Is a Virtual Team Right for You? The Pros and Cons of Virtual Teams

你的公司适合采用虚拟团队的工作模式吗? 浅谈虚拟团队模式的利与弊

2020-08-07 01:20 project manager

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More organizations have taken to virtual teams. They have, obviously, skyrocketed in practice over the course of this year. It certainly seems like virtual teams are here to stay, but are they right for your company? Are virtual teams the magic bullet to end all ills for your company? Simply put, no. It might be ideal for your company and it might not. It’s important to look at virtual teams closely and determine if they’re going to work within the structure of your organization. You need the facts before making a decision. Let’s look at the different advantages and disadvantages of virtual teams to help you decide. Advantages and Disadvantages of Virtual Teams Like any organizational structure, there are pros and cons to using virtual teams. Here are a few reasons why it’s advantageous to use virtual teams. Advantages of Virtual Teams Virtual teams save an organization money. There are lower office costs, as members can often work from home or at a remote location not owned or rented by the company. Some team members may enjoy the flexibility that virtual teams offer. Though some virtual teams prefer to adhere to regular office hours, others are given more freedom to work throughout the day—as long as they complete their assigned tasks on time. This is often cited as a major benefit of virtual teams, and it can lead to securing top talent. Productivity can increase with virtual teams. Stanford researchers showed that working from home can improve performance by up to 13 percent. Another study revealed that remote workers are 29 percent happier than those who work in an office setting. When you’ve employed virtual teams, you can also increase productivity with shift work. If the job requires 24-hour attention, you can hire three virtual teams in different time zones and keep production moving forward all day long. Although there are many benefits of virtual teams, that doesn’t mean that remote work will solve all ills. There are disadvantages that need to be taken into account as well. Disadvantages of Virtual Teams The most obvious disadvantage is the one that is most out of an organization’s control—the internet. While some technological issues related to servers and computers can be managed if the financial resources are available, local internet outages and spotty access can leave virtual teams impotent. This can be a serious challenge for virtual teams that have hard deadlines. While communication is an advantage if the managers make the effort and use the right tools, communication can be a huge hurdle to overcome. The issue is pervasive in texting or email, where tone can be misinterpreted. This can destroy trust, which is essential for virtual teams. Even video conferencing can be problematic. Unless that virtual meeting is well-run, it can be awkward and difficult to participate for some. It can also be harder to get time to bond when team members who are not physically present. Often virtual teams are only working together temporarily, which also makes it difficult for them to build trust and connection. Even if they have the time to get to know one another, the technical barrier can be a hard challenge to overcome. Finally, virtual teams can create a headache for managers who are responsible for directing them. Managers must have very good communication skills and the right tools to assign, monitor and track the team’s progress. This is especially the case when it comes to virtual project management. Overcoming the Challenges of Virtual Teams Teamwork is the key to successful teams, virtual