Report on challenges and opportunities in virtual teams
Stumble It!In an report, Using Far-Flung Virtual Teams for Managing Knowledge in Global Companies, based on research sponsored by the Society for Information Management, the author has examined 54 far-flung teams in 31 different companies, including Intel, Textronic and Royal Dutch Shell. By Arvind Malhotra
The research highlights a number of myths about virtual teams such as:
- Myth: Far-flung teams are deployed to save money on travel
- Myth: Far-flung teams require hands-off leadership
- Myth: Far-flung team leaders don’t deal directly with diversity
- Myth: Face-to-face meetings are required early in a far-flung team’s life cycle to build trust
- Myth: Given the restrictions of time and space differences, far-flung teams are best served by allocating one task to every member
- Myth: Face-to-face meetings are required for brainstorming
- Myth: Far-flung teams only need weekly conference calls to stay connected
This is a good article and well worth reading.
A couple of these findings, such as the requirement or otherwise for face time and prior relationships, seem to be at odds with some other research I have commented on.
The reader will have to decide for themselves which research they choose to trust in these contentious areas.
Perhaps some more research is required!
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Bioteams Books Reviews
When not to collaborate
A team of one is sometimes best. It might sound like heresy but sometimes the most effective way to produce something is not through collaboration. Collaboration is best for tasks which cannot be fully achieved by a single person – if a job can be completed best by one person then to collaborate to do it will only make it worse.
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