2. Definition of team:
A group of people who come together to achieve or
satisfy a common purpose.
May be short- (hours or days) or long-term (weeks,
months or years!)
May be large (200+) or small (2)
2
3. How to Build a Productive Team
Have clear mission/purpose.
Set specific performance goals.
Compose the right team size and mix.
Have an agreed-upon structure appropriate to
the task.
Delegate the authority to make the decisions
needed, given their mission.
Provide access to or control of the resources
needed to complete their mission.
Offer a mix of group and individual rewards.
Foster longevity and stability of membership.
May 9, 2006 LIS580- Spring 2006 3
G.Dessler, 2003
4. Factors Important for Effective
Team
Consistency
Team members should all be treated in a comparable
way without favourites or discrimination.
Respect
Different team members have different skills and
these differences should be respected.
Inclusion
Involve all team members and make sure that
people’s views are considered.
Honesty
You should always be honest about what is going
well and what is going badly in a project.
5. Definition of virtual team
A virtual team is a group of people that relies primarily
or exclusively on electronic forms of communication to
work together in accomplishing its goals.
Groups of geographically, organizationally and/or time
dispersed workers brought together by information
and telecommunication technologies to accomplish
one or more organizational tasks
5
6. Virtual teams
More than 60% of employees in professions are
members of a virtual team
Information technologies and knowledge-based
work make virtual teams possible and globalization
make them necessary
7. Similar terms for virtual
Other terms used instead of virtual are:
Cyberspace
Dispersed
Long-distance
Distributed
Online
7
8. Team work with collaboration:
Collaboration and teamwork is the ability to work
cooperatively with others and create group synergy in
pursuing collective goals.
10. 10
Traditional face-to-
face meeting
environment with
or without
technology
Team members
communicate
asynchronously using
technology
Team members
communicate
asynchronously using
technology
Participants join
scheduled
synchronous
meetings with help of
technology
Modes of Working with Groups
Same Time Different Time
Same
Place
Different
Place
Source: Boundaryless Facilitation: Leveraging the Strengths of Face-to Face and Groupware Tools to Maximize
Group Process, Metasystems Design Group and Catalyst Consulting Team.
11. 11
Blackboard
Flip charts
Overheads
PPT slides
Electronic
whiteboard
Bulletin board
Web pages
Shared folders
Memos
Displays
Same Place
Different
Place
Telephone
conferences
Video conferences
Online chat
Instant message
Fax
E-bulletin boards
Voice mail
Email
Web pages
Listserve
Pagers
Fax
Sample Communications Technologies
Same Time Different Time
12. Virtual teams
Effectiveness characteristics
1. Focus on the international environment
2. Common mission, responsibility, sense of
ownership
3. Open culture, trust, authenticity
4. Mechanisms for early conflict resolution
5. Effective function (meeting deadlines etc.) and
communication systems and procedures
6. Virtual distance reduction - “Together we can”
culture
13. 10 basic principles for leading virtual
teams
1. Get the team together physically early-on
2. Clarify tasks and processes, not just goals and roles
3. Commit to a communication charter
4. Leverage the best communication technologies
5. Build a team with rhythm
6. Agree on a shared language
7. Create a “virtual water cooler”
8. Clarify and track commitments
9. Foster shared leadership
10. Don’t forget the 1:1s
17. Virtual Team Outputs
17
Purpose/results achieved
New product/service
Process improvement
Process learnings
Successful team
Personal growth &
team-player spirit
OUTCOMES
18. Virtual Team Tools:
• Face to Face Session
• Audio Conference Calls
• Email
• Internet and desktop computer tools
• Collaboration Software
• Web Based Collaboration applications
19. Face-to-face sessions
Preferred means for teams to build trust and
relationships with each other.
Set up systems for teamwork
Make decisions
19
20. Audio Conference Calls
Telephone—mah-h-velous! for people to get to know
each other
Share information
Brainstorm
Make decisions
20
21. Email
It is the communication tool you love to hate but
cannot live without these days.
Cost-effective
Easy to use
One to many
21
23. Collaborative Software
Lotus Notes—scheduling, electronic messaging,
document and data sharing
Easy to use
Asynchronous/synchronous
23
24. Web-based Collaboration
Applications
E groups-Yahoo
Can set up directory of team member contact/profile
information
Can set up multiple topics or threads for discussion
Great for organizing and retrieving past work
My Place
24
25. Virtual teams
Advantages Disadvantages
More productive
Have no timetable
Work on a 24hour basis
(global virtual teams)
Less costly
Travel expenses
Labor costs
Outsourcing
Poor communication
(e.g. non verbal)
Building cohesion and trust
Team leadership (virtual
manager)
Responsible members