a compelling purpose, a shared leadership role, team structure, full engagement among members, embrace member differences, learn the unexpected, build trusting relationships, and achieve outstanding results. Whether the team is for-profit or not, volunteers or employees, face-to-face or virtual, these eight indicators emerged (Bellman & Ryan, 2010). Athletics and businesses share many of the same qualities. The head coach sets goals for his team as does the business manager. Head coach and...
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...Katie M Drinkall (u06a1) Unit 6 Assignment 1 Communication in Virtual Team Capella University September 26, 2013 Communication Communication is the activity of conveying information though the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information by speech, visuals, signals, writings or behaviors (Grosse, 2002). These processes are done over time, culture, and geographic boundaries, while this has become a common practice for organizations and has give rise to the concept of globally dispersed teams known as virtual teams (LaLonde, 2011). Communication is one of the most necessary components of leadership, without communication there would be no teams, nobody would know what their role on the team would be, there would be no procedures to go by for the test, and there would be no launching of a new team, so the team would never actually exists. Communication can be either verbal or nonverbal; there are many ways in which a speaker can present themselves without using any verbal form. This can be done though body language, hand gestures and facial expressions. Since a virtual team does not have the best ability to see all of these forms of nonverbal communication when partaking in a conference call or see the speaker’s body language when they are seated at their desk. While this can prevent a virtual team from being a successful team, it should not be the main reason why a team fails. Virtual teams are comprised of individual who work interdependently using computer-mediated...
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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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..."How to create and effectively manage a virtual team" Russell S. Kessinger TUI University ITM 525 Module 3 Case Study Abstract The virtual team has become a standard practice for the successful organization. Many larger companies have discovered that the IT department, in a lot of cases, can work virtually from home while providing quality production. In many cases production increases and the employee is more motivated and happier. This paper will discuss the virtual team and the many uses it offers. Along with the differences between a traditional team and the virtual team, there is a need to look at what an organization needs to make the virtual team happen successfully. What are the advantages and disadvantages to virtual working and how do the teams work together. Determining the right people for virtual work could also be a challenge that managers must consider. Not everyone 1 What is a virtual team? Give a brief review of virtual teams. “A virtual team (also known as a geographically dispersed team or GDT) is a group of individuals who work across time, space and organizational boundaries with links strengthened by webs of communication technology.” (Wikipedia, 2010) 2 What is the difference between virtual teams and traditional teams? Virtual teams communicate through electronic means and never meet in the flesh where the traditional teams interaction is a closer personal one that requires more face-to-face 3 What kinds of...
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...Running Head: Virtual Teams and Face to Face Teams Virtual Teams and Face to Face Teams Research Paper March 4, 2012 Introduction As organizations continue to expand globally and increase the use of internet/web technologies to conduct their business, virtual teams continue to increase significantly. In today’s business world, virtual teams are more common in the workplace as opposed to face to face teams. There are various differences between virtual and face to face teams and thus the advantages and disadvantages of each team will be discussed. Comparison and Contrast Nonetheless, teams are defined as a group of people with complementary skills that are committed to achieve a common purpose. The author Gregory Berry further explains that teams interact interdependently and are bought together or come together voluntarily; to achieve a certain outcome (Berry, 2011). The members of teams are jointly responsible for the outcomes (Berry, 2011). It is important to understand the dynamics and structure of teams. Such an aspect is important because each team possesses different advantages and disadvantages and one must choose the most effective type depending on the purpose or task that needs to be attained. A virtual team is able to work anywhere and is linked by web communication to achieve organizational tasks (Cummings, 2011). A face to face team is a group of people who work in an organization in the same environment and communicate directly...
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...Question 1 - Describe in detail the five stages of team/group development. Give specific examples for each stage. Explain how and why teams and groups may or may not proceed through these stages. The five-stage model, which can be applied to groups and teams, assumes that members will progress through five phases: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Teams and groups do not move through each phase in a sequential pattern, but the model as a whole proves beneficial to individuals who have struggles about working with others. Within this model, individuals shift from independent input to equal effort when working with others (Langton, Robbins and Judge 161). Group development begins with the forming stage. Beginning in the first meeting, this stage is the period where members experience anxiety and uncertainty about the team’s purpose, structure, and guidance (Langton, Robbins and Judge 161). Individual issues include members questioning where they fit in, and group issues include members questioning why the group was formed (Langton, Robbins and Judge 162). Active forming occurs when members doubt their acceptance or belonging within the group, have low trust in others, and make an attempt to understand what is expected of them (Stuermer). The forming stage is complete when members view themselves involved with the team or group (Langton, Robbins and Judge 161); this means members acknowledge the team’s needs over individual ones. The second stage is storming...
