Leading and Managing Effective Teams
This task has two parts. In Part (1) 1,000 words (EXCLUDE REFERENCES LIST), students will critically analyse the phenomenon of the virtual teamwork, using management theories*. This will be followed by Part (2(the Reflection on Teamwork, 500 words) *NO REFERENCES NEED, in which students will reflect on their own experiences of teamwork throughout this course.This assessment targets development of students’ critical thinking skills and encourages students to:• Understand the complex nature of management and organisational practices• Provide a critical perspective of the academic literature on a topic• Construct a sustained argument in response to the question• Utilise and conform to the principles of academic rigour in the production of an acceptable, formal response to the question.Essay (Part I) Task DescriptionWith the development of technology, virtual work has emerged as a solution for collapsing distances and assisting remotely located employees and managers to collaborate virtually.
Where the remote work is not a necessity due to the separation by large distances but rather a choice, research demonstrates that organisations and employees benefit too. However, some managers fear that virtual teamwork compromises some traditional workplace benefits that they had taken for granted, such as collaboration and a sense of community. There is, therefore, a call for new solutions to maximise the benefits and to minimise the inadequacies of virtual teamwork.
In your essay, using management theories critically analyse the phenomenon of virtual teamwork and answer these two questions:1.What are the advantages and disadvantages of virtual teamwork?2.What can managers do to bridge the virtual and real worlds of teamwork for the betterment of organisations and employees?
* Management theoriesIn this unit, learning about management is based on studying, understanding and using theories of management to interpret various events, situations, trends, and experiences. Students must explicitly refer to the variety of available theoretical material regarding teamwork. Theoretical material (or, theory, in short, as used in the marking rubric) includes any theories, models, concepts, or research findings that are discussed in lectures, course readings and in peer-reviewed academic literature required and recommended for the use in this Essay (see the Leganto reading list), and sourced by students independently via research databases.
Reflection on Teamwork (Part II) Task DescriptionIn Part II (Reflection on Teamwork), students must write a 500-word reflection on their experience of working in teams during the BBA102 tutorials and answer the following two questions:1. What did you learn from your teamwork experience in this course?2.How would these lessons assist you in your current or future career?Part 1: Task Description
Recent advances witnessed in communication and information technology (ICT) have and continue to play a leading role in creating a variety of new opportunities for organizations from across the globe, especially when it comes to building and managing virtual teams. A virtual team refers to a group of individuals, workers or employees, working interdependently, but has a shared purpose or organizational aim across the already defined space, organization boundary, and time. Snellman (2014) argue that e-leaders remain tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the efficacy and effectiveness of a virtual teamwork, which is a challenging task. Consequently, this paper takes a comprehensive approach to utilizing management theories or models, including the Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST), Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension (HCD) theory, and E-Leadership Model (ELM) to identify and examine the various benefits and shortcomings of virtual teamwork. Moreover, the paper describes strategies necessary for bridging virtual the real and virtual worlds.
Advantages
A virtual teamwork benefits organizations through cost savings and leveraged global talent. According to Codia and Sandri (2012) and Kimble (2011), one of the main advantages of a virtual team involves its role in reducing operation costs. Any given organization with virtual teams is well positioned to eliminate expenses incurred were it to channel funds to real estate, utility bills, including electricity and water, office spaces, and executives’ travels. Virtual teams allow an organization to incur lower wages, minimal production cost, as well as operational costs. In his investigation of the ELM, Kimble (2011) argues that e-leaders or managers improve organizational performance by developing and maintaining better multifunctional and multicultural teams, which help with enhancing customer satisfaction. In essence, a virtual teamwork presents companies with the opportunity to identify and leverage global talent. By engaging virtual team members beyond a country’s borders, managers bring together individual specialists with high-level problem-solving skills. A virtual teamwork goes a long way in ensuring members share their knowledge about and experience with best business practices in global, as well as local markets.
Disadvantages
Despite the various benefits associated with a virtual team, recent studies have established that these teams are no exception when it comes to limitations (Beugelsdijk & Welzel, 2018). The main challenges presented by virtual teams to leaders revolves around high diversity or cultural differences, reduced or lack of face-to-face interaction, and expensive technologies (Kimble, 2011). In his HCD theory, Geert Hofstede argue that any given leader should invest in cross-cultural communication because organization behaviors and associated outcomes rely a great deal on members’ cultures and value systems.
Cultural differences, according to Dasgupta (2011), is a potential risk factor for lack of collaboration and trust necessary for a conflict-free work environment. For instance, an American virtual team member can write and send a straightforward email about a given problem, but this might be perceived by others, such as South Asian colleagues, as impolite. Failure to address issues associated with cultural differences can lead to reduced organizational performance. Besides the high-level diversity, which can causes conflicts, a virtual teamwork is characterized by social isolation and high cost of technology (Kimble, 2011). Virtual team members rarely interact physically and managers are required to acquire expensive communication technologies, which may cripple the organization financially. The whole process of communicating and working virtually is tasked-oriented, meaning members are more likely to be socially isolated and stressed.
