What?
The blog this week is going to cover the topic of virtual teams and the dynamics behind these teams. For the most part, teams will be a face to face style where all the members are able to make connections. However, with the increasing use of technology in todays society, the use of virtual teams are becoming more and more prevalent.
So What?
With the use of virtual teams in classes and in the workforce becoming more prevalent it has had an impact on the dynamics and way teams are formed. Teams have had to adapt to different forms of communication to get around this problem. The first impact that virtual teams have had is communication impacts. When people communicate via technology, their communication is altered. It changes how status is perceived, the level of anonymity, and the amounts of miscommunication. The next impact deals with the impact on teams. The use of virtual teams impacts the task performance, decision making processes, and social relations of teams. The final challenge of virtual teams is selecting the right technology for the different situations. The first way of alleviating the challenges of virtual teams is to match the technology to the team and task. This really depends on the types of teams. The final and most important challenge is team building in virtual teams since there is no face to face interactions. All of these are situational and depends on the type of teams.
Now What?
Virtual teams are the future of organizations and the formation of teams in this technologically based society. It is important that people can adapt and learn the best ways to work together in a team even if it is virtual. I think the methods of going about leadership and teams is different, however I think there still needs to be trust and communication in order for the team to succeed. There are so many different ways that teams can communicate via technology now including video messaging, phone calls, online chats, etc. There are so many options that teams can find the way that fits their team best in order to succeed. Before I end this blog I want to give one tip for virtual teams: if it at all possible, meet and have a face to face meeting with the group members because I think this is the best way to establish that trust that is needed.
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