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...Issues in Business, Management and Education 2013 Virtual teams: opportunities and challenges for e-leaders Snellman Carita Liliana* a Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Business, Leiritie 1, Vantaa 01600, Finland Abstract In the globalized world with crucial technological changes, leaders are facing unforeseen opportunities as well as challenges while striving to reach their objectives. Such changes have led to organizational restructurings and implied rethinking of leadership functions and practices. Changing organizational structures, from traditional hierarchical towards lower and more flexible ones, have made leaders organize work in new ways. Teams account for one new way of organizing work and reaching organizational goals. Likewise, globalized markets have made leaders search for new solutions to meet the needs of customers. In consequence, organizations strive for competitive advantages through downsizing, subcontracting, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and other collaborative and network-based alternatives which are typically facilitated by virtual teams. Virtual teams are geographically and organizationally dispersed teams that function over time zones. Due to such dispersion, physical contact in virtual teams is reduced or lacking altogether which means that collaboration is enabled by IT-solutions such as computerbased communication. This kind of electronically facilitated team work is known to imply opportunities as well as challenges...
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...aim of this paper is to outline norms for Virtual Teams with respect to Communication, Participation and Decision-Making among others. Communication Norms in Virtual Teams-Top 5 • Be considerate of the recipient of your communication with the same degree of respect for them and their limited resources as you would in a face to face set up. Depending on where in the globe a member is, it costs money and time for each member to participate in the virtual set-up. One should desist from using the resources improperly for instance clogging bandwidth with useless data. • There should be guidelines on running the meeting, returning phone calls, replying emails and format to be used among other tools. Each member contributing should introduce themselves before proceeding, the rest should be on mute until their turn to speak • Ensure brevity especially in E-mails which are meant to inform and alert. The subject should be brief and descriptive to allow for easier follow up and ensure faster response by denoting emails that need urgent attention. Be very professional and clear in any written communication to make up for the loss gestures, tonal variation and facial expressions to emphasize your key message. • Abide by the law in terms of the content and avenue of communication. Pay for the software that allows the teams to function and do not break any laws especially regarding e-mail and privacy policies. • Stick to the objectives of the team. Do not use the forum to introduce unrelated...
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...together to achieve a common goal. Teamwork is used frequently when referring to sports teams performing to accomplish a purpose; nevertheless, teamwork is now a standard expression in the workplace. The success of the team is directly connected to the efficiency of the team. The workplace is a results-based culture and the performance of the team is linked to how the team attains results. According to Higgs (2007), “It appears that a number of factors are more likely to be dominant in explaining variation in team performance” (p.82). Higgs explains further that it is the individual personalities of the team members, accompanied with the techniques used by the team to become productive is what sets other teams apart (Higgs, 2007). This paper will examine the critical components of the team getting results while working as a collective and collaborative unit, the internal management of the team and its relationship to success, the effectiveness of team meetings and the technological tools that are available for teams to implement in the work environment. The Team Working Together Teamwork begins with the individual; each individual in a team needs to be a team player, willing to work together to accomplish a bigger goal. Each person on a team has something different that he or she can contribute, and teams function best when team members are allowed to share his or her area of expertise. Teams function best when they are diverse group of people who are open to new ideas, as...
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...Chapter 4 A. Work Design Framework a. Organizations are moving away from organization structures built around particular jobs to a setting in which a person’s work is defined in terms of what needs to be done. B. How Information Technology Changes the Nature of Work a. IT has created more types of works b. IT Employment at an all time high c. Supported new ways to manage people C. Changing the way work is Done a. Many traditional jobs are now done by computers b. Jobs once done by art and skill are often greatly changed by the introduction of Its c. Introduction of IT into an organization can greatly change the day-to-day tasks performed by its employees. d. Crowdsourcing is now possible at a very low cost e. Few staff are engaged in order entry any longer f. Sometimes people can perform more strategic tasks g. Sometimes IT disconnects us from the tasks h. Zuboff provides an example of disconnection from the task at a paper mill where the masters could no longer smell and squeeze pulp to make sure of the chlorine content i. Skills of salespeople have turned from order takers and stock counters to marketing consultants. D. Changing Communication Patterns a. More asynchronous and more irregular b. Social networking has provided new opportunities for customer interaction c. Collaboration allows a firm to look big with new tools d. IT is changing the communication patterns of employees. i. Many truck drivers do not interact with others in their organization...
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