WHAT?
Over the past few years, virtual teams have increased so much with technology innovation that has come up and made communicating online easier. With the current COVID-19 situation that we are living in right now, we have all experienced a very large increase in virtual teamwork, including jobs, classes, and even just hanging out with friends and family. While communicating online is not always the most effective and time-friendly resource, there are many good aspects when working with a team virtually.
SO WHAT?
Working in a virtual team allows for much more creative space because there is a sense of anonymity when offering up suggestions, causing people to be more willing to share their ideas without fear of others putting it down. Virtual teams also create a greater availability for talent. Working this way can allow people from all over the work to be a part of your team, expanding the pool of knowledge and life experience on the team. Virtual teams also help in allowing people to create more of their own schedules where they are able to work remotely and on their own time instead of worrying about having to always be available at specific times. There is much more flexibility and empowerment for the individuals on the teams.
Of course, there are some disadvantages to virtual teamwork as well. Because of the anonymity that comes from online teams, social loafing can occur and people can tend to stay in the background without feeling the need to ever speak up. There is also a large increase in miscommunication, leading to conflict and difficulty establishing and maintaining mutual knowledge. This can occur because it is so easy for people to multitask during video calls and meetings, missing important information. There is also a disconnect in communication that can occur from time differences that cause the information to be misunderstood. Another disadvantage that mainly affects the individual is social isolation. With a lack of human interaction, people can feel closed off and lonely. This can eventually move into their work style, causing them to be less productive in their teams.
NOW, WHAT?
Statistics from a 2018 research showed that the individuals in the study said that their work-life balance improved over 70%. 57% of the participants felt that stress was reduced and 54% felt that morale improved when switching to virtual teams. Since this is a topic that is extremely relevant right now, I think that it is super important for individuals to become comfortable with working remotely and having to move all of their teams online for the time being. For my own personal team so far, we connected through our group chats and we have discussed what our new norms will be during this time. We have all been very consistent with showing up to class and having good discussions which has allowed us to keep our trust intact even through this strange transition. I suggest that all virtual teams find some common times to get together however they can online and get to know each other so that connections can be made and trust can be built within the team.
Levi, D. (2017). Group Dynamics for Teams (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 978-1-4833-7834-3.
“10 Advantages Of Virtual Teams | Staff.Com Blog”. Blog.Staff.Com, 2020, https://blog.staff.com/10-advantages-of-virtual-teams/.
“Advantages And Disadvantages Of Virtual Teams”. Managementstudyguide.Com, 2020, https://www.managementstudyguide.com/virtual-teams-advantages-and-disadvantages.htm.”
46 Virtual Team Statistics You Can’t Ignore: 2020 Data Analysis, Benefits & Challenges – Financesonline.Com”. Financesonline.Com, 2020, https://financesonline.com/virtual-team-statistics/.
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