A Comparative Analysis: Virtual vs. Traditional Marketing Teams Report

This report provides a comparative analysis of virtual and face-to-face marketing teams, written for the Marketing Director of Company ABC. The report begins by defining the two types of teams and then discusses the benefits of virtual teams, such as access to a wider talent pool and reduced operating costs, while also acknowledging limitations, like the lack of direct control. It then rebuts these limitations by suggesting that delegation and coaching leadership styles can help mitigate them. The report concludes by recommending that the Marketing Director establish virtual teams across multiple locations to improve operational effectiveness and increase productivity, supporting the recommendation with references to relevant literature.

S U B M I T T E D B Y
Management Communication

Types of Organizational teams
Face to face teams- Based in a single location
Virtual Teams- Based in diverse locations, cultures and
time zones but working towards a common goal (Sinani
2016).

Benefits of Virtual Teams
Larger access to wide talent pool of potential qualified
employees (Manole 2014).
Contributes to low operating cost
Supports flat organizational structure with weak line of
authorities (Pathak 2015).

Limitations of virtual team
As stated by Jurgens-Kowal (2016) lack of control and
monitoring regarding the day to day activities of the
virtual team members

Rebuttal against limitations
The managers can delegate more in case of virtual teams
than traditional face to face teams which not only enables
smooth monitoring of the virtual members but it also paves
the way for a more democratic and coaching style of
leadership by replacing the usual command and control
leadership style (Zuofa and Ochieng 2017).

Preferred Choice
The advice to the Marketing Director of ABC is to set up
virtual teams in various locations as it will help in
improving the effectiveness of the company operations
and will also help in increasing productivity in the
organizational teams.

References
Jurgens-Kowal, T. (2016). Bridging Communication Gaps In Virtual Teams. American Society for Engineering
Management (ASEM): Huntsville [Online] Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/docview/2010278514?accountid=30552 Accessed on 13/4/2019
Manole, I. (2014). Virtual teams and E-leadership in the context of competitive environment - literature
review. Journal of Economic Development, Environment and People, [Online] 3(3), 72-76. Available at
https://search.proquest.com/docview/1660472365?accountid=30552 Accessed on 13/4/2019
Pathak, A. A. (2015). Effective knowledge management boosts virtual teams. Human Resource Management
International Digest, [Online] 23(3), 26-28. Available: doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/HRMID-03-2015-0048
Accessed on 13/4/2019
Sinani, F. (2016). The effects of participative leadership practices on job satisfaction for highly skilled virtual
teams. Business Premium Collection. [Online] Available at
https://search.proquest.com/docview/1794166998?accountid=30552 Accessed on 13/4/2019
Zuofa, T., and Ochieng, E. G. (2017). Working separately but together: Appraising virtual project team
challenges. Team Performance Management, [Online] 23(5), 227-242. Available at
https://search.proquest.com/docview/1926493533?accountid=30552 Accessed on 13/4/2019