or not. Team-building exercises help, but even under the best circumstances, there will be challenges. The most common is poor communication. Since communication is the only way that directions are delivered, be it orally or written, if communication suffers, so does the project. It’s important to foster good communication within virtual teams, which involves getting regular feedback to improve if needed. You’d be surprised how much friction can be overcome with open communication and positive interactions. How to Build a Virtual Team If you’re convinced that a virtual team is a good fit for your organization, then the next step is to learn how to put one together. Creating a virtual team requires similar steps that would come with assembling any team. However, because these teams are working at a distance from each other and their manager, there are some unique challenges. Secure Buy-In From the Team by Highlighting Benefits The first thing to do is make sure that everyone is on board with the decision to go remote—most importantly, the leadership team. It might be a good idea to provide some training to show the benefits of virtual teams in order to get buy-in from leadership. You could suggest blending remote and traditional employees. To do so, you have to see virtual teams as part of a strategy that provides a competitive advantage. If you just suggest a virtual team as a one-time thing, you’re not going to solicit the level of talent you’ll need. Set up the Infrastructure and Get Remote Tools Once you’ve got an agreement at the executive level, you’ll need to have a process in place to evaluate the performance of your virtual team. That means you’ll have to get your HR department on board with working with virtual teams, too. Naturally, you can’t have a virtual team if you’re not providing a strong digital infrastructure for them to work in. There are many tools that can connect team members, such as ProjectManager.com, Zoom, Slack, G-Suite and more. Whatever collaborative tools work best with your organization will be a necessary investment. Cement the Culture of Remote Work Finally, the corporate culture at your organization is going to have to be fully invested in the use of virtual teams. This not only includes acceptance of the virtual teams as an integral part of the overall organization, but a commitment to communication to keep the virtual teams in the fold. How to Make a Virtual Team Successful With ProjectManager.com How can you make a virtual team more successful? Treat your virtual teams the same as you do the teams that are working in the office with you. A virtual team can be as much a component of a winning strategy as the more traditional model. You’re going to want to give them the same powerful tools that they’d have if working beside you in the office. That’s where ProjectManager.com comes in. We’re an online software that organizes projects, whether teams are under the same roof or working in all four corners of the globe. Plan Projects with Clear Directions Teams need autonomy to be successful, but they also need clear direction to be productive. ProjectManager.com has the tools to help team members know exactly what they have to do on each task they’re assigned. Our powerful Gantt charts enable users to enter tasks with start and due dates that are then plotted out on a visual timeline, making it easy to see the whole project at a glance. Enable Collaboration Tasks can be tagged for priority, so teams know the most pertinent work to get started on. But that’s only the start of how we help teams. Our software gives them a collaborative platform in which they can comment, attach files and tag any member of the project team for comment. They can even create a to-do