{"id":577,"date":"2011-07-22T08:21:51","date_gmt":"2011-07-22T16:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nexthop.ca\/2011\/exploring-virtual-teams\/"},"modified":"2011-07-22T08:21:51","modified_gmt":"2011-07-22T16:21:51","slug":"exploring-virtual-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nexthop.ca\/it-news\/exploring-virtual-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Virtual Teams"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The way businesses are structured has changed as technology has grown. We regularly see companies reorganizing their teams into virtual teams, often known as geographically dispersed teams (GDT). This allows people in different countries to collaborate on a single project. Like most things in life, there are advantages and disadvantages to this style of team and it is not for every business. Is it right for yours?<\/p>\n

In the past, it was thought that productivity had a direct correlation with proximity. The thought was held that the more face-time a manager was able to provide their team the more productive they would be. Managers are realizing that this may not be true, and that building a team out of people that work well together and have very specific skill sets can generate a far more significant result. Another strong factor impacting productivity can be the mentality of the individuals the group is made up of. Some people are inspired by their personal desire to learn more so as to further their careers; this self-motivation is a trait that works well in a virtual team environment. Individuals who are motivated by social interactions or by the desire to avoid negative feedback may not be a good fit for a virtual team. <\/p>\n

For some businesses, it can be practical to use virtual teams.  Many organisations, large and small, have embraced this innovative organizational technique. Certainly businesses that require people to physically interact to perform a task, such as construction, are not candidates for virtual teams. If you think implementing virtual teams as an enterprise wide strategy or smaller capacity is a good fit for your company, here are a few things to think about.
 
Advantages<\/strong><\/p>\n

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