Team Challenges: Strategies for Success in a Globalized Environment

This essay examines the challenges of managing teams, particularly in a geographically diverse and virtual environment, drawing from the context of the Ivey Executive MBA program. It identifies key issues such as compatibility with different computing platforms, communication methods, and asynchronous data sharing. The essay proposes future actions, including the use of various communication tools and data storage services. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of trust, compatibility, and effective leadership in building a cohesive team. The analysis also highlights the significance of adopting innovative electronic platforms to enhance team performance and communication, ultimately aiming to establish a solid foundation and a strong market position. The essay provides insights into the complexities of team dynamics and offers practical strategies for achieving success in a collaborative setting.

Running head: TEAM CHALLENGES
TEAM CHALLENGES
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

1TEAM CHALLENGES
TO:
From:
Date:
Subject: TEAM CHALLENGES
PROMPT: In this modernized world with diverse organizations working towards gaining
benefits globally, it becomes necessary to work as a team, united by a common goal.
THESIS: Strategies and managerial implications are the key words in establishing a successful
foundation with a good market position. A team comprises of different individuals with as
expected diverse views due to cultural and behavioral diversities.
BLUEPRINT: This essay or analysis sets an insight on team challenges and strategies to
manage the same in Ivey Executive MBA program (Iveycases.com 2017). Various collections of
data determine the methodologies and the success plan towards the set goal.
THREE SECTIONS:
1. Three Key Issues Identified in the Case:
Jake Santora, after duration of almost ten years, is all set to imply his self-experiences
and categorized strategies to the EMBA program, a set up aiming for executive development.
This person seemed to be elated and simultaneously worried about certain challenges that could
prevail in the team, comprising of members, who are geographically diverse (Allen and
Ofahengaue Vakalahi 2013). With the plan of ‘four-day weekend’ per month, it is well deduced

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by Santora that it would be a challenge for the other 26 days to manage as team virtually, he
having been a part of a cross-functional team in Asia.
Formerly, by the term, virtual team comprising of geographically diverse members it is
meant the collaboration of individuals separated by work, space and time while united by web
interactions via technological support. Thinking of effectively managing the virtual team, the
global trend of today’s world, certain issues emerged out that needed management (Curry 2015).
Firstly, the issue of compatibility surfaced, which indeed is a priority to have a unity in work-
process. Here the concern was about the computing support available to the members of the
virtual team. Applying segregation to the issue, it was about the Windows and Apple based
computers, with a series of software applications operating. The witnessed challenge oriented
with this issue was the utilization of diverse platforms to perform task, individually chosen and
later an attempt in integrating the results. Secondly, the revision applied on the method the
members should communicate. Two most appropriate approaches were considered to solve the
issue, namely the physical and virtual meetings in the synchronous section of communication.
Third recorded issue was the asynchronous section of sharing documents. Attachments relative
to professional front, from various individuals via E-mail was not found to be an commendable
medium as this service restricts data transformation after a certain size of files transferred via
web. To the rescue, large storage services were utilized, to which many people were not
comfortable with or had a lack of experience in the same.
2. Future Actions:
Case exhibit 3 deals with the section of communication and information sharing through
asynchronous meetings (Turk, France and Rumpe 2014). Two approaches were adapted namely,

