2011

M. Haseeb Minhas

Virtual Teams
The Challenge to Overcome

Digitally signed by M. Haseeb Minhas DN: cn=M. Haseeb Minhas, o=www.haseebmi nhas.com, ou, email=me@haseeb minhas.com, c=CA Date: 2011.12.15 15:22:47 -05'00'

This report presents a review on existing literature compiled to provide the definition and challenges presented when managing a virtual team.

M. Haseeb Minhas 12/5/2011

Abstract The latest advance in information and communication technologies specifically the emergence of the internet and collaborative software environments have created an opportunity for organizations to form virtual teams. This report presents a review on existing literature compiled to provide the definition and challenges presented when managing a virtual team. Virtual teams have the potential to restructure organization and business dynamics. Due to its flexibility implementation of virtual teams is becoming popular among organization. Existing literature on virtual teams indicate techniques that may help the management of any organization to implement virtual teams.

Keywords: global teams, virtual teams, intercultural teams, team communication

Introduction Organizations in the current economy must be able to function in an accelerated environment by adapting to new technologies and customer demands in order to compete successfully in the marketplace. (Mishra, Deshmukh, & Vrat, 2002) With the emergence of online social media, web conferencing, blogs, social networks and other communication tools, there has been a transformation in the business dynamic to use numerous information technology tools as the primary method of communication and interaction. This has resulted in a shift towards the development of virtual teams which provides organizations the ability to draw on a wide range of skills, without being constrained by geographical location and having to relocate staff members thus providing the flexibility to efficiently respond to the rapidly changing environment. (Powell, Piccoli, & Ives, 2004). The current understanding indicates that members of virtual teams are dispersed geographically and utilize various information and communication technologies (ICT) in order to communicate asynchronously. (Zigurs, 2003; Lojeski, Reilly, & Dominick, 2006). Research is currently ongoing to contrast a virtual team and traditional by analyzing the advantages and limitations in teams of communication, leadership, social issues, conflict management and information transfer. (Sarker, Sarkar, Nicholson, & Joshi, 2005). Although there are diverse literature and research published on the effectiveness of information flow amongst virtual teams, quantifying this practice within the business dynamics still needs to be addressed. This report provides a literature review on current research done and presents strong arguments to assess the extent of how virtual teams should be managed.

Literature Review In general, a team comprises of a group of individuals who work together in an organized manner to achieve a goal. Cohen & Baily (1997) define this more clearly a collection of individuals who are independent in their tasks, who share responsibility for outcomes, who see themselves and are seen by others as an intact social entity embedded in one or more larger social systems , and who manage their relationship across organizational boundaries. In contrast virtual teams are defined as a group of individuals who are geographically as well as time dispersed and work together via information technologies to accomplish an objective. (Powell et al., 2004). Based on the definition above, the three basic characteristics of a virtual team are (a) a team collaborating to achieve an objective while at least one member is geographically dispersed or in a different time zone, (b) communication within the team is done through the aid of information and communication technologies (ICT) and (c) virtual teams are task oriented, therefore they are disbanded after the completion of the project objective (Suchan & Hayzak, 2001). Among these three characteristics, research has mostly been focused on the analysis of information flow amongst the members of the virtual team. Even distribution of information requires careful attention on listening, presenting one's own thoughts and ideas as clearly as possible, focusing on conveying positive and constructive intent, choosing the right technology to quickly and sensitively express a clear message, and taking extra care to respectfully ensure understanding and expectations for action. It includes important feedback loops and networking and often requires daily contact during especially fast-changing times. (Joyce A. Thompsen). This represents a challenge especially for virtual teams due to the physical separation of members: communication and relationship-building is constrained by technical and cultural boundaries. Without an established knowledge-base there can be difficulty in sharing the same

information to all members and ensuring all members understand the important concepts thus leading to unevenly distributed information that is likely to affect the overall performance.
(Cramton, 2001). Researchers have suggested methods to overcome this issue by focusing on team building exercises and clearly defining the project objective (Kaiser, Tullar, & McKowen, 2000). Furthermore, according to Sarkar et al. (2005) there are four characteristics that must be considered to communicate successfully; the volume of Communication, the Credibility of the communicator, and the nature of Cultural values held by the communicator and Capability as the four basic enablers of knowledge transfer among the virtual teams. However, none of these solutions clearly provide a set of metrics to evaluate the efficiency of information flow within a virtual team. There are no defined techniques mentioned in research reviewed to assist in the even distribution of information nor is there any methodology revealed to minimize the obscurity of the project objective. The focus in the upcoming arguments will be to provide possible ideas and techniques that will support collaboration across organizational

boundaries and faster response time amongst a virtual team. (Arnison & Miller, 2002).

