Project Management: Developing Interpersonal Skills in Virtual Teams

This report provides an overview of project management in virtual teams, emphasizing the importance of interpersonal skills. It addresses challenges such as building trust, managing communication, and fostering collaboration in remote settings. The report outlines strategies for team-based rewards, recognizing individual and team performance, and utilizing various collaboration tools. It also discusses the dynamics of virtual team workers, including motivation, goal management, and regular assessment of communication effectiveness. Furthermore, it examines the application of these concepts in new product development (NPD) and recommends review processes to minimize errors. The report highlights the significance of clear goals, effective communication channels, and the use of collaboration tools in ensuring project success within virtual teams.

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Project Management -Interpersonal Skills
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Solution 1...................................................................................................................................2
Solution 2...................................................................................................................................3
Solution 3...................................................................................................................................4
Solution 4...................................................................................................................................5
Solution 5...................................................................................................................................7
Solution 6...................................................................................................................................8
Solution 7...................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
This paper provides an overall project management system for the given project as described.
It is needed to work with a virtual team for the sake of the project. It has been assumed that
all the team members are possibly experts and as per the project requirement, I am the part of
this diversed as well as an intelligent group. Therefore, it is needed to find out the virtual side
of the work challenge as well.
Solution 1
The virtual teams can be defined as their work with colleagues who are working in remote
places and they can be from the same or different countries. For many companies, it is the
common scenario in the workplace. It is now becoming a trend as per the workplace
environment issues, the virtual working practice will be increasingly influenced at the way
where it can be operated. And thus the effective virtual team worker is now considered as the
valued asset for the company as well (Hamilton, Hodgkinson, & Byatt, 2018). The key
benefit of forming these virtual teams is thus the ability of cost-effective tap within the wide
pool of talent from different locations. It can be thus found that the effectiveness of the
virtual team thus depends on the following points:
1. The team members are found to work primarily from one particular office, like a home
office, or from a fixed work location. In this case, the members as not supposed to travel in
each week or they do not need to be physically in the office on a daily basis. This scenario
definitely increases the effectiveness of the virtual team as they can perform more work in
that time.

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2. As the team members can work from their home, there is no need to travel, it is very
helpful for those who are physically handicapped, but have a great sense of humour as well as
intelligence power (School of Education & Social Policy, 2017).
Solution 2
As per the project manager of the virtual team such organization as described in the
assignments, I would like to follow the below-mentioned team-based and the recognition
system:
First of all, as the team members are not visible at all in this virtual team, the trust is the main
critical ingredient for ensuring the healthy team success within any kind of organizational
context. Thus, there should be an establishment as well as the continual fostering in the case
of team trust which is also an important and challenging task in these scenarios specifically
for the virtual team managers, the coaches, consultants as well as the organizational
effectiveness practitioners as it will be provided in the project.
On the other hand, team trust is found to be influenced through varieties of factors which
include the structures organizations which are needed to put in place for rewarding those
employees. It is also needed to do an analysis on the team based rewards which will suggest
the several interests of implications as it has been implemented incorrect ways. Thereby, the
team-based rewards are also found to be triggered for the team trust challenges. In this
respect, to understand it deeply it is needed to take help from the MSLOC community design
and needed to promote a healthy team reward structure as per the academic as well as the
professional pursuits.
Further, as per the virtual team manager, one should think-out-of-the-box and needed to come
up with some creative and great ideas which would recognize the good performance in order

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to keep the team spirit and morale as high as possible. Followings are thus some meaningful
processes for recognizing the individual as well as the team performance which will help to
feel them as valued and appreciated team members in this scenario:
1. It is needed to provide e-certificates, e-newsletters or e-announcements for citing the
efforts which will contribute their success (President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2018).
2. Before commencing the project there is needed to start a review meeting for which there
can be spent some time to acknowledging for success in the project. Both the managers as
well as the team members are required to take turns of this appreciation for the performance
of each other through highlighting the specific actions which will contribute for the group
success. It also enhances the team bonding.
3. If any collaboration software, like Share Point, has been utilised for sharing the data or
information, in that scenario, an additional section is needed to be add for exhibiting the
celebrations within the tabs, like the anniversaries or birthdays, hobbies of individual team
member to provide them priority also to know each other’s information who are working
remotely.
4. It can be utilised the opportunities, like an open house, group meeting as well as client calls
etc for drawing the attention in order to do a better performance (Ebrahim, 2016).
Solution 3
In order to administer the virtual system, the project manager can recognize the effective
collaborative helps for the bond and also build for trusting the people which will get to know
for the thought processes as well as working styles. In this respect, the staffs are able to build
up for ideas of each other which will play the role to strengthen the relations. It would help to
clarify for defining the teams. It also set the expectation for the people which would work in