Virtual and Real Worlds: Bridging Strategies
In response to the identified shortcomings of a virtual teamwork, managers can identify, adopt, and integrate appropriate strategies into team management as a way of bridging the real and virtual worlds of teams, which, in turn, improves overall organizational performance and employees’ well-being. First, drawing on HCD theory, the manager should invest in the implementation of remote teambuilding. According to Schachaf (2008), a leader should utilize user-friendly technologies when it comes to team-building activities tasked with the responsibility of enhancing closeness between members from diverse backgrounds. By taking a leading role in attending to cultural diversity in their virtual teams, managers encourage effective conflict resolution, trust, informed and inclusive decision-making, and create a favorable work environment characterized by high-level appreciation of other people’s cultures.
Managers can also bring the virtual and real worlds of teamwork by ensuring effective communication between team members. According to Kimble (2011), the ELM expects individual managers to remove any form of bureaucracy in the communication process. Given the diversity witnessed in virtual teams, members are more likely to have difficulty comprehending or agreeing with their colleagues in different locations. As a result, the manager should engage all team members in the development of a code of conduct to govern how they communicate with one another. The manager should present members with learning and development opportunities, which would go a long way in enhancing their ability to communicate effectively.
The managers should also utilize the various provisions of the AST model to address the problem of social isolation. Attributed to Marshall Scott, the leadership theoretical model provides that mangers and other players within and outside the organization should not view ICT as being technology-centric, but rather focus on its social aspects when it comes to managing effective virtual and real-world teams (Kimble, 2011). The structuration theory supports e-teambuilding, which plays a central role in reducing stress associated with the lack of face-to-face or physical interactions. Through the adoption of this model, the manager can improve group or team outcomes and a sense of belonging among each of the virtual team members.
Conclusion
ICT developments present organizations with opportunities and challenges. In other words, they not only benefit but may also have negative effects on organizational performance. A virtual teamwork enhances the organization’s ability to save expenses, in addition to leveraging global talent. Virtual teams allow an organization to incur lower wages, minimal production cost, and operational costs. Virtual team members are individual experts with diverse differences and social isolation. To address shortcomings associated with virtual teams and bridge the real world and virtual teamwork, managers should organize team-building and e-teambuilding activities and implement effective communication, which address the problem of identity and trust.Part II: Reflection on Teamwork
While taking the course, I was privileged to serve as an active member of both a real-world team and a virtual team. The encounter presented me with the opportunity to identify and gain a deeper understanding of challenges and opportunities associated with each of the teams. Despite their differences and weaknesses and strengths, I realized that these complementary. For example, we needed increased autonomy and personal space by identifying with a virtual team, while at the same time, enjoying social cohesion in a real-world team. Therefore, I utilize this brief post to present what I have learned from my teamwork experience throughout the course, in addition to describing how these lessons would go a long way in assisting me in my future career.
Lessons. First, I learned that an effective manager should not overlook management theories when it comes to formulating strategies or frameworks for managing any form of teamwork. Through the various management theoretical models, the manager gains insight into what makes a united, an efficient, and performance-driven team. For example, the HCD theory allowed our team manager to identify and appreciate individual members’ cultural beliefs, values, and religious practices. The manager was in a position to bring us together through effective conflict resolution methods. At the same time, he addressed the problem of language barrier and associated communication issues in our team. The second lesson I learned from the teamwork involves the fact that a change-driven manager should engage team members in the creation or establishment of a code of ethics as a way of ensuring all players perpetuate desired behaviors. Moreover, I learned the need for team members and managers to appreciate others’ contributions, especially when it comes to decision-making.
Future Career. The lessons in question would help me in my future managerial role. In particular, I have resolved to invest in becoming a culturally competent manager. With cultural competence, I would be in a position to acknowledge and appreciate the critical role played by individual differences in solving complicated and multifaceted organizational, relationship, and managerial problems. Second, I would utilize these lessons in designing an effective communication channel, free of bureaucracy. For instance, I would remain compassionate and empathetic when listening to team members’ inputs, viewpoints, or ideas about a given problem. Second, I intend to ensure that my organization has both real-world and virtual teams. With these two teams, I would be well-positioned to organize real-world team-building and e-teambuilding programs, which, in turn, help with addressing social isolation problems. Equally important, I would also have virtual members work in the physical office spaces as a way of reducing boredom and stress associated with working virtually. Having learned the need for appreciating individual differences, I would challenge team members to build a strong and healthy team identity. For instance, team members with a given set of skills or knowledge would work together with their counterparts experienced in other fields. In this way, I would be in a position to have dependent individuals in the team teamwork.
Reference List
Beugelsdijk, S. & Welzel, C 2018, ‘Dimensions and dynamics of national culture: Synthesizing Hofstede with Inglehart’ Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, vol. 49, no. 10, pp. 1-37.
Condia, J. & Sadri, G 2012, ‘Managing the virtual world,’ Industrial Management, pp. 21-25.
Dasgupta, P 2011, ‘Literature review: E-leadership,’ Emerging Leadership Journeys, vol. 4, no. 1, pp.36.
Kimble, C 2011, Building effective virtual teams: How to overcome the problems of trust and identity in virtual teams. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley Periodicals, Inc. DOI: 10.1002/joe.20364
Snellman, L 2014, ‘Virtual teams: Opportunities and challenges for e-leaders,’ Procedia Social & Behavioral Sciences, pp. 1251-1261.