We now live and work in a context that functions and strategizes from a global perspective, and solves problems by deploying technological solutions. We live and work in a digital sociotechnical world with inter-cultural relationships. With globalization as a core business strategy and information and communication technology a mainstay of the workplace, organizations have become dispersed and the workforce global. In such an environment, conscious efforts to include social capital features is critical.
"It is not uncommon for participants in many firms to find themselves trading ideas about breakthrough projects with "co-workers" who may be ten thousand miles away, while at other times they may be working with individuals who are situated near to them physically, but are not conventional employees of the same company....Given the changes in where individuals work, combined with the multiplicity of those with whom they work,it is not surprising to find that the boundaries of the organization have become more ephemeral.Consequently, one might expect individuals in contemporary organizational environments to focus less on themselves as employees of a traditional organization and more on themselves as part of, and contributing, to, an entity far larger than the parent organization that employs them...[T]his larger entity, composed of federations of individuals and organizations, can be termed a "virtual organization" because in effect it is an organization, albeit not in the traditional sense...Virtual organizations arise from collaborations, federations, and associations, contracts, and alliance relationships....[T]here appear to be five precipitating factors that lead organizations to engage in these types of relationships: outsourcing, expansion, protection, augmentation, and distribution....[T]hese relationships and their motivations are not unique,...what makes virtual organizations worthy of examination is the fact that it is clear that both the quantity and complexity of the relationships with co-called partners have increased significantly."
(D. B. Greenberger and S. Wang, "The Virtual Organization" in Human Resource Management in Virtual Organizations, ed. by R. L. Heneman and D. B Greenberger, 2002)
Information must continuously flow through these organization. Knowledge networks and communities of practice must enable innovative decision-making and problem-solving. Dispereded team memebers must function as a unit--sharing and applying knowledge, as well as collaborating--as if they were co-located. How can this be done effectively?
Some use the term "virtual organization," others more correctly use the term "dispersed organization." Throughout this course we will usually use the latter terminology.
This course mirrors the dispersed organization and virtual workplace, with all of its benefits and challenges. It provides you an opportunity to experience and critically reflect upon the nature and dynamics of telework and virtual teams, as well as try to solve some of the challenges it poses.
For some of you working in a dispersed manner is familiar, maybe even "old hat," because you own own work arrangement is set up in a manner to work with colleagues and clients via electronic information and communications systems. They are located, or dispersed, across the country, or around the world. You may never see them face-to-face (f2f), or only on special occasions when it is warranted.For others this will be a new and challenging experience. This will involve a learning curve that can be a bit "frustrating" at times. The "virtual workplace" is a "cool environment" where team members at times feel isolated and alone, and can become anxious because they cannot "see" their teammates. Then there are technology glitches.
Remember that I am here to coach you through both learning the academic content, and developing skills in working in a virtual team environment.
Also, since this is course is about teamwork and peer collaboration, it will be important for those who are familiar with this work style to assist others.I encourage you to reflect upon your experiences in this course, and distill out the insights that will enable you to effectively work in a virtual or dispersed team situation, and aid others to do so as well. I also invite you to work collaboratively, with each team, not only focusing on the success of their project, but the success of the entire course. Thus, I invite you to collaborate "across" team boundaries, assisting each other to successfully function in a virtual learning environment.
OK, that is all for now. I'll post more later on managing knowledge.
Again, welcome aboard, and good luck in this course.
Chuck Piazza
Instructor
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4 comments:
I completely agreed with the idea of the complexity aroused when organizations became more global. No matter how hard we try to break through all barriers in order to create virtual organization, the complications seem to be there and the misunderstanding is everywhere. Also I personally think that the time difference is quit a big issue because people is not only limited to their work but also have to deal with their personal life. To do things in one time could be stressful plus they have to manage their time to work with people overseas. For me, working with the group is already hard because they are all working. To find the best time for a meeting seems to be harder than I thought. Even though we are in the same country, we all have our own life to take care. I don't really know what the solution will be, hopefully this class will give me some ideas about it.
I can understand the frustrations that arise from working with groups or as related to this class "teams".
I am in New York and so the distance, the time zone, the isolation and missing face to face discussions is frustrating. I am accepting the challenge and as I grow in the business world and in leadership, distant interaction and virtual business will be the norm. I welcome this challenge.
Expectation for virtual teams
are collaboration, sharing and trading ideas.
Virtual organizations arise from collaborating relationship, building trust but most importantly communication. Being a distant team member I am experiencing the reality of the importantance of continous imformation. Team leaders and team members must communicate clearly. The mission and vision of the project must be directed and understood for the success of a virtual project.
There are several issues when working in groups/teams. A great deal of discipline is essential to create harmony, understanding and corporation.
Time difference is a huge factor when teams are dispersed in other states with different times zones along in different countries.
My company normally holds training sessions via webex. An email is usually sent out to participants throughout the nation regarding meeting dates and times. There have been numerous times where people have missed the meetings since they didn't pay attention to what time the meeting will as they missed to notice the time zones (pacific time, eastern time, etc).
Geographical differences certainly create a few complexities for a dispersed team. As smaharaj mentioned -- different time zones can create issues with regards to a particular member's availability, along with being able to schedule a virtual meeting that suits the availability of all team members. When team members are dispersed globally, this becomes a glaring challenge in the face of being able to communicate live.
One possible solution I can think of pertaining to this issue would be for a team to find the best platform suited to be effective for the team's communication. If a particular medium (such as WebEx) is not effective for a team to discuss a project’s issues & details, then perhaps an online forum platform (such as a Wiki or Google Groups) would be more effective for a team to relay information & questions.
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