14 0803 Case Study 2 Virtual Teams
Achieving Success in Virtual Teams
Case Study 2
Kristen Tomlinson
Saint Leo University: MBA-530 Organizational Behavior
Achieving Team Success in Virtual Teams
Attributes That Contribute To Success and Failure Because of globalization, many organizations have business partners in all corners of the globe in order to conduct business well which naturally creates virtual working teams and partners. While various mediums of technology are needed in order to perform on a virtual team, the people on the team contribute more to the success then the available technology. Regardless of one’s geographical location or culture, successful virtual teams are composed of self-motivated and self-reliant individuals. Self-motivated and reliant people need little feedback or instruction in order to produce end results. People with strong communication, skills, both orally and written, tend to do well on virtual teams because team members rarely have the opportunity to speak face to face. Individuals that can work well under uncertainty tend to excel on virtual teams. People that need serious structure and concrete information tend to struggle on virtual teams (Nelson and Quick, 2013). Virtual teams that fail often do so because the individuals on the team were unable to solve problems or brainstorm effectively from their remote locations, which usually occurs from a communication breakdown. People on virtual teams need to take the time to get to know their team members and their culture through various means of technology. Because culture affects communication styles, it is important to understand the culture in which each individual lives so that business isn’t negatively impacted from a lack of understanding and communication malfunction. Finally, virtual teams often fail when team members are unable to contribute their portion of an assignment or project well and on-time.
Characteristics of Virtual Teams Successful working teams often have
Case Study 2
Kristen Tomlinson
Saint Leo University: MBA-530 Organizational Behavior
Achieving Team Success in Virtual Teams
Attributes That Contribute To Success and Failure Because of globalization, many organizations have business partners in all corners of the globe in order to conduct business well which naturally creates virtual working teams and partners. While various mediums of technology are needed in order to perform on a virtual team, the people on the team contribute more to the success then the available technology. Regardless of one’s geographical location or culture, successful virtual teams are composed of self-motivated and self-reliant individuals. Self-motivated and reliant people need little feedback or instruction in order to produce end results. People with strong communication, skills, both orally and written, tend to do well on virtual teams because team members rarely have the opportunity to speak face to face. Individuals that can work well under uncertainty tend to excel on virtual teams. People that need serious structure and concrete information tend to struggle on virtual teams (Nelson and Quick, 2013). Virtual teams that fail often do so because the individuals on the team were unable to solve problems or brainstorm effectively from their remote locations, which usually occurs from a communication breakdown. People on virtual teams need to take the time to get to know their team members and their culture through various means of technology. Because culture affects communication styles, it is important to understand the culture in which each individual lives so that business isn’t negatively impacted from a lack of understanding and communication malfunction. Finally, virtual teams often fail when team members are unable to contribute their portion of an assignment or project well and on-time.
Characteristics of Virtual Teams Successful working teams often have
References: Ofir, T., & Zhang, Y. (2010). Does virtual team composition matter? Trait and problem-solving configuration effects on team performance. Behavior & Information Technology, 29(4), 363-375. Staples, D.S., & Zhao, L. (2006). The effects of cultural diversity in virtual teams versus face-to-face teams. Group Decision and Negotiation, 15(4), 389-406. Sivunen, A. (2006). Strengthening identification with the team in virtual teams: the leaders perspective. Group Decision and Negotiation, 15(4), 345-366. Nelson, D.A., & Quick, J.A. (2013). Organizational Behavior (8th ed). Mason, OH: South-Western.