RESEARCH FOCUS -
BUILDING VIRTUAL TEAMS
Resourcing Virtual
Teams
Often, VT members are ‘inherited’ or ‘imposed’ at the
start of the work, rather than recruited. Here, members will, usually, be
appointed for their specialist technical expertise, rather than their VT
capabilities. Sometimes the special VT attributes and associated skills are not
immediately obvious in these team members. However, appropriate coaching can be
provided, concentrating on improving VT skills.
When recruiting a VPT, it is important that many of
the special attributes, skills and capabilities , such as described in
Team
Attributes and VT
Attributes, are available in potential team members. Whether these
capabilities and skills are available in potential team members must be
identified and assessed. This can be achieved in a variety of ways:
- Assessing
reactions to scenarios and exercises requiring certain skills;
- Direct
enquiries as to whether certain skills are possessed;
- Informal
discussions with other VT members, holding differing views;
When recruiting, it may be more appropriate to have
team members with desirable technical expertise and limited VT
capabilities. Once the team is established, appropriate coaching in VT
skills can be provided. Team members who do not gain and use VT skills
should be rotated out, if possible.
Once team members are established, the VT skills
training and coaching can commence. For long term working, care should
be taken to provide career development opportunities for team members.
These should be appropriate to the workload and acceptable to the team
members base organisation and culture.
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