SHRM Survey Findings: Virtual Teams
July 13, 2012
Definitions
 Virtual teams: A group of individuals who work across time, space and
organizational boundaries and interact primarily through electronic
communications.
 Project teams: Temporary teams whose members belong to different groups or
functions and are assigned activities for the same project.
 Action teams: Teams brought together for brief performance events that require
improvisation and performance in unpredictable, novel environments and
circumstances.
 Service teams: Teams that use technology to generate products or services in
assembly/manufacturing, maintenance, construction, mining, commercial airlines,
sales and other industries.
 Quality control teams: Teams that identify products, services or processes that do
not reach an organization’s minimum specified standards of quality.
 Top management teams: Teams of individuals at the highest level of organizational
management who have the day-to-day responsibilities of strategy/mission planning.
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Key Findings

Are organizations using virtual teams? Almost one-half of organizations (46%) use virtual teams in
their workplace. Organizations with multinational operations are more than twice as likely (66%) to
use virtual teams compared with organizations with U.S.-based operations (28%).

Why do organizations use virtual teams? Of organizations that use virtual teams, approximately onehalf use them to include talent in different geographic locations (53%) and to boost collaboration
among employees in different geographic locations (49%). Other reasons for using virtual teams
include improving productivity (39%), minimizing costs for travel (39%), and collaborating more across
global business units because work projects are becoming more global (37%).

What are the most successful teamwork behaviors resulting from the use of virtual teams? Nearly
three-quarters of organizations (72%) indicated that brainstorming solutions for problems or issues
was the most successful behavior for virtual teams, followed by setting goals for team initiatives or
projects (68%) and developing plans for team initiatives or projects (63%).

