New HR research on virtual team challenges
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports in a very short article on a “Meta Analysis of Virtual Teams” by Sheila Simsarian Webber which highlights both the opportunities and challenges facing virtual teams:
Top Challenges facing virtual teams
- Virtual teams consistently take longer to complete tasks than face-to-face teams
- Complex judgment tasks resulted in the lowest performance for virtual teams versus face-to-face teams
Top Opportunities for virtual teams
- If team members are familiar with each other prior to becoming part of the team, they are able to perform almost as effectively as face-to-face teams
- Virtual team communication improves when meetings are synchronous allowing a continuous exchange of information
The article also briefly discusses the implications of these challenges and opportunities
It worth noting however that some of findings are at odds with other research I have seen.
The reader will have to decide for themselves which research they choose to trust in these contentious areas.
Perhaps some more research is required!
Bioteams Books Reviews
The coming shape of organizations and teams
Belbin sees Bioteams as the next step. Dr R Meredith Belbin, regarded as the father of "team-role" theory and one of the worlds foremost experts on teams predicts that we will evolve into bioteam forms. In his book "The Coming Shape of Organisation" Belbin picks out five observations human teams need to learn from "a diminutive masterclass" of social insects such as bees, ants and termites.
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