7207ENG: Review of Virtual Project Teams - Griffith University

This report provides a comprehensive review of virtual project teams, examining their significance for organizations, effective management strategies, and overall impact. It delves into the benefits, such as access to a wider talent pool and reduced costs, while also addressing potential barriers like language differences, time zone challenges, and technological limitations. The report emphasizes the importance of communication, trust, technology, goal setting, and leadership in establishing successful virtual teams. It highlights the opportunities presented by technological advancements and suggests avenues for future research, including the disadvantages of virtual teams and the skills required for effective management. The conclusion underscores the need for project managers to actively manage and communicate with virtual teams to achieve positive project outcomes. The review also references several research papers and industry practices to support its findings, providing a well-rounded analysis of virtual teams in engineering management.

REVIEW OF
“VIRTUAL PROJECT TEAMS”
YOUR NAME
Griffith School of Engineering, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD4222, Australia
The aim of this paper is to present a review on virtual project teams. The importance of virtual teams for organizations,
management of virtual teams and the impact of the virtual teams are discussed. The barriers, benefits and opportunities
are also discussed. In the end the avenues for future research are provided. The conclusion and recommendations are also
presented.
Keywords: Virtual teams, guidelines, virtual
project teams, participation and leadership
1. Introduction
1.1. Overview
Virtual teams permit people to team up on a project
continuously through electronic media. The virtual
group works as an incorporated group whose
individuals are at diverse parts of the nation or world.
The potential points of interest of this sort of
coordinated effort are various, including effectiveness
of project execution, expulsion of physical limits,
improvement of capabilities, and the capacity to frame
new relationships.
1.2. Overview
The virtual teams are used by all types of
organizations in the different industries such as
construction industry, IT industry, manufacturing
industry and such others for enhancing the
effectiveness.
2. The Literature Review
2.1. Importance of virtual project teams for
organizations
The virtual project teams can be beneficial for the
organizations as they can connect with the talented
people in an easier manner. The team members can help
in enhancing the productivity and profitability through
their skills an, abilities, ideas and the suggestions. The
organizations can fulfill the needs of the customers in an
effective manner. The virtual project team can
contribute in the success of the projects in an effective
manner1.
2.2. Managing virtual project teams
The factors that are important for the development
and management of the virtual project teams are:
communication, technology, trust, goals setting and
leadership. With the help of these factors, a successful
team can be developed. It is important for the project
manager to manage the team, in a manner so that the
positive results can be obtaining through the
involvement of the virtual team, in the project. It is
important to manage the team throughout the project life
cycle2.
.
2.3. Impact of virtual project teams
The virtual project teams not only contribute in
sharing the work but also help in attaining the success
through their efforts. The interactive arrangement can be
established with the participants of the project in an
effective manner3. The recruitment of the team
members from the different countries can also help the
organizations to manage the multicultural project in an
effective manner. The project success can be attained by
the organization with the help of the virtual project
teams. The productivity of the project can be enhanced
with the involved of team members4.
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3. Opportunities
The advancement in the technology has provided
with the opportunity to connect with the skilled people
residing in different count in an easier ways and work
for the organizations. The future of the virtual project
teams is bright as organizations are adopting this
speedily.
4. Benefits
The main benefits of virtual project teams are:
1. The organizations can recruit talented and skilled
employees residing in a different country.
2. This can help in reducing the travel time
3. This can help in developing the environment of
discouraging the race and age discrimination
5. Barriers
 The language can become a barrier in involving a
member in project team from a different country in
the virtual team.
 Time zone can be a barrier if the team member
resides in a different country.
 The distances can become a barrier due to
unavailability of effective technology to connect
with the person.
 The lack of skills to use technology.
6. Avenues for research
The themes for the future research that are
identified include: disadvantages of virtual project team,
skills required for managing virtual project team and
factors that actually important to develop virtual team.
7. Conclusions and recommendations
The virtual team involves the people who work for
an organization and resides in a different location or
country. The effective management of the team is
important for obtaining the positive results by the
involvement of the virtual team. The trust,
communication, technology, goal setting and leadership
are important for establishing a successful virtual
project team. It is recommended that the project
manager should continuously communicate with the
virtual team and manage them in an effective manner to
get good results.
References
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[1] Blaise J. Bergiel, Erich B. Bergiel, and Phillip W. Balsmeier, "Nature of virtual teams: A summary of their
advantages and disadvantages," Management Reserach News, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 99-110, 2008.
[2] Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps, "Virtual teams: The new way to work," Strategy & Leadership, vol. 27,
no. 1, pp. 14-19, 2013.
[3] Dwayne Barnwell, Shea Nedrick, Elizabeth Rudolph, Mohamed Sesay, and William Wellen, "Leadership of
International and Virtual Project Teams," International Journal of Global Business, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 1-8,
2014.
[4] Paul S. Chinowsky and Eddy M. Rojas, "Virtual Teams: Guide to Successful Implementation," Journal of
Management in Engineering, pp. 98-106, 2003.
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