1. Article Summarization
a. The article I chose was written on the site, VentureBeat. According to their about
page, they are the “leading source for transformative tech news and events that
provide deep context to help business leaders make smart decisions”
(VentureBeat, 2006). This particule piece discusses the different challenges and
advantages of using virtual teams. It is also important to note that the article is
before the pandemic. It begins by sharing statistics on how the number of
individuals working from home rose from 39% to 43%, and this was just between
2012 to 2016. I am sure that sure has risen significantly since. The author
proceeds to discuss the origins of virtual teams and how current companies are
utilizing these groups to be more efficient and effective. Next, the discussion
compares virtual teams with our traditional teams. Prior to switching to virtual
teams, companies tended to give employees one or two days each week to work
from home. However, employers were worried that their staff would fail to deliver
if they were not under a watchful eye. Essentially, the main reason companies did
not want to transition from traditional teams into virtual teams was the fear that
employees would be less productive. That turned out to be false… a study
conducted of 80 software development virtual teams from different countries
“proved that virtual teams can lead to increased efficiency and better business
results”(Harvard Business Review, 2012). One important note was that the
increased efficiency/better results stemmed from these teams “managing to
maximize the potential benefits while minimizing the disadvantages.” The article
goes on to talk through the different challenges and advantages of virtual teams.
The main challenges consisted of: lack of communication, lack of social
interaction, and insufficient tools. The advantages of virtual teams are: lower
costs, increase job satisfaction, increase productivity/efficiency, and purposeful
meetings. The author concludes the article with naming online/virtual tools that
can be utilized by different types of companies including communication and
project management firms.
Malone University. (2019, September 11). The Challenges and Advantages of Virtual
Teams: Where Do You Stand?. VentureBeat.
https://venturebeat.com/business/the-challenges-and-advantages-of-virtual-teams-wheredo-you-stand/
2. Positive Aspects from Article
a. Two aspects from the article that I think will apply to my team are two of the
advantages that were listed for using virtual teams. The first advantage that I
believe will apply to my virtual team is the increased productivity and efficiency of
a team. If all individuals on the team have laptops or tablets, this makes
completing assignments and meetings much more convenient and accessible. If
we were forced to meet face-to-face in a specific location at a certain time, there
could be conflicts. The virtual aspect allows each member the flexibility of
completing the work without having to waste time traveling. The other advantage,
which is similar to productivity/efficiency, is increased team member happiness.
Similar to the point above, the ability to work while traveling, and the chance to
take care of errands or housework during breaks make off-site virtual teams an
enticing project.
3. Issue That May Arise
a. One issue that may arise in our team would be the lack of communication. Since
we are only using virtual teams, we do not always know our team members'
availability. If we were having in-person classes, we would know that our team
members would be present (hopefully!). If team members ignore
messages/emails, we may not be able to get in contact with them, especially if
phone numbers are not exchanged. I have had issues in the past with other
classes and the group placements. Group members would often ignore
messages for a day or two, and this was extremely frustrating as we were trying
to collect work for our final assignment.