Discussion The work process of a virtual team can play an integral role in organizations knowledgebase since all the exchange is electronically and can be easily archived. This detailed record of exchange can also be useful for future projects and provide future teams in-depth information on problems faced and solutions designed. (Walsh & Ungson, 1991). It is important to model the lifecycle of a virtual team and the approach for each stage. Tuckman (1965) has proposed a model that detail how a team evolves. Tuckmans Stage Model of Development identifies four stages that are based on a virtual teams members located in the same region; forming, storming, norming, and performing. The forming stage is focused on team building through establishing trust, individual goals and identifying the expectations of each member. The storming phase is when conflicts emerge as members try to recognize their roles and responsibilities. Virtual teams that are able to resolve this conflict move on to the norming stage, when members develop a stronger relationship and a better understanding of each members obligations. The last stage of the lifecycle is the performing stage in which members work towards completing the project by helping and encouraging each other. Developing a strong initial relationship amongst team members can prove to be difficult when members are geographically apart and have to rely on electronic communication. Such reliance has the potential to create a wrong first impression and stereotypes based on cultural differences thus undermining the relationship building effort. It is important to note that traditional teams develop this trust based on social attachments while virtual teams develop trust based on a members actions that are recognizable, timely response to online communications and all members proving their commitment to the virtual team. Using teleconference or video

conference, team mates should exchange their personal background, skills and experiences that provide an opportunity for the team to find common ground and formulate a unique team identity. Without this process, virtual teams can lose confidence and motivation resulting in continued failure in other stages. Conflicts within any team are inevitable and may arise in various forms. The team should assign a facilitator early in this stage to focus on building an agreement on each members roles, project scope, clarifying tasks and resolving conflicts. The objective of the facilitator when resolving a conflict should be to ensure conflicting members work together to understand and appreciate different perspectives. In cases when conflicts prove more difficult to resolve, mediation methodologies can be used in which the facilitator individually hears the concerns of each member and consolidates their perspectives to create solution. Most conflicts occur when problems are faced with requirements gathering and team commitment. In the norming stage, standards should be created that provide a guideline to each members commitment, accountability and productivity. Methodologies for sharing information should also be narrowed down to a specific subset that is accessible to all members through a common share without any duplicity and downtime. The team leader must ensure that all members know how to use the technologies appropriately as needed. Large virtual teams can be divided into subgroups and assigned a coach to encourage this process. Virtual coaches are more accessible in comparison to the project leader and can also reinforce the project values. A scoreboard or reward systems must also be in place to realign recognition of performance, this provides quantitative and qualitative information about team growth, process improvement and overall satisfaction. This system helps the virtual team discover how the quality of each members work is perceived.

Conclusion Virtual teams have the potential to restructure organizations and change the business dynamics. The flexibility and dynamism are two main advantages of virtual teams that lead to its popularity amongst large organizations. Reviewing previous research and published literature on virtual teams indicated common recommendations that included (a) a need for clear project goals and objectives, (b) creating a communication doctrine that provides a clear guideline of communication expectations to prevent misunderstandings, (c) building a strong team relationship and (d) having frequent interactions among the virtual members. However, further research is still required to develop design models specific only to virtual teams and the development of information transfer tools. Methodologies need to be created that clearly identify key metrics to assess the efficiency of information flow. This report was meant to provide a basic outline to virtual teams and areas to enhance its effectiveness.

References Arnison, L., & Miller, P. (2002). Virtual teams: A virtue for the conventional team. Journal of Workplace Learning, 14(4), 166-173. Cramton, C. D. (2001). The Mutual Knowledge Problem and Its Consequences for Dispersed Collaboration. Organization Science, 12(3), 346-371. Cohen, S. G., & Bailey, D. E. (1997). What makes teams work: Group effectiveness research from the shop floor to the executive suite. Journal of Management, 23(3), 239-290. Joyce A. Thompsen, P. (n.d.). Leading Virtual Teams. Retrieved 12 01, 2011, from Quality Digest: http://www.qualitydigest.com/sept00/html/teams.html Kaiser, P. R., Tullar, W. L., & McKowen, D. (2000). Student Team Projects by Internet. Business Communication Quarterly, 63(4), 75-82. Lojeski, K. S., Reilly, R., & Dominick, P. (2006). The Role of Virtual Distance in Innovation and Success. Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2006 (HICSS '06). Waikaloa, Hawaii. 1-10. Mishra, S., Deshmukh, S. G., & Vrat, P. (2002). Matching of technological forecasting technique to a technology Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 69(1), 1-27. Powell, A., Piccoli, G., & Ives, B. (2004). Virtual Teams: A Review of Current Literature and Directions for Future Research. Database for Advances in Information Systems, 35(1), 636. Sarker, S., Sarkar, S., Nicholson, D. B., & Joshi, K. D. (2005). Knowledge transfer in virtual systems development teams: an exploratory study of four key enablers. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 48(2), 201-218. Suchan, J., & Hayzak, G. (2001). The communication characteristics of virtual teams: a case study. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 44(3), 174-186. Walsh, J. P., & Ungson, G. R. (1991). Organizational Memory. Academy of Management Review, 16(1), 57-91. Zigurs, I. (2003). Leadership in Virtual Teams: Oxymoron or Opportunity? Organizational Dynamics, 31(4), 339-351.