Cross-Functional Virtual Team Leadership.
Instruction
Read the “Raygen Company Slum”case study and write an essay that describes how you would handle the situation. You essay should incorporate the leadership skills learned this week as well as challenges that many leaders face. Copy of Case Study is attached.
Virtual Teams
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliation
Cross-Functional Virtual Team Leadership
Virtual teams can be very challenging to manage because of the remote creation of a corporate culture, and in the case of Raygen’s cross-functional team works systems should be designed or the existing ones improved upon in a way that allows for the integration of human resource policies that support and reward the different employees who work in the virtual team. It is important because it acts as a motivation to the employees who will feel that their input is recognized and rewarded. Moreover, conducting a face-to-face interview with each team member probably over video call to solicit different opinions on what factors are currently supporting or inhibiting teamwork and this helps to identify strengths which can be improved upon as well as the weaknesses which can be strengthened. Also, having clear and detailed deliverables is important in improving performance in a virtual team, and in developing specific performance objectives for the team members, rewarding cross-boundary work and results become easy; hence productivity increases for individual team members since they are each motivated and collaborative (Ford, 2017). Clarification of the performance expectation of each team member so as to ensure that the individual goals are in line with the team goals and every member is in support.
In addition, creating a professional environment for work whereby professional standards are set as well as providing the necessary resources and support to facilitate working in virtual environments will go a long way to improve efficiency. It is more important to consider video calls over chatting and emails because they promote collaboration and assist in building trust when one can see another member regardless of the time and space existing between them. Moreover, it is important that regular meetings are scheduled especially via video conferencing where team member can not only get to recreate the routine office feeling of traditional teams and hence avoid stress but can also allow the team members to determine an overlap in work hours that will create a time when all members will be online at the same time regardless of their personal commitments elsewhere. It promotes autonomy as members feel involved in making decisions that affect them and mitigate some of the leadership challenges that virtual team leaders face due to poor communication.
Establishing multiple communication tools is important to the virtual team’s success because it enables the communication of urgent information in a way that is not detrimental to personal boundaries. It also keeps the members in close and consistent contact that keeps operations running smoothly and hence improves the timeliness of the team’s deliverables. Also, as a contingent strategic plan, some team members will have to be replaced if it is observed that working virtually is no longer plausible for them, but this will be voluntary. As a new team leader, it will be vital to manage the change associated with new team leadership by creating forums whereby the team members can share information, express their concerns and ultimately ask questions that they need clarification on (Lepsinger, 2010). The success of any virtual team is largely dependent on the team leader and how they promote the key elements of building trust, collaboration, promoting autonomy among members, and ensuring effective communication in a harmonious way. Team members, especially those in different geographical locations, need the motivation to enable them to give their best in terms of performance and productivity, and the ideas mentioned all aim to achieve this as well as make collaboration easy.
References
Ford, R. C., Piccolo, R. F., & Ford, L. R. (2017). Strategies for building effective virtual teams: Trust is key. Business Horizons, 60(1), 25-34.
Lepsinger, R., & DeRosa, D. (2010). Virtual team success: A practical guide for working and leading from a distance. John Wiley & Sons.