5.3.6 Virtual Teams
As the way we work changes radically, the evolution of teams is also undertaking a radical leap. The virtual team is the current reality in the emergence of new team structures. Such teams are formed where people are no longer co-located, or necessarily operating in the same time or in a shared process (i.e. telework, collaborative teams, virtual teams, etc). With the event of the World Wide Web and emergence more recently of interactive satellite networks, the virtual team has taken on many shapes. Like conventional teams, this form of team exists to serve a real purpose. The reason for their existence can abound. Some of the core reasons for virtual teams include:
- Global operations make it impossible for team members to meet in a physical sense;
- Teams involve members from multiple organisations as organisations increasingly work outside their own operational boundaries;
- Virtual can be quicker;
- Virtual meetings have evolved with the technology and now some advanced technology and applications operates better in a cyber environment than a meeting room;
- The virtual network is harnessing emerging technology (wireless applications, high speed two-way satellite connection) to form new ways to organise work and people; and
- The right people can be sourced when they are available, wherever they are available.
As can be seen, the reasons for virtual teams abound. Most interesting is the fact that such teams have evolved a form of organisation and communication that many argue will replace traditional organisational and operational structures. While an interesting debate, for our purposes it is important to note virtual teams indicate a rapidly evolving new reality for team organisation and management.
As with all the different team structures, virtual teams require different leadership, actions to ensure they achieve their purpose.
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