The success of SMEs depends on two factors, i.e., product quality and productivity. Across the globe, on one hand larger organizations like Hewlett Packard, Whirlpool, Texas Instruments, British Petroleum etc with their huge resources and capabilities draw on the benefits of virtual teams to increase their productivity and services to customer, on the other hand, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) use it to enhance their competitiveness. Today almost all industry sectors ranging from construction, manufacturing, healthcare and automotive to retail and non-profit are benefiting from the virtual teams. Though virtual teams rely heavily on information and communication technology but it is not just restricted to the IT industry.
By 2007, it led to huge cost savings for the organization, to the tune of $68 million.
For example Sun Microsystems had started an initiative called Open Work Program in 1998 which supported its employees to work from anywhere and at anytime (telecommuting). More and more organizations are adopting virtual team approach to reduce their operating costs, encourage knowledge sharing among their employees to promote organizational learning and expand their business hours to 24/7 by utilizing the different time zones of virtual team members. As organizations continue to fight for talent which is fast becoming a scarce resource, virtual team structure allows organizations to leverage the available talent across boundaries. Virtual teams play a key role in order to meet these demands. Owing to the increasing competition in the marketplace, decentralization and globalization of work processes and advances in information and communication technologies, organizations demand flexibility and agility in their delivery of products and services. The experts from United States, Brazil and Italy were brought together to form a virtual team to develop a chlorofluorocarbon-free refrigerator. A classic example is that of the virtual team formed by Whirlpool Corporation in late 1990s for its new product development division. Generally virtual teams are formed for temporary period of time to achieve a critical task say, problem solving or new product development. According to Powell, Piccoli and Ives, virtual team is defined as groups of geographically, organizationally and/or time dispersed workers brought together by information and telecommunication technologies to accomplish one or more organizational tasks. Virtual teams are the group of individuals spread across different time zones, cultures, languages or, ethnicities which are united by a common goal. And, virtual teams are the latest buzzword in the corporate circles of 21st century. With the don of Information Age, a new form of organizational structures has emerged, which is known as the network organizations.
This was followed by the birth of bureaucratic organizations of Industrial era. Then came the agricultural civilization which led to the growth of hierarchies in organizations. In pre-historic times, the nomadic era of hunters and gatherers was the first time when man came together in small groups with a shared vision of survival. Keeping with the changes in the human civilization, the organizational structures also evolved. The surging sale of PCs in 1960s followed by the popularity of cellular phones in 1970s, voicemail in 1980s, and internet & World Wide Web in 1990s gradually paved way for the virtual workplace. In recent past, a team constituted of members from more or less one culture, present at one place and time working together to achieve a defined goal. But by late 1950s, it started taking up a new meaning of temporarily simulated or extended by computer software. Origin of Virtual TeamsĪccording to, the word virtual drew its meaning from virtue in early 14th century. When these groups of individuals come together for a common cause or purpose with a shared vision, they form not just a team but what we call today a virtual team. The regular live chats on Skype or status updates on Facebook, which ensure one stays connected with his/her dispersed acquaintances, provide the social platforms for this virtual world to exist. In todays fast pace world, we all lead a virtual life parallel to an actual one.
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