IT Support for Virtual Teams
Issues faced by the IT department when it supports virtual teams
The IT department has faced several issues when it provides support to the virtual teams. Some of the most important issues are as follows:
Communication issue
The IT department has faced a communication issue however the productivity and technology issues are also common. Research indicates that in the IT department, communication is the main problem when the IT department supports the virtual team.
The IT department also faced a problem in the task management and the IT department fails in updating and assigning the tasks to the individuals.
The working environment of IT department has changed when it supports the virtual team. In the virtual team, there is a need of active people who loved to perform their tasks. The environment must be favorable so that the individuals can easily perform their tasks without facing a problem (Gajendran & Joshi, 2011).
Following is an architecture diagram that shows how the virtual teams collaborate and access common repositories for documents, software, development and testing facilities.
Advantages of using virtual teams
The organization can get several benefits by using the virtual teams. Some of the most important benefits include:
Cost saving
Organizations get the benefits of associated cost savings by using the virtual teams. By using the virtual teams, organizations do away from a lot of expenses. The production cost of the company is also reduced due to the lower operational and raw material cost and lowers the wages of the employees (Pillis & Furumo, 2007).
Increased productivity
The main focus of all the members of the virtual team is to complete the tasks assigned to them. Virtual team members do not need to treat with the bureaucracy that impact on the decision making and slows it down. The virtual team members help to enhance the productivity of the company (Hu, 2015).
New opportunities
Virtual teams provide new opportunities to the individuals who are less movable and do not want to transfer due to some family issues.
24 hours working
Different team members are worked on the same project on 24 hours. When one member of the virtual team sleeps so another member of the team started the work. This fast working of the members of virtual teams shortens the time of product development and provides fast response to the demand in the local and global market.
Global talent
Disadvantages of using virtual teams
Along with the advantages of using the virtual teams, there are also several disadvantages which include:
Technology cost
Efficient communication technologies are required in order for the successful working of the virtual teams. The company has to face the cost of the maintenance tools and installation cost that enhances the cost of the company.
Lack of trust and collaboration
Several conflicts arise between the members of the virtual teams due to different cultures of these members. Successful collaboration is essential for the best working of the virtual teams.
Social separation
There is a lack of physical interaction between the members of the virtual teams. The members communicate with each other only when they need to perform the task. The socialconnection between the members is very crucial for the good performance. The social separation of the virtual team impacts on the productivity of the company.
Poor management
The management of the virtual team is very poor however it is essential for the leader that he has all the abilities to manage the virtual team and he must provide the clear vision to the members of the virtual team.
Incompetent team members
Only one weak team members in the virtual team impacts on all the members so it is crucial that team members of the virtual team must be skilled so that the virtual team will be successful.
Challenges faced by IT national standards
There are several challenges that forced the IT national standards. The first challenge is that the organizations think that they have to develop the IT national standards but the development of IT national standards need technical resources and the expertise which area greater challenge for the company. Another challenge for the company is that to evaluate the national needs for the IT. It is essential for the IT national standards to provide the high-quality services to the individual which is a great challenge for the company. The IT national standards faced a problem in trading because several countries follow the international standards which are different from the national standards (Massell, 1994).
How these challenges could be resolved or handled
First of all the company has to focus on the technical resources available for the IT national standards. The company has to manage the technical resources and must hire the employees having the skills and capabilities that will help the company in managing the IT national standards. The company has to conduct a market survey and identify the needs for the IT. After evaluating the needs of the IT, the company can easily manage the IT national standards. The company must provide the best quality services to the individuals as described in the national standards in order to satisfy the customers of the company. The company has to focus on the technical solution which will help the company in reducing the cost and will improve the quality (Smith, Peterson, & Thomason, 2010).
Comparison and contrast between the virtual and traditional teams
In the tradition teams, the individuals are worked in physical closeness with each other however in the virtual teams the members are separated from each other but they become united in order to achieve the goals. In the traditional teams, the members are selected on the basis of functional skills whereas, in order for selection to the virtual teams, the individuals must have core competencies including work discipline, ability to learn new technology etc. In the virtual teams, the managers cannot control the daily activities of the members so a delegation of authority is most common in virtual teams however there is an only minimum delegation in the traditional teams. Traditional team members meet with each other every day in the workplace so there are avery strong relationship and communication between them whereas the relationship between the members of the virtual teams is very weak (Griffith & Neale, 2001).
References
Gajendran, R. & Joshi, A. (2011). INCLUSION AND IDENTIFICATION IN VIRTUAL TEAMS: WHEN DOES LEADER-MEMBER VIRTUAL COMMUNICATION MATTER?.Academy Of Management Proceedings, 2011(1), 1-6. http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2011.65870600
Griffith, T. & Neale, M. (2001). 8. Information processing in traditional, hybrid, and virtual teams: From nascent knowledge to transactive memory. Research In Organizational Behavior, 23, 379-421. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0191-3085(01)23009-3
Hu, H. (2015). Building virtual teams: experiential learning using emerging technologies.E-Learning And Digital Media, 12(1), 17-33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2042753014558373
Massell, D. (1994). Three Challenges for National Content Standards.Education And Urban Society, 26(2), 185-195. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0013124594026002006
Phillips, E. &Furumo, K. (2007).Counting the cost of virtual teams.Communications Of The ACM, 50(12), 93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1323688.1323714
Smith, P., Peterson, M., & Thomason, S. (2010).National Culture as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Managers' Use of Guidance Sources and How Well Work Events Are Handled.Journal Of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 42(6), 1101-1121. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022022110381427
