MNG81001: Leading and Managing Virtual Teams in Global Context

This report examines the critical aspects of leading and managing virtual teams in today's global business environment. It begins by defining virtual teams and highlighting their increasing importance due to advancements in information technology, evolving employee expectations, and globalization. The report outlines the advantages of virtual teams, such as affordability, reduced overhead expenses, access to diverse talent, and time savings. However, it also addresses the inherent disadvantages, including poor management, leadership challenges, and communication issues arising from geographically dispersed team members. The report emphasizes the need for effective communication strategies and leveraging information technology to mitigate these challenges. Recommendations include utilizing project management software, detailed email updates, and video conferencing to enhance team collaboration. The report concludes that effective leadership and management are crucial for the success of virtual teams, especially for start-up businesses and small organizations. Desklib provides this paper and many other solved assignments for students.

LEADING AND MANAGING
VIRTUAL TEAMS

INTRODUCTION
• A global or virtual team can be considered as the most
important part of any business.
• Generally, a virtual team comprises a group of people, who
perform their activities together from different geographic
areas.
• Mostly, they rely on to the communication technologies,
like video conferencing, email, FAX or other services in
order to collaborate and communicate.
• In simpler terms, it refers to the working groups, who
perform or work together all across the levels of
organization, asynchronously.

ADVANTAGES
• Along with the advancement in information technology, the ever
growing demand of employee expectations, target customers, ever
increasing environment of competitiveness and globalization, the
organizations and global companies have started to adopt a virtual
team culture.
• The global and virtual teams have witnessed a rapid growth and
moreover, its popularity helped it in gaining huge benefits. Firstly, the
affordability factor comes into consideration.
• The organizations pay for the level of support they require for setting
the virtual teams up. The total expenses are lower than that with
professional support.
• In addition to this, there are least overhead expenses and associated
services such as computer, office space, communication among the
virtual teams, benefits and in-house staffs.

ADVANTAGES (CONTD.)
• They are able to identify the requirements easily, such as the need
for senior compensation analysts, junior recruiters and others,
which helps in meeting the demands and needs of the virtual teams.
• According to the needs, the organizations set up their length of
services. In addition to this, the virtual groups provide with
accessibility to the multiple disciplinary numbers in different
regions of geography.
• Last but not the least; the virtual teams are able to assemble with
the talented groups from different parts for competing with the
complex projects.
• Moreover, on a practical level, the teams have the potential of
saving the time of the employees as well as cut additional expenses
of travelling

DISADVANTAGES
• It is highly important for gaining a proper understanding of the
general disadvantages, which are inherent for the teams. It will
enable the companies in becoming more successful, effective
and efficient.
• This can also be done by keeping away the specific mistakes,
which lead to no good, but failure.
• These challenges however, lie in different regions such as poor
management, poor leadership and poor communication.
• The communication should be regarded as the major aspect
here.
• It is because the employees or individuals do not generally
belong in the same geographic location.
• This can cause certain issues related to communication.

RECOMMENDATIONS
• The organizations should have the potential of leveraging the
information technology as it reduces the major problem.
• Utilizing project management software, detailed updates in
the email, video conference and others, can help in reducing
the issues.
• It can be recommended that the team members should be able
to lead as well as manage the virtual teams in the most
effective manner possible.
• This would benefit the organization on the long run.
• Furthermore, it will be an ideal solution for the start up
businesses or small organizations.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Archibald, R.D. and Archibald, S., 2016. Leading and Managing Innovation: What
Every Executive Team Must Know about Project, Program, and Portfolio
Management. Auerbach Publications.
• Dulebohn, J.H. and Hoch, J.E., 2017. Virtual teams in organizations.
• Ellwart, T., Happ, C., Gurtner, A. and Rack, O., 2015. Managing information
overload in virtual teams: Effects of a structured online team adaptation on
cognition and performance. European Journal of Work and Organizational
Psychology, 24(5), pp.812-826.
• Hoch, J.E. and Kozlowski, S.W., 2014. Leading virtual teams: Hierarchical
leadership, structural supports, and shared team leadership. Journal of applied
psychology, 99(3), p.390.
• Krumm, S., Kanthak, J., Hartmann, K. and Hertel, G., 2016. What does it take to be
a virtual team player? The knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics
required in virtual teams. Human Performance, 29(2), pp.123-142.
• Morgan, L., Paucar-Caceres, A. and Wright, G., 2014. Leading effective global
virtual teams: The consequences of methods of communication. Systemic Practice
and Action Research, 27(6), pp.607-624.

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