Virtual Teams: New Research into challenges and opportunities
Stumble It!Using Far-Flung Virtual Teams for Managing Knowledge in Global Companies, reports on research into 54 far-flung teams in 31 different companies, including Intel, Textronic and Royal Dutch Shell
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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Great article, thanks for sharing. And it's true in most fields -- further research is required.