Modern business operates globally. Project teams are increasingly selected based on the unique competencies of their members, not geographic distance. Business processes are being massively migrated to locations where they will be performed most cheaply or most effectively. Companies are looking for savings in business travel expenses. Employers are looking for ways to make the work environment more flexible and modern.
All these trends lead to increasingly widespread use of distributed team work. It would seem that modern technologies allow virtual teams to exchange information in an almost unrestricted way and communicate as effectively as when working in the same office. However, reality turns out to be a bit more complicated. Remote collaboration becomes a challenge that not everyone can handle.
Virtual Teams from the Employees’ Perspective
In 2012, Siemens conducted extensive research among its employees related to the effectiveness of virtual teams. The industry in which Siemens operates, the new technologies industry, somewhat forces the widespread use of this form of work – specialists from many fields need to be connected. It’s no wonder that 79% of Siemens employees always or very often worked in this form.
Setting aside for a moment the research on virtual team effectiveness and looking at the beliefs of the employees themselves, it turns out that only 44% of them believe that working in a virtual team is as effective as working in a stationary team. An even smaller percentage notices solutions or tools in their team that allow measuring team member productivity and managing teamwork.
Further results are even more disturbing – over 40% of employees often feel frustrated or overwhelmed by collaboration in a virtual team and the technologies used by the team for communication. What technologies? Most often it was email (93%), phone (89%), and teleconferences. Although most respondents would like to use video conferences in their work (72%), only 34% use this tool. It turns out, therefore, that even in a new technologies company, despite the availability of advanced tools: video conferences, social networks, or project collaboration applications, most employees stick to more traditional tools, even if they are a source of frustration in daily work.
The engagement of virtual team members in work also deviates somewhat from the ideal: 75% of employees admitted that during virtual meetings they get distracted much more often than during traditional meetings, 34% noticed that other team members are ineffective and do not perform their duties properly. This certainly does not speak well of the mutual trust of team members and their motivation to work.
The results obtained at Siemens can certainly be interpreted from a tool perspective – weak use of advanced technologies enabling more efficient communication. Perhaps these tools were not properly implemented, perhaps the user interface was not sufficiently taken care of, perhaps different tools were not integrated with each other or employees were not trained in their use? Perhaps, however, the problem lies deeper – in the way virtual teams are managed.
Virtual Teams – What Does Research Say?
MIT researchers in their 2009 work summarized the state of knowledge on virtual team effectiveness. They suggest that virtual teams can be more effective than stationary teams, as long as managers take care of two basic factors. These are an appropriate task management system and the socio-emotional aspect of team life.
Task management should be characterized by the precision with which tasks are assigned to a person and showing the cause-and-effect relationship between tasks performed by team members and achieving a common goal. Virtual teams that manage tasks based on these criteria will be more effective than a stationary team, even one with the same task management system.
As for the socio-emotional life of the team – researchers suggest that, as in stationary teams, intuitive and well-proven team building techniques will work. Due to the distance separating team members, however, they must be used more consciously and with greater intensity, as we cannot count on spontaneous initiation of the group process.
Researchers also point to the important role of practical knowledge about the location where other team members work, their cultural norms, processes, interpersonal relationships, and even knowledge of the specific space in which they work. This allows building trust, which translates into greater effectiveness of remote communication. It also allows avoiding various misunderstandings and adapting one’s behavior to other team members.
To stimulate interactions between virtual team members, they should also be provided with appropriate tools for work. The most effective teams used the following tools:
- Video conferences, limited use of emails and instant messengers,
- Meeting recording and sharing system with other team members,
- Team member “profiles” containing contact information, photos, personal information about team members,
- Solid training on applications used in the team,
- Project management tool enabling free communication and informing other team members what tasks have been completed, whether the deadline has been met, etc.
So, although intuition and our perception of virtual teams can be critical, under certain conditions these teams can work more effectively than stationary teams. Proper task management and creating an environment conducive to collaboration means that a company can fully utilize its diversity and talents, even if they are dispersed.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can virtual teams be as effective as in-person teams?
Yes, research from MIT shows that virtual teams can actually be more effective than stationary teams, provided managers focus on two key factors: a precise task management system that clearly assigns responsibilities and shows cause-and-effect relationships, and active attention to the socio-emotional aspects of team life through deliberate team-building activities.
What are the biggest challenges faced by virtual teams?
According to Siemens research, over 40% of employees feel frustrated by virtual collaboration and the communication tools used. Common challenges include team members getting distracted during virtual meetings, difficulty building trust at a distance, and a tendency to rely on basic tools like email instead of more effective options like video conferencing.
What tools are most effective for virtual team collaboration?
The most effective virtual teams use video conferencing as their primary communication channel rather than relying heavily on email and instant messaging. They also benefit from meeting recording and sharing systems, team member profiles with photos and personal information, solid training on collaboration applications, and a project management tool that enables transparent task tracking.
How can managers improve virtual team effectiveness?
Managers should invest in building practical knowledge about each team member’s location, cultural norms, and work environment, as this builds the trust needed for effective remote communication. Regular structured meetings, conscious team-building activities applied with greater intensity than in co-located teams, and proper implementation of collaboration tools are essential for success.