Terri R. Kurtzberg - Virtual Teams

Mastering Communication and Collaboration in the Digital Age

Terri R. Kurtzberg

Copyright 2014 by Terri R. Kurtzberg

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kurtzberg, Terri R.

Virtual teams: mastering communication and collaboration in the digital age / Terri R. Kurtzberg.

pages cm

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-4408-2837-9 (alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4408-2838-6 (ebook) 1. Virtual work teamsManagement. 2. Virtual reality in management. I. Title.

HD66.K874 2014

658.4022dc23 2013047547

ISBN: 978-1-4408-2837-9

EISBN: 978-1-4408-2838-6

18 17 16 15 14 1 2 3 4 5

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To Charles Naquin, who set me on this book-writing path

Rare is the job today that does not contain an element of virtual work. This is evidenced by this slogan found on a T-shirt: I love the people I work with. Maybe Ill get to meet them someday! Whether it be working from home or other off-site locations or working with others (near and far) in a non-face-to-face manner, interactions are becoming increasingly mediated by technologies. And of course, this gets easier and easier the more comfortable everyone gets communicating in ways other than face to face. Think of the image of someone in the 1940s making a phone call: shouting into the receiver, talking over the other side, as compared to a phone conversation today. But ease of use with the technologies alone wont make virtual interactions seamless. Instead, we need to understand how things change, and why they change, when conversations move from face to face to voice or text. And changes there are. Some are quite obvious, such as the increased trouble coordinating conversations and work, or the increased difficulty in getting to know other people on a more personal level. Some are not as apparent to the casual observer, like the changes in risk-taking propensity and evaluation decisions that can result when discussions are taken online.

The phrase virtual teams has two words, and indeed two potentially separate topics, contained within it. Understanding how virtuality influences people at work is the first, and understanding teamwork is the second. Thus, this book is written in two sections and with two purposes in mind. The first is explaining what is known about virtual interaction (primarily via text such as e-mail, but including any form of non-face-to-face interaction) and how behavior, interpretations, and decisions can be systematically different in these media. The second goal targets a deeper understanding of virtual teams.

In a nutshell, virtual teams have many of the same challenges and problems that traditional teams do, but they tend to experience them to a greater extent (more often, more intensely, more quickly in the process, and more deeply rooted/difficult to eradicate). Coupled with the changes in conversation, comprehension, and decision making that can result from virtual interaction, these teams have a lot to contend with in order to successfully operate. However, it is both possible and exciting to know that virtual teams can work as well as more traditional typesand sometimes even better. After all, virtual teams were created for a reason, and being able to take advantage of those benefits while sidestepping the pitfalls is the goal of the virtual team, for managers and members alike.

This book will explore the effects of moving each area of work, conversations, decisions, and interactions into the online forum. explores the increasingly common challenges provided by having team members who span different countries and thus bring different expectations and work processes to the table. Finally, the conclusion provides an overall summary.

The information in this book rests primarily on a compilation of findings from research studies in the field of organizational behavior. But the anecdotes and experiences that poured in from MBA students and working professionals alike are what brought the issues to light in a vivid way. For that reason, the book contains summaries and explanations of decades of research on the topic alongside comments and notes from those experiencing these issues in a day-to-day sense. Thus, sprinkled throughout the chapters are many quotes from the front lines, which provide an opportunity to hear from real working professionals on the issues and topics covered in the book. These are the result of many interviews with people from a wide variety of industries and from organizations ranging from an enormous global firm to the small entrepreneur starting a new business with a handful of employees. The quotes afford the opportunity to hear descriptions of the problems people encounter in the virtual aspects of their work more specifically, as well as some insights into potential solutions. You will also find important points and lessons highlighted in the Tip boxes for easy reference.

It is hard to imagine a career path at this point in time without any involvement in digital interaction, if not multiple roles on virtual teams (sometimes simultaneously!). This book was written to address the growing need for better information about how to manage this change in work life. The digital age is here to stay, so the task now is to learn to adapt to the new forumto understand and overcome the challenges and actually thrive in this environment.

Before expounding on the problems found in many virtual teams and possible solutions for alleviating them, it first makes sense to address this question: Why have virtual teams at all? Like most other organizational innovations, virtual teams were created to solve a set of problems for managers and employees alike. In addition to the more straightforward benefits such as having access to a greater pool of talent and cutting down on the travel budget, there are some other, more subtle advantages. One category of benefits stems from the relatively new ability to easily create and use multinational teams. Not only can this provide access to less expensive labor, it also allows for a follow the sun approach in which work can be accomplished continually around the globe. Even for the local organization, the ability to have team members work together virtually can sometimes reduce the physical real estate needs as employees are able to work from home. Virtual teams can also help accommodate the need for flexible work arrangements.

But of course, as with electronic communication in general, the picture is not all rosy. Employees are more than twice as likely to have teamwork problems when working in the virtual environment, and given that statistic, it is not surprising to learn that they tend to be less satisfied with the overall experience.parties in other areas might satisfy the teams needs better in some cases, and is worth thinking through before a virtual team is launched.