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Benefits for
Having Virtual Teams
What are some of the major benefits for having virtual teams?
September 13, 2006
By: Lynn Marotta
Today's global economy requires creative thinking and
innovation to maintain that competitive advantage. One way
companies are dealing with global business expansion is to
implement virtual work teams, which allow people to work
together without geographical restrictions.
There are many
benefits for having virtual teams in today's economy. This
article takes a look at few of the biggest advantages
corporations can realize as a result of incorporating the
use of virtual teams.
- Worker talent not limited to one location --
This is the biggest defining difference between virtual
teams versus traditional teams. With virtual teams,
workers can be recruited and utilized no matter where they
are geographically located. This greatly expands the
talent pool available to an organization as workers can be
dispersed anywhere throughout the globe.
- Increase in productivity -- Virtual teams often
see an increase in productivity because more personal
flexibility is achieved, commute time is reduced, and work
is not limited by the traditional 9-5 work day schedule.
This advantage can translate to a much faster time to
market for new products and technology.
- Extends market opportunity -- Another benefit of
geographically dispersed teams is direct access to
different market opportunities. Having work teams located
in different areas of the world allows organizations to
have direct market presence with customers worldwide.
- Greatly reduces costs -- One of the biggest advantages
organizations realize from virtual teams is a huge
reduction in travel, which results in big cost savings.
- Increased job satisfaction -- This can be looked at as
a somewhat indirect benefit of working on a virtual team,
but a benefit none the less. Workers who are allowed to
work virtually often are much happier on the job because
they have more control over their hours, projects, etc.
Increased job satisfaction almost always means better
performance.
While there are many advantages to utilizing a virtual
team, the benefits are not inherent in the establishment of
the team itself. There are some risk factors that need to be
recognized at the outset. Some of the risks that can affect
a virtual team's effectiveness include:
- Miscommunication problems are more likely to occur --
Virtual teams can be plagued by miscommunication when they
lose face-to-face interaction, if they are not careful.
This can derail an entire project so ground rules should
be laid out at the outset.
- Lack of project visibility -- Care must be taken so
that workers feel a part of the big picture. In order to
maintain the advantage of increased productivity, teams
need to know their part in the entire project as a whole.
- Logistic difficulties -- If teams are dispersed across
different time zones, it can be very difficult to get in
touch with one another. It is important to establish the
agreed upon means of communication at the outset.
If care is taken to deal with some of the potential
problems at the outset of the establishment of the virtual
team, your company is likely to experience great benefits as
a result.
About the Author
Lynn Marotta is a successful freelance writer and
contributor to Web-Conferencing-Zone.com. Your
definitive guide to
web conferencing services,
online collaboration software and
web meetings for business.
Also See: [
Online meetings for
addiction and recovery groups ]
[ AT&T web conference
call solution using the AT&T Web Meeting Service ]
[ Engagement rules for
virtual teams to ensure their success ]
Home Page:
[ Web-Conferencing-Zone.com ]
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