This document discusses virtual project teams and defines key related concepts. It begins by defining virtual teams as groups that work independently toward a common goal using technology across space, time and organizational boundaries. Drivers of virtual teams include reduced costs, a global workforce and work-life balance. Challenges include increased effort to overcome boundaries and a lack of awareness about team virtuality. The document also introduces the Virtuality Index, which measures six discontinuities that assess a team's level of virtuality. Understanding a team's virtuality level is important for areas like performance management, training and technology support.

1. Virtual Project Teams
Presenter: Paula Mugnier PMP
Post Graduate Student DCU: MSc in Management of Internet Enterprise Systems
paula.mugnier2@mail.dcu.ie
Date:10/03/2016

2. Virtual Project Teams
• Define Virtual Teams
• Define Virtual Project Teams
• Drivers for Virtual Project Teams
• Challenges
• Future Research

3. Virtual Teams – Introduction
• Lipnack and Stamps (2000), state ‘for as long as two beings
have worked together toward a common goal, teams have
existed. For as long as companies and institutions have had
multiple offices, virtual teams have existed’.
• Meyer (2012) for Forbes states the ‘New World of Work’ and
the future of work will be defined by three factors, people,
place and technology.
• Forrestor research, by Schadler et al (2009), has estimated
that by 2016, 63 million Americans will be working virtually
• 43% of the American working population will be working in a
virtual capacity.

4. Definition of Virtual Teams
• There is not a clear consensus on what constitutes a virtual
team.
• The use of technology and work being conducted at a distance
is a common theme.
• A symposium on Virtual Teams in 2000 by the Academy of
Management participants agreed that virtual meant that all
work was being performed at a physical distance, with
geography considered the decisive factor.
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5. • Lipnack and Stamps (2000) define ‘a virtual team as group of
people who work interpedently with a shared purpose across
space, time, and organisational boundaries using technology’
• Kirkman and Mathieu, 2004 argue the use of ICT is at the core
of virtual teams, while long distance is a feature of some
teams this does not apply to all virtual teams.
Definition of Virtual Team - Continued
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6. Drivers of Virtual Teams
• The rapid growth in virtual teams has been enabled by high
speed broadband connectivity, VOIP, email; web conferencing
and instant messaging tools which reduce the effort required
for these teams to communicate.
• Virtual private network and enhanced security and
monitoring software, allows firms to replicate their physical
environment, while maintaining a high level of control.
• Reduces the need for business related travel costs.
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7. • Global service window 24/7 – Back up sites
• Reduce costs associated with physical office space.
IBM have completely eliminated the need for a physical office
space in many regions they service.
• Employees benefits are reduced commuting & housing costs.
• Talent management -geographical location not an impediment.
• Virtual work can provide flexible working options for those
seeking a work-life balance. – Less absenteeism.
• CSR- U. S Clean Air Act 1990 – Reduce Pollution
Drivers of Virtual Teams - Continued
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8. Virtual Project Team
• Krill and Juell state that: “A virtual project is a collaborative
effort towards a specific goal or accomplishment which is based
on a ‘collective yet remote’ team performance.
• Reed and Knight (2013) assert that virtual project teams rely on
computer mediated communication, to collaborate and
accomplish the project goal.
• Does ‘remote’ encompasses all team members, all of the time?
• Organisational context? outsourcing spans multiple
organisations?
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9. • PMI, (2013) describe the project team as consists of a PM and
the group of individuals who act together to perform the work
of the project to achieve its objectives, the composition of
these teams vary according organisational culture, scope and
location.
• The implications is that there are various degrees of virtuality
based on the geographic separation, cultural differences or
organisational membership of the team.
Virtual Project Team
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10. • There is often increased effort to accomplish work at a
boundary.
• A PM that has team members operating in another time zone
has to put increased effort in scheduling a meeting, these are
known as discontinuities
• Discontinuities are elements of the virtual environment that
create a break or gap, or create lack of continuity.
• Continuities: Mitigating effort could be an agreed upon meeting
times that cross all time zones.
Virtuality Index
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11. Virtual Project Team
• Virtual teams are ‘working along a continuum with variations in
the extent of face to face work’.
• Chudoba et al (2005): noted that by observing the
discontinuities one gets a greater understanding of the
underlying process issues and potential risks associated with
the hidden boundaries a team is operating in.
• Chudoba et al (2005): identify 6 discontinuities into the
Virtuality Index :Geography, Time zone Culture, Work Practices,
Organisation and Technology.
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12. • Virtuality Index is made up of 18 questions on the frequency
of aspects of boundaries. Geography, Time zone Culture, Work
Practices, Organisation and Technology.
• The Frequency is measured on a 6-point scale( Never, yearly,
quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily).
– Each aspect can be credibly measured i.e., PMs know
whether they work with people at a physical distance,
across organizations etc. , and how often they do so.
(Watson-Manheim 2008)
Virtuality Index
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13. Application of the Index by Chudoba, Wynn, Lu and
Watson-Manheim (2005) at Intel against performance
measures identified three clusters of overarching
discontinues.
1. Team distribution : degree to which people work on teams
with people distributed over different geographies and time
zones.
2. Workplace mobility: degree to which employees work in
environments other than regular offices.
3. Variety of practices : degree to which employees experience
cultural and work process diversity in collaboration
Application of Virtuality Index
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14. • Team Distribution does not have a negative effect on
performance
• New Discontinuities - Variety of work practices and mobile
work do have a negative effect on performance.
• Multi-teaming seems to be new discontinuity
– Many formed opportunistically rather than by assignment.
– Increase in multi-tasking during meetings.
Application of Virtuality Index – Intel Findings
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15. • Difficult to allocate funding, if we are not aware of virtuality of
project teams.
– Procedures and policies on virtual work – HR/IT Risk.
– Development opportunities that promote team building,
communications, risk management and cultural awareness.
– Technology training that create norms for the use of virtual
tools.
• Performance management system
– PMs maybe be operating with a higher degree of virtuality, yet
are not assessed on this criteria as part of their appraisal.
Challenges
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16. Future Research
• If the level of virtuality is unknown
– Design of infrastructures and software to support it is
problematic.
• The Virtuality Index can be applied to PMs to establish a baseline
level of virtuality.
• Additional competencies require for virtual PMs
– technological, interpersonal awareness, boundary mgt, self mgt,
networking, cultural awareness.
– Assess if the level of virtuality is considered a criteria in PM
appraisal system.
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17. Additional Resources
• A Typology Framework for Virtual Teams - Global PMI Event
Wednesday, 23 March 2016, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT
• Lipnack,J. & Stamps,J. (2000):People Working Across Space Time
and Organization with Technology 2nd Edition,
• Chudoba.K.,Wynn,E.,Lu,M.,& Watson-Manheim,M.B.(2005): ‘How
virtual are we? Measuring virtuality and understanding its impact in
a global organization’, Information Systems Journal, 15: pp279-306
• Hertel,G.,Geister,S.& Konradt,U.(2005):’Managing Virtual teams: A
review of current empirical research’ Human Resource
Management Review, 15: 69-95