With the tech industry booming, many companies are looking for ways to better utilize tools to make doing business less costly and more efficient. And the benefits, in most cases, of companies having virtual teams can often outweigh the negatives in more ways than one. If managers lead effectively, the negatives will be infinitesimal.
In their research, “The State of Virtual Team Utilization In The 21st Century(TSVTU),” Chronos Consulting, a consulting firm, explored the risks and benefits of virtual teams, with insights from more than 500 employees at various companies. Check out a few tips from them on assembling and managing virtual teams:
Pay attention to structure: The study notes, “How virtual teams are selected, aligned and trained is perhaps even more important than traditional team-building. In addition, establishing group norms and values that encourage collaboration in a virtual team is essential for achieving desired productivity.â€
Transition well: You want a scalable transition moving from a virtual environment, towards a more traditional workforce. It’s recommended to try a pilot model (A test), and base your experiences on that to your improved virtual model.
Utilize technology and create opportunities to excel: If you want to get ahead of the grain, focus on developing a strong infrastructure with up-to-date methods to be competitive as a team. Chronos Consulting explains in study, “In conventional and virtual team environments, defining business processes properly and aligning them with relevant technology tools is necessary for generating competitive advantages.â€