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collaborate way even from the distance. It also seems like a no-brainer which has the start-
ups and the small businesses that undermine the collaboration of failing for forming the teams
in the organization. It will lead with the confusion and also low co-operation among the
employees. Mainly with the remote workers that are important for the people for knowing
them to belong and thus they would report.
The advantages of the listing the groups is very important for establishing a positive effect in
the output quality in the project (Morley, 2015). It is also an advantage for listing the group
which is possible for the conventional ways of the working method as it will accelerate the
delivery process.
The disadvantages of being effective are needed to provide a positive correlation within the
empowerment as well as the virtual team performance. These high-performance teams can be
distinguished through the passionate dedication for their goals, identification as well as
emotional bonding among the virtual team members. There will be a balance within the unity
as well as the respect for the individual differences.
Solution 4
As per the question it is needed to understand the dynamics of the virtual team worker. For
being a virtual team property the worker can understand that he or she is not for everyone or
every organization. It can be considered that the virtual team work can be more likely is the
collocated worker who will suffer from the feelings or the isolation from setting-up which is
not right. They also required being more self-managing as well as focusing their efforts in a
particular way. For managing the virtual project team members in an effective way, the
project managers thus require understanding in which way the success can be perceived. It is

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thus needed to understand the five best primary aspects where the project manager would
directly show their efforts in ensuring the effective project management for the virtual team
and those are as follows:
1. To keep the people motivated: There should not be any feelings of isolation or
disconnection from the end of the team who has the direct correlation for motivating to the
virtual team members. It is also needed to possible that the project manager should keep the
virtual team workers engage as well as motivated within the project itself. In this respect
regular phone calls or greetings through a suitable chat-messaging system. It is needed to use
the video conference so that members can share their valuable feedback as they want to
comfortable to work around the clock maintaining an adjustable as well as a flexible time
period (Lepsinger, 2015).
2. To manage the goals: A clear goal and objectives are needed to set within the project as per
the virtual team members. As the team members are not attending physically within the office
for asking the clear the queries, the goal system thus needed to post the company website for
keeping the team members in focus as per the goal.
3. To manage the communications: It is a very much crucial part for managing the virtual
team where it has been found that the overall project management time is depending on 90%
of communication of the system. It is needed to consider no difference within the collocated
or the virtual team. The key differences for the virtual team working as per the project
managers are this required to understand the needs of specific communication within the
virtual team workers and also the communication style. Besides the as it is not feasible to
have a face to face interaction and thus one virtual communication medium is very important
for those scenarios.

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4. To assess regularly the effectiveness of the system of Remote Communications: The same
virtual working arrangement may not suit for everyone as people working indifferently would
have different work styles system. They also needed to vary the degrees of getting comfort as
per the use of electronic communications technology. For effective management of
communications within the virtual team, the project manager has to assess accurately every
person’s level of comfort who is suffering from “disconnection”. For this, it is needed to
assess the issue first and thereby, it may have the conversation with others team members
which will prepare the implementation of appropriate actions in overcoming any issues
(Brokaw, 2017).
5. To use the collaboration tools: The tools are the important factor for working for the virtual
team effectively. Such as phones with conferencing facilities, global time clock or any online
web meeting spaces are to be enhanced while working. The mobile computers also play a
significant role in that respect to ensure that the team members in using such technologies
comfortable enough.
Solution 5
As per the new product development or NPD which is widely recognized as per the key
prosperity factor in the corporates, it has been noticed that various products may require
different processes. In that respect review of all the new development is needed to do before
handling it to the client who is also being virtual in most of the cases. In this scenario, the
specialized skills, as well as talents, are needed for the development of the new products
where those are residing or developing locally within the pockets in excellence in the
organization. Thus the company would not have any choice for dispersing the new production
units which can access the dispersed knowledge as well as skills. For this reason, the
organization has to find out the internal as well as overall development of all kind of