list for each task and manage their work. Get Multiple Ways to Work While project managers usually like to plan and schedule a project with our online Gantt chart, they may also prefer a tool more suited to different purposes. That’s why we offer multiple project views. Teams can use a task list view, calendar view or even a kanban board view to visualize their workflow. We give virtual teams a choice. ProjectManager.com is a cloud-based software that keeps virtual teams connected, while giving project managers transparency into their work. Our software helps plan, monitor and report on every phase of the project, no matter where you are or when you’re working. We are the pros of virtual team management. See what we can do to help your virtual team by taking this free 30-day trial today. What Is a Virtual Team? Definition & Examples Virtual Project Management: Benefits, Challenges & Tools Four Challenges for Virtual Teams in Startups 7 Tips for a Smooth Virtual Meeting
越来越多的公司开始采用虚拟团队模式。显然,这种合作模式在今年的特殊形势下飞速发展。而且这种虚拟团队模式似乎会一直存在下去,但它适合你的公司吗? 虚拟团队是否是终结公司一切弊病的灵丹妙药? 简单来说,不是。 它可能适合你的公司,也可能不适合。 密切关注虚拟团队模式并确定是否在你的公司内采用此模式至关重要。 在做决定之前,你需要了解虚拟团队模式的利与弊。 让我们先看看采用虚拟团队模式的利与弊,然后再做决定。 虚拟团队模式的利与弊 与任何组织结构一样,使用虚拟团队模式也有利弊。 这里有几个为什么要采用虚拟团队模式的原因。 虚拟团队模式的优势 虚拟团队模式可以为公司节省资金。 其办公费用较低,因为团队成员可以在家办公,也可以在公司之外的其它远距离地点办公。 团队成员可以享受虚拟团队模式提供的灵活性。 一些虚拟团队成员可能更喜欢遵守固定的办公时间,但是其他虚拟团队成员则拥有更多的自由可以在一天中的任意时间工作——只要他们按时完成分配给他们的任务即可。 这经常被认为是虚拟团队模式的一大好处,有助于留住企业的精英人才。 使用虚拟团队模式可以提高效率。 斯坦福大学的研究人员表明,在家工作可以提高高达13%的绩效。 另一项研究显示,远距离工作的人比在办公室工作的人快乐29%。 当你采用了虚拟团队模式,你也可以通过轮班工作来提高效率。 如果一份工作需要全天24小时轮轴转,你可以雇佣三个不同时区的虚拟团队,这样一来,你的工作便能全天候不间断地向前推进了。 虽然虚拟团队模式有很多好处,但这并不意味着远程工作将解决所有弊病。 我们也需要考虑虚拟团队模式存在的一些弊端。 虚拟团队模式的弊端 互联网的不可控性是虚拟团队模式的一个明显缺点。 如果财政资源可用,与服务器和计算机相关的一些技术问题是可以解决的;但就本地互联网中断和不稳定访问的问题,虚拟团队往往会感到无能为力。对于有严格任务交付期限的虚拟团队来说,互联网的不稳定性可能是一个严峻的挑战。 如果管理人员做出努力并使用正确的工具,沟通就会畅通无阻;然而沟通也可能面临巨大阻碍,这种阻碍普遍存在于短信或电子邮件中,因为短信或电子邮件中的语气很可能会被误解。 这将会破坏信任,而信任对于虚拟团队至关重要。 甚至视频会议也可能出现问题。 除非该虚拟会议运行良好,否则一些成员可能面临技术问题而难以参加。 当团队成员不在现场时,便很难有时间联系。 往往虚拟团队只是暂时在一起工作,这也让他们很难建立信任和联系。 即使他们有时间互相了解,技术障碍也是一个很难克服的挑战。 最后,如何管理虚拟团队可能会成为负责人面临的一个棘手问题。 负责人必须具有良好的沟通技能和使用正确的工具来分配,监视和跟踪团队的进度。 对于虚拟项目管理负责人更是如此。 克服虚拟团队面临的挑战 合作是团队成功的关键,不管是虚拟的还是非虚拟的团队。 团队建设很重要,但即使在最好的情况下,也会面临挑战。最常见的是沟通不畅。因为沟通是传达指令的唯一方式,无论是口头的还是书面的,如果沟通受到影响,项目也将会受到影响。 在虚拟团队中培养良好的沟通意识是很重要的,这包括定期获得反馈,以便在必要时进行改进。 你会惊讶地发现,开放的交流和积极的互动可以克服很多的摩擦。 如何组建虚拟团队? 如果您您的公司非常适合采用虚拟团队陌生,那么下一步就是学习如何组建一个虚拟团队。 组建虚拟团队与组建任何团队都有类似的步骤。 然而,由于虚拟团队成员之间以及与经理之间存在一定的距离,因此也面临着一些独特的挑战。 突出虚拟团队优势以确保获得团队认同 首先要做的是确保每个人都同意远程办公的决定--最重要的是领导团队。最好是提供一些培训,展示虚拟团队的好处,以获得领导层的认同。 可采用传统团队和虚拟团队相混合的模式。 为此,您必须将虚拟团队视为提供竞争优势战略的一部分。 如果你只是将组建虚拟团队作为一个一时兴起的事情,你将不会组建到达到你所需要标准的人才。 设置基础结构并获取远程工具 在执行层达成协议后,您需要制定一个流程来评估虚拟团队的绩效。 这意味着你必须让你的人力资源部门也参与到虚拟团队的工作中来。 当然,如果你没有为虚拟团队提供一个强大的数字基础设施,你就无法组建虚拟团队。 有很多工具可以连接团队成员,比如ProjectManager.com,Zoom,Slack,G-Suite等等。 无论什么协作工具最适合于你的虚拟团队,都将是一项必要的投资。 巩固远程工作的文化 最后,您所在组织的企业文化必须充分融入到虚拟团队中。 这不仅包括接受虚拟团队作为整个组织的一个组成部分,而且还包括通过沟通以确保虚拟团队的参与感。 如何利用ProjectManager.com使虚拟团队获得成功 如何让一个虚拟团队更成功? 对待你的虚拟团队就像对待办公室里和你一起工作的团队一样。 虚拟团队可以和传统的团队一样成为制胜战略的一部分。 就如同他们和你同在一间办公室里工作,你也需要给他们提供同样强大的办公工具。 ProjectManager.com就是这样的一个工具。 它是一个在线工具,无论何时何地,都可以帮助你组织项目。 项目规划要有明确的方向 团队需要自主权才能取得成功,但他们也需要明确的方向才能提高效率。 ProjectManager.com,可帮助团队成员准确地了解他们在分配任务中必须执行的工作。 其强大的甘特图可以让用户能够在上面输入任务的开始日期和截止日期,然后将其呈现在可视的时间轴上,从而使整个项目一目了然。 实现协作 可以标记任务的优先级,这样团队就知道工作的轻重缓急。然而我们软件提供的功能不仅如此。 我们的软件还提供了一个协作平台,在这个平台中成员可以评论,附加文件和标记项目团队的任何成员以供评论。 他们甚至可以为每个任务都创建一个待办事项列表,从而管理他们的工作。 获取多种工作方式 虽然项目经理通常喜欢用在线甘特图来计划和安排项目,但他们也可能更喜欢适合于不同用途的工具。 这就是我们提供多个项目视图的原因。 团队可以使用任务列表视图,日历视图甚至看板板视图来可视化他们的工作流程。我们给虚拟团队提供了选择。 ProjectManager.com是一款基于云计算的软件,它可以确保虚拟团队之间保持联系,同时让项目经理的工作变得透明化。 我们的软件可以帮助制定计划,实时跟进和报告项目中的每一个阶段。 我们是虚拟团队管理专家。 通过30天的免费试用期,您将能更加地了解我们的产品。 什么是虚拟团队? 定义和示例 虚拟项目管理的优势,挑战及好用工具分享 初创企业虚拟团队面临的四大挑战 顺利主持虚拟会议的7个小技巧

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