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the face-to-face conduction and another tool of communication regarding this was virtual meet-
ups, most likely, Skype, WebEx, GOTOMEETINGS and Anymeeting.com were some of the
relevant platforms (Harindranath, Bernroider and Kamel 2015). Physical meetings seemed a
challenge even if it is more effective. In this case, a combination of both the approaches was
accepted. All the pre-mentioned platforms in relevance to exhibit 3 were used as the
communication tools.
While in Exhibit 4 insights the asynchronous data sharing mechanisms. The restriction on
big-size files is a major challenge faced by individuals in a virtual team of computing,
comprising of limitations such as duplications, errors and frustration (Robichaud et al. 2013). In
relevance to the data collection, the tools such as DropBox, Google Drive, Microsoft Skydrive
and Amazon Cloud Drive available on various platforms, some of them being windows, Mac
Anroid, ios, Linux and likewise were used as the methodology in asynchronous data writing
involving no constriction on the transferable data size (Labandeira, C.C., 2014).
In context to the query of co-ordination of activities among the team members, exhibit 5
is taken into consideration to provide an analysis regarding the same. Real time projects
comprise of tasks with short deadlines, which is possibly handled within one-two meetings while
others were long-term with an approaching deadline of five months or more. Individuals in the
team should have accessible tools to manage their milestones as well as the timelines, while
simultaneously providing updates of work with the fellow members. Such an issue needs
implications of software, which could provide updates relative to the real time situations, in order
to avoid any errors (Schwalbe 2015). However, a possible technique could have been the Excel-
sheet but then; it would isolate the updating responsibility on one person. Solutions to such
situations would be Microsoft Project software, a management tool for project launching but

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with the requirement of often maintenance from the lead of the project. Alternate to this are the
Baecamp, Ace project, Mavenlink and smart-sheet, which are some management tools for
collaborative writing.
3. Two Important Factors to Consider for Team-Based Activities:
Other virtual tools could come to rescue, such as, real-time 3D collaboration, social
networking and online chatting, which could provide support in updating and data transmissions
(Thomson et al. 2015).
Keeping in conscience, even a virtual team is comprised of real human beings with all
possible exposure to errors and excellence. Two main important factors to build up an effective
team would be compatible and trust-based relationships among the members each with the view
of general profit and helpfulness they can provide to each other for building up a profound
stature.
In any given situation, a face-to-face collaboration proves to be more beneficial than a
virtual one, as in the former method, each individual is more receptive and communicative
towards the fellow partner (Turk, France and Rumpe 2014). Each subtle gesture could be noted
and the responses could be well understood and managed. A system based on innovations could
be possible as each individual could project his/her own belief and thoughts in an effective way.
On analysis of the facts and data, it is well visible that to build a cohesive and effective
team, trust and compatibility are the prior needs. In addition to this, for a virtual team as such in
discussion, updating and innovating electronic platforms with more scopes that could be helpful
in future development of organizations should be encouraged. Literacy and adjustments among
members concerning such platforms is another essentiality, which could make things easier in

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handling and managing. Leadership should be adapted with care and excellence for promoting
the general profit of a team.

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References:
Allen, S.A. and Ofahengaue Vakalahi, H.F., 2013. My team members are everywhere! A critical
analysis of the emerging literature on dispersed teams. Administration in Social Work, 37(5),
pp.486-493.
Curry, C.D., 2015. Coaching global teams and global team leaders. In Leading Global
Teams (pp. 141-168). Springer New York.
Harindranath, G., Bernroider, E. and Kamel, S., 2015, May. Social Media and Social
Transformation Movements: The Role of Affordances and Platforms. In ECIS.
Iveycases.com. 2017. Ivey Publishing - Product View. [online] Available at:
https://www.iveycases.com/ProductView.aspx?id=59974 [Accessed 4 Sep. 2017].
Labandeira, C.C., 2014. Amber. The Paleontological Society Papers, 20, pp.163-216.
Robichaud, G., Garrard, K.P., Barry, J.A. and Muddiman, D.C., 2013. MSiReader: an open-
source interface to view and analyze high resolving power MS imaging files on Matlab
platform. Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, 24(5), pp.718-721.
Schwalbe, K., 2015. Information technology project management. Cengage Learning.
Thomson, C., Bennett, D., Johnston, M. and Mason, B., 2015. Why the where matters: A sense
of place imperative for teaching better Indigenous affairs reporting. Pacific Journalism
Review, 21(2), p.141.
Turk, D., France, R. and Rumpe, B., 2014. Limitations of agile software processes. arXiv
preprint arXiv:1409.6600.