RESEARCH FOCUS -
BUILDING VIRTUAL TEAMS
Strengths &
Weaknesses
Establishing VT within a project can contribute a
number of strengths to the advantage of the organisation, improving the
value chain and economies of scale:
- Allows
different nations, or organisations, to participate on equal terms
- Better
use of specialists and division of labour;
- Different
opportunities / perspectives for problem solving and risk reduction;
- Improves
collaboration between distanced specialist groups;
- Enables
the use of geographically separated workforces;
- Organisations
with different management styles & culture can work together;
Establishing VT within a project can also provide a
number of weaknesses, which may be to the disadvantage of the organisation:
- Additional
time may be required for familiarisation, direction and response;
- Communications
and language difficulties may be encountered;
- Geography
and distances may cause logistical problems for deliverables;
- The
need to use mixed management styles may result in conflict;
- Priorities,
sequences and timings may change;
- There
may be several, distant, reporting lines involved;
- VT
members may feel they are not directly involved, compared with the MT;
These strengths and weaknesses need to be balanced
against the overall goals and objectives of the work load, together with
their components and consequences.
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