strategies for managing global teams
Strategies for managing global teams
Introduction
Globalization, advances in information and communication technologies and increased competition have forced organizations to use virtual teams in business and produce more rapidly, more effectively and more efficiently. It is the call of the hour to put together different capabilities and services across the globe and through cooperation between suppliers and customers achieve the firm’s objective with high quality.
A virtual team is a group of individuals who work across time, space and organizational boundaries. They coordinate their work predominantly with electronic information and communication technologies in order to accomplish one or more organization tasks. Members of virtual teams may never meet face-to-face yet virtual teams allow companies to procure the best talent without geographical restrictions (Wikipedia).
Collaboration across distance is more difficult than in an environment where people work together in the same office throughout a project. Many problems arise due to difficulties in communication and coordination like working in multiple time zones, lack of common ground, cultural differences etc. This is extremely frustrating especially if coworkers are regularly unavailable for discussion or clarification of task-related issues. However, many firms are learning that the key to success lies beyond a reliance on the greatest technology. They are seriously adopting some time tested strategies to effectively manage virtual teams and turn them into high performance units.
Challenges in a Virtual Team
It is difficult to manage many issues when team members lack the ability to interact face-to-face. Communication is often more challenging, particularly among global virtual teams, which can also make it more difficult to overcome cultural barriers (Ebrahim et al, 2009). A recent report by RW3, LLC, on the Challenges of Working in Virtual Teams, based on a survey of nearly 30,000
Introduction
Globalization, advances in information and communication technologies and increased competition have forced organizations to use virtual teams in business and produce more rapidly, more effectively and more efficiently. It is the call of the hour to put together different capabilities and services across the globe and through cooperation between suppliers and customers achieve the firm’s objective with high quality.
A virtual team is a group of individuals who work across time, space and organizational boundaries. They coordinate their work predominantly with electronic information and communication technologies in order to accomplish one or more organization tasks. Members of virtual teams may never meet face-to-face yet virtual teams allow companies to procure the best talent without geographical restrictions (Wikipedia).
Collaboration across distance is more difficult than in an environment where people work together in the same office throughout a project. Many problems arise due to difficulties in communication and coordination like working in multiple time zones, lack of common ground, cultural differences etc. This is extremely frustrating especially if coworkers are regularly unavailable for discussion or clarification of task-related issues. However, many firms are learning that the key to success lies beyond a reliance on the greatest technology. They are seriously adopting some time tested strategies to effectively manage virtual teams and turn them into high performance units.
Challenges in a Virtual Team
It is difficult to manage many issues when team members lack the ability to interact face-to-face. Communication is often more challenging, particularly among global virtual teams, which can also make it more difficult to overcome cultural barriers (Ebrahim et al, 2009). A recent report by RW3, LLC, on the Challenges of Working in Virtual Teams, based on a survey of nearly 30,000