Recently, I was involved in a virtual team collaboration team to create a new marketing concept for the company. Having many offices, we had to work with people from all the offices in the country. In VTC, the team is made up of people who are in different geographical locations, and operate in different time zones. Technological interaction is the most common form of communication. Interactions where done through video conferencing, phone calls and emails (Lipnack, Stamps, 2008). All team players were in constant touch with each other. There was however, an allowance given to include time zone differences.
The VTC environment is usually chaotic and hectic to manage (Duarte, Snyder, 1999). For instance, at all times, some members of the team are working while others are out of their workplace. The team leader hence has to coordinate time extremely effectively so that time zones to not cripple the work. Another challenge arises because of connectivity. Since members are not physically in contact with each other, they have to rely on the internet. Some technical issues such as data outage, loss of phones may interfere with the project.
There are some factors that influence the performance and success of VTC. All team members have to be part and parcel of the company, if not full time, then on a part time basis. This is in line with human resource policy. All members also have to receive adequate training in order to participate in the project. This can be done virtually or physically, where members receive training manuals. In order for the project to be successful, all the goals and objectives have to be in line with the organizational culture and main goal. Since it is an extension of the company, the VTC is also subject to the organizational processes and culture. There should also be a team leader who should provide competent leadership in order for the project to be successful.
To improve VTC performances, the leadership has to be provided in earnest. Without competent leadership, the project will go into shambles. There should also be motivation for all team players to make them more productive. There should also be adequate investment in technological systems to avoid system errors that could affect interactions between the team members.
References
Duarte, D. L. & Snyder, N. T. (1999). Mastering Virtual Teams: Strategies, Tools, and Techniques that Succeed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Lipnack, J. Stamps, J. (2008). Virtual Team: People Working Across Boundaries with Technology. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
