Building Teams in Cyberspace
Every
Internet and technological revolution has created a new world within cyberspace:
The virtual teams. In the cyber world, you will find companies which have a vast
network of people spanning several continents and time zones. They have a strong
team built via the internet. The interesting thing is that the team mates or the
organization heads may never have met each of the team people; yet the team goes
strong and continues to work with enthusiasm despite the dissimilarities.
I work for such an organization. Having been Editor for an online publication of
New York Times Company's About.com, I have lived through the concept of virtual
teams. About.com is an interesting network of hundreds of editors working in
three continents. What's so amazing about this company is that despite the
difference in work cultures in various countries, About.com has an established
reputation for high quality editorial content available on the Internet. Many
other established online companies also have people working in different
countries and often their employee performance meets more than the expectations.
Now what makes virtual teams work? For one, there is a certain level of autonomy
that employees feel despite working for a corporate. The flexi-time work model
enables employees to work from the privacy of their homes. The lack of 9 to 5
work schedule makes it easy for employees to use their time judiciously. In
online work, compensation is based on your job output and not on the time spent
working on it. Hence, employees are motivated to work harder in order to earn
more.
Also, there are no organization structure issues like hierarchy, politics, or
other issues that bog down the performance levels. To have an effective virtual
team of employees, it is important to ensure that both parties are well
networked. Internet connection, phone, fax, printer and modem are vital to have
an online team.
The most crucial aspect of any virtual team is communication. A virtual team cannot
work without two-way unrepressed communication. Since distances are huge, remote
communication need to be maintained on a professional level. Informal channels
are also set up like discussion forums and chat rooms to ensure that all team
mates get to address their issues. Emails and messaging services enable speedy
communication.
When the teams are spread out, motivation becomes an issue. The organization
should work to building team morale by writing positive reinforcement notes and
rewarding promising employees with more projects or higher compensation.
Virtual team is now a hugely accepted and a fast evolving concept. You don’t need
to have people around you to make a successful team; teams can be formed with
members from far flung areas. The challenges of a virtual team are very big. It
requires the dynamic leadership and team building skills of the captain to run
the show.
