Defining Virtual Teams

Business today does not stop at the barriers of country lines or miles of ocean, our economy thrives on global interaction with companies strewn throughout the world. Technology cut the limits of time and location by innovating the way we conduct day-to-day business. A newly impending trend is virtual teams, which are a group of individuals within a company committed to a common goal, who collapse the four walls of organizational interaction by communicating via the Internet. Virtual teams take advantage of our technological advancements and allow organizations to form a team with the best fit employees regardless of location.

Virtual Teams vs. In-House Teams

The most important and defining aspect of either virtual or in-house teams is the completion of a common goal. There are advantages to keeping teams in a specific location. This allows the team to form a physical chemistry with their team members. This can better help understanding each other from body language, which may be lost when working with those not physically in the same room. In-house teams are not limited to phone or email conversations where communication could be misinterpreted.

Although, those advantages of in-house teams seem essential to the completion of the task, devoting too much time to coordination and communication can increase the loss of productivity within a group (Quinn 175). At times, the wrath of human nature tends to come between work groups if one does not like the other or emotions become involved. This can cause a major chemistry problem amongst the group, whereas virtual teams nearly eliminate the possibility of emotion attachment or detachment to a team member. Virtual teams promotes an increase in productivity because of the limited physical interaction, less commuting and travel time. Promoting productivity by using virtual teams reflects the competitiveness and responsiveness of an organization as a whole (Managementhelp.org).