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technology which is required for new products and also processes which may be much
difficult or impossible. Therefore, due to the development of the technology, virtualization of
NPD has recently started which will make serious headway for the developments of the
technology and its virtuality in case of NPD is now seemed to be possible technically.
Thereby, the product development would become more complex as well as the supply chain
for collaborating more closely than the past. Thereby, to build by the effective virtual team by
using the new technology, review process is highly recommended as it will decrease the
number of errors in the performance of the virtual team (Ebrahim, Ahmed, & Hanim, 2012).
The NPD system will also enhance the performance in a better way for being an effective
virtual team.
Solution 6
For a subject matter expert, the reward and recognition system has an effective and
meaningful way for the growth in virtually. In this respect, the total rewards strategies are
needed to implement where the employees get motivated and it will reduce the challenges
with the virtual project. To design the total rewards programs the incentive plan is needed to
implement for taking the form of cash with the bonus or stock. The incentives are needed to
take for the form or the cash bonus or the stock. In order to award the incentives, the
organization would utilise more measurement objectively for the performance like the
productivity of the employees than the performance of the ratings. As the incentives would
not link with the base salary as those are nor compound with over the time, they would have
less cost for employers than the merit pay or promotion pay. So, the companies will award
incentives depending on the individual, group or organizational performance. Moreover,
individual incentives will provide the cash or stock payment for the performance measured at
the level of the individual employee. The classic examples can be said as the sales

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commissions or the piece-rate pay system. Further, the organizational incentives would
provide the cash or the stock for the employees depending on the overall performance of the
organization as well as the business unit. The profit sharing or the stock sharing may be the
classic examples in this case of organizational incentives.
Besides the reward system, recognition is also mattered which is showing the powerful
impact for the employee performance which may influence the organizational effectiveness
as per the financial incentives (SHRM Foundation, 2016). So for recognizing the
effectiveness, the subject matter expert is also needed to include within this type of reward
and recognition system.
Solution 7
It has been found that the collaboration across the distance may be more difficult than in the
case of a colocated environment. There may be difficulties in communication as well as
coordination in the virtual system than the physical one. Besides these, there may be reduced
trust and also it can be increased the inability for the establishment of common ground. In
contrary, proximity is found to promote in case of more frequent communication and also in
case of the development of closer as well as more positive interpersonal relationships.
Thereby, the regular physical presence of the co-workers would improve the feelings of
people for familiarity and fondness. There are the frequent informal interactions will service
for strengthening the social ties. Also, physical distance decreases the closeness as well as
affinity as it leads to a greater potential for conflict for sure. Distance also brings some other
issues, like team members would have to negotiate multiple time zones and it will require
them for reorganizing the workdays for accommodating the other’s schedule. In that satiation,
frustration and also confusion may grow when the co-workers are unavailable in discussion

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in regular basis or there remain as the clarification of any kind of task-related issues (Ebrahim
N. , 2016).
Conclusion
Therefore, the virtual teams are found to increase in prevalent ways in the present day. There
is a lot of high-quality information which helps to form an effective virtual team. Along with
this, the economies also are also needed to achieve from the virtual teams in the style of the
project which offers great potential in the case of harnessing the talent from various locations.

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References
Brokaw, L. (2017). Four Habits of Highly Effective Virtual Teams. Retrieved from
https://sloanreview.mit.edu/: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/four-habits-of-highly-
effective-virtual-teams/
Ebrahim, N. (2016). Virtual Teams: a Literature Review. Australian Journal of Basic and
Applied Sciences, 2653-2669.
Ebrahim, N., Ahmed, S., & Hanim, S. (2012). Effective Virtual Teams for New Product
Development. Scientific Research and Essay, 1971-1985.
Hamilton, G., Hodgkinson, J., & Byatt, G. (2018). Managing A Virtual Project Team.
Retrieved from https://www.projecttimes.com:
https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/managing-a-virtual-project-team.html
Lepsinger, R. (2015). How to Lead an Effective Virtual Team. Retrieved from
https://iveybusinessjournal.com: https://iveybusinessjournal.com/how-to-lead-an-
effective-virtual-team/
Morley, S. (2015). An Analysis of Virtual Team Characteristics: A Model for Virtual Project
Managers. Journal of technology management & innovation, 1-9.
President and Fellows of Harvard College. (2018). Challenges to Managing Virtual Teams
and How to Overcome Them. Retrieved from https://www.extension.harvard.edu:
https://www.extension.harvard.edu/professional-development/blog/challenges-
managing-virtual-teams-and-how-overcome-them
School of Education & Social Policy. (2017). Team-Based Rewards Structures and Their
Impact on Team Trust. Retrieved from https://www.sesp.northwestern.edu:

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https://www.sesp.northwestern.edu/masters-learning-and-organizational-change/
knowledge-lens/stories/2011/team-based-rewards.html
SHRM Foundation. (2016). Implementing Total Rewards Strategies. Retrieved from
https://www.shrm.org:
https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/hr-topics/benefits/Documents/
07RewardsStratReport.pdf