What are the obstacles that prevent virtual teams from being successful? About one-half of
organizations reported that building team relations (51%) and time differences (49%) were the top
challenges for successful virtual teams. Organizations also indicated that additional challenges to using
virtual teams were distribution of work (32%), differences in cultural norms (26%) and leadership of
these types of teams (25%).
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Does your organization use virtual teams?
Yes
46%
No
54%
Note: n = 335. Respondents who answered “Don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.
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Does your organization use virtual teams?
Comparisons by organization sector
Publicly owned for-profit and privately owned for-profit organizations are more likely than government agencies to use virtual
teams.
Comparisons by Organization Sector
Publicly owned for-profit (50%)
Privately owned for-profit (46%)
>
Government agencies (9%)
Comparisons by organization operation type
Organizations with multinational operations are more likely than organizations with U.S.-based operations to use virtual teams.
Comparisons by Organization Sector
Multinational operations (66%)
>
U.S.-based operations only (28%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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Why does your organization use virtual teams?
Percentage
To include talent in different geographic locations
53%
To boost collaboration among employees in different geographic locations
49%
To improve productivity (i.e., spend less time on commuting/travel)
39%
To minimize costs for travel
39%
Work projects are becoming more global (i.e., greater need for
collaboration across global business units)
37%
To allow for greater flexibility for employees
28%
Emerging technological advancements (i.e., improved technology that
makes virtual work easier)
26%
Other
5%
Note: n = 137. Only respondents whose organizations use virtual teams were asked this question. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response
options.
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Why does your organization use virtual teams?
Comparisons by organization operation type
Organizations with multinational operations are more likely than organizations with U.S.-based operations to use virtual teams
because their work projects are becoming more global (i.e., greater need for collaboration across global business units).
Comparisons by Organization Sector
Multinational operations (53%)
>
U.S.-based operations only (23%)
Organizations with U.S.-based operations are more likely than organizations with multinational operations to use virtual teams to
improve productivity (i.e., spending less time on commuting/travel).
Comparisons by Organization Sector
U.S.-based operations only (54%)
>
Multinational operations (26%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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For what formal or informal capacities does your organization use virtual teams?
Percentage
Project teams
79%
Top management teams
52%
Action teams
47%
Service teams
37%
Quality control teams
25%
Other capacities (e.g., conference calls, training)
8%
Other teams*
7%
Do not use virtual teams in any of the above capacities
1%
Note: n = 137. Only respondents whose organizations use virtual teams were asked this question. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response
options. An asterisk (*) indicates that this response option was developed from open-ended responses.
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What are the most successful behaviors for virtual and onsite/traditional face-to-face teams in your organization?
Brainstorming solutions for problems or issues
Setting goals for team initiatives or projects
68%
50%
Developing plans for team initiatives or projects
63%
48%
Coordinating the tasks of the team during initiatives
or projects
59%
38%
Designing strategy for the team
41%
46%
37%
35%
Examining the progress of team initiatives or projects
25%
26%
Resolving task or information conflicts during
initiatives or projects
24%
Establishing team norms for process and
performance
37%
23%
Developing trust among team members
16%
Maintaining team morale during initiatives or
projects
50%
24%
15%
Monitoring the performance of other team members
Virtual teams
22%
6%
Resolving relationship or personality conflicts during
initiatives or projects
Other
72%
49%
30%
On-site/traditional face-to-face teams
1%
2%
Note: n = 112. Only respondents whose organizations use virtual teams were asked this question. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response
options. Respondents were asked to select the top five options.
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What are the most successful behaviors for on-site/traditional face-to-face teams
in your organization?
Comparisons by organization operation type
Organizations with U.S.-based operations are more likely than organizations with multinational operations to indicate monitoring
the performance of other team members as one of the most successful behaviors for on-site/traditional face-to-face teams in their
organization.
Comparisons by Organization Sector
U.S.-based operations only (32%)
>
Multinational operations (15%)
Organizations with U.S.-based operations are more likely than organizations with multinational operations to indicate brainstorming
solutions for problems or solutions as one of the most successful behaviors for on-site/traditional face-to-face teams in their
organization.
Comparisons by Organization Sector
U.S.-based operations only (61%)
>
Multinational operations (40%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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What are the most challenging behaviors for virtual and onsite/traditional face-to-face teams in your organization?
Developing trust among team members
61%
35%
57%
57%
Resolving relationship or personality conflicts during
initiatives or projects
Resolving task or information conflicts during initiatives or
projects
49%
Monitoring the performance of other team members
44%
21%
Establishing team norms for process and performance
31%
Examining the progress of team initiatives or projects
23%
41%
35%
24%
Coordinating the tasks of the team during initiatives or
projects
28%
19%
16%
Brainstorming solutions for problems or issues
19%
Designing strategy for the team
20%
12%
Setting goals for team initiatives or projects
29%
Virtual teams
13%
Developing plans for team initiatives or projects
Other
49%
28%
Maintaining team morale during initiatives or projects
54%
On-site/traditional face-to-face teams
18%
4%
5%
Note: n = 112. Only respondents whose organizations use virtual teams were asked this question. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response
options. Respondents were asked to select the top five options.
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What are the most challenging behaviors for virtual teams in your organization?
Comparisons by organization operation type
Organizations with multinational operations are more likely than organizations with U.S.-based operations to indicate maintaining
team morale during initiatives or projects as one of the most challenging behaviors for virtual teams in their organization.
Comparisons by Organization Sector
U.S.-based operations only (54%)
>
Multinational operations (34%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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What are the top challenges to the success of virtual teams in your
organization?
Building team relations
51%
Time differences
49%
Distribution of work
32%
Differences in cultural norms
26%
Leadership
25%
Multidisciplinary expertise conflicts
24%
21%
Technology barriers
18%
Team composition
16%
Overexertion
10%
Language barriers
Other
5%
Note: n = 106. Only respondents whose organizations use virtual teams were asked this question. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response
options.
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What are the top challenges to the success of virtual teams in your organization?
Comparisons by organization operation type
Organizations with multinational operations are more likely than organizations with U.S.-based operations to indicate time
difference as a top challenge to the success of virtual teams in their organization.
Comparisons by Organization Sector
Multinational operations (60%)
>
U.S.-based operations only (38%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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Demographics: Organization Sector
Privately owned for-profit organization
39%
Publicly owned for-profit organization
22%
Nonprofit organization
22%
13%
Government sector
Other
5%
Note: n = 296. Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding.
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Demographics: Organization Staff Size
1 to 99 employees
2%
100 to 499 employees
8%
500 to 2,499 employees
52%
35%
2,500 to 24,999 employees
25,000 or more employees
3%
n = 297
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Demographics: Organization Industry
Industry
Percentage
Health care and social assistance
18%
Educational services
17%
Finance and insurance
13%
Manufacturing
11%
Public administration
9%
Professional, scientific and technical services
8%
Transportation and warehousing
6%
Accommodation and food services
6%
Arts, entertainment and recreation
5%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services
4%
Information, publishing industries
3%
Note: n = 301. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.
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Demographics: Organization Industry (continued)
Industry
Percentage
Construction of buildings; heavy and civil engineering construction; specialty
trade contractors
3%
Retail trade
3%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
2%
Religious, grant-making, civic, professional and similar organizations
2%
Utilities
2%
Wholesale trade
2%
Repair and maintenance
2%
Real estate, rental and leasing
1%
Mining
1%
Management of companies and enterprises
1%
Personal and laundry services
1%
Note: n = 301. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.
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Demographics: Other
Does your organization have U.S.based operations (business units) only,
or does it operate multinationally?
U.S.-based operations only
73%
Multinational operations
27%
n = 307
Is your organization a single-unit organization
or a multi-unit organization?
Single-unit organization: An organization in which
the location and the organization are one and the
same.
21%
Multi-unit organization: An organization that has
more than one location.
79%
n = 320
What is the HR department/function
for which you responded throughout
this survey?
Corporate (companywide)
68%
Business unit/division
18%
Facility/location
14%
n = 252
For multi-unit organizations, are HR policies and
practices determined by the multi-unit corporate
headquarters, by each work location, or by both?
Multi-unit headquarters determines HR policies
and practices.
50%
Each work location determines HR policies and
practices.
2%
A combination of both the work location and the
multi-unit headquarters determines HR policies
and practices.
47%
n = 251
Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.
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SHRM Survey Findings: Virtual Teams
Methodology
 Response rate = 13%
 Sample composed of 379 randomly selected HR professionals
from organizations with 500 or more employees.
 Margin of error +/- 5%
 Survey fielded December 8, 2011 – January 3, 2012
For more poll findings, visit www.shrm.org/surveys
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SHRM_Research
Project leaders:
David Geller, SHRM Knowledge Development
Christina Lee, SHRM Research
Project contributors:
Alexander Alonso, Ph.D., SPHR, director, SHRM HR Thought Leadership
Mark Schmit, Ph.D., SPHR, vice president, SHRM Research
Evren Esen, manager, SHRM Research
Copy Editor:
Katya Scanlan, SHRM Knowledge Center
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