Virtual Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Virtual Teams - Essay Example And within this culture it is necessary for each individual to take his won developmental path, which is actually the core of the functioning of virtual organizations. Virtual Teams have become an integral part of many organizations because of all increase in corporate restructuring, competition, and globalization. A virtual team is also defined as one that conducts its work almost entirely through electronic technology. Virtual team members, who are normally isolated both geologically and organizationally, hardly ever meet face to face while relying on technology for task-related communication (Matthews-Joy & Gladstone, 2000). Because communication is often seen as the most important factor in coordinating work among team members, effective communication is vital for virtual teams. However, "in virtual teams, separated by geographical distance, the process of developing a shared understanding is more challenging" (Ancona & Caldwell, 1992). In particular, such teams must address three challenges to accomplish their goals. The first challenge is compensating for the lack of face-to-face interaction. When meeting in person, team members can depend upon voice levels, smiles, and raised eyebrows to determine whether they are being understood; however, virtual teams do not have these nonverbal cues and can fail without communication strategies to manage the lack of face-to-face communication or silence. Because research continues to support the findings of Mehrabian that communication is predominately nonverbal, virtual team members lack one of the primary elements for generating shared understanding. Even in the best videoconferencing, facial expressions can be difficult to pick up if the transmission is poor, if someone is off camera, or when the mute button is pressed. Therefore, it is essential for individuals who are about to become part of a virtual teaming experience to be sensitized to the importance of this barrier and how it may be addressed. Second Challenge A second communication challenge for virtual teams is building relationships. Successful teams are founded on a relationship of trust, and relationships are easier to build face to face. Virtual teams are confronted with the challenge of establishing trusting working relationships through technological interaction alone. Virtual team leaders need to pay close attention to the first interactions team members have with each other to support the creation of positive interpersonal relationships. People who are being prepared for participation in virtual teams need to be taught methods of increasing the likelihood of getting off on the right foot with each other. Third Challenge A third challenge is accessing and leveraging the unique knowledge of each member to successfully achieve the team's goal. While a team is working on a project, usually the project is like a puzzle, and each team member is responsible to work on an assigned piece of the project. The team must develop a system for sharing information so that nothing relevant to solving the problem is lost. What some team members may consider the most insignificant piece of information may prove to be critical to the final solution. Whereas

Time Management in the Workplace Research Paper

Time Management in the Workplace - Research Paper Example Time management can be applied to your personal life in order to reduce stress and improve productivity (Clinic). A lot of people waste a lot of time during their daily routine. Identifying areas to streamline your daily habits can help people gain a lot of valuable time. For instance if a person stays in the shower one hour everyday, then this individual could reduce his bathing time to save water and cut time. A different individual may spend over three hours a day talking on the phone. Increase exposure to cellular phones may cause cancer (Cancer). The person would benefit from the application of time management to reduce phone usage. The time spend away from the phone can help this person enjoy more quality time with his family. . The managers of organizations can greatly benefit from the use of time management. Since managers are responsible for the performance of their employees it is in their best interest for their subordinates to use time efficiently at work. Managers can in fluence the way people do their jobs at work. The implementation of a new process can allow a worker to produce more units during a shift. Managers can also help their workers by authorizing training and development to increase the skills and capabilities of the staff. ... Time can be better managed by executives when they are organized and perform proper planning. Managers must forecast the work labor hours required to produce the demand for its products and services. Increasing labor efficiency by reducing waste can enhance the production of a company. Time management can benefit the work output of all types of employees independent of their position. The janitor can become more efficient at his job by finding ways to reduce the time to perform tasks. Salesmen can benefit from the use of multi-tasking tools in order to reduce the time of performing different tasks in their daily routine. Barbers can increased their productivity by shortening the time it takes to finish a hair cut and by socializing less with the clients and other employees during labor hours. The use of technology can be applied in the workplace to improve the time management of the enterprise. A simple technology that can save time in administrative work is to purchase an electronic card puncher. Instead of using a time card the employees can check in by putting a pin number in the machine. The electronic data can save accountants and HR people a lot of work in determining the hours worked by the employees to prepare the payroll. Another technology that can be used to improve the productivity of businesspeople when working outside the office is smartphones. Smartphones such as the Iphone 5 have the capability of connecting to the internet which enables workers to interchange data, information, and to instantly communicate with each other saving valuable time. The proliferation of cellular technology has improved communication worldwide. There are approximately 5.9 billion cellular subscriptions worldwide (Plunkettresearchonline). Capital