CERI Hot Topic Seminar The virtual business

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CERI Hot Topic Seminar The virtual business

• Gary Frostick BSc(Hons) CEng CITP MBCS

Senior Solutions Architect
Xonitek Systems/Index Computer Systems
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Introduction Virtual Teams
Benefits, Risks Weaknesses
Strategy and Recommendations
Conclusions
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Collaboration across international boundaries?
Issues raised are relevant to any virtual
business/virtual team scenario not just
international issues.
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What is a Virtual Team?
A virtual team is a group of individuals who work
across time, location and organisational
boundaries.
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Why Virtual Teams?

• Customer/Supplier Projects
• Multi-Supplier Projects
• Multiple Locations
• Teleworkers
• Cross-Department Internal Projects
• Service Teams
• Action Teams (Contingency Planning)

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Why Virtual Teams?

• Geographically dispersed teams allow
  organisations to hire and retain the best people
  regardless of location.
• Organisations becoming more geographically
  dispersed due to availability/cost of
  labour/facilities.
• Allow organisations to build customer/supplier
  (or inter-supplier) relationships over long-term
  projects to achieve common goals.
• Greater use of sub-contractors/facilities
  management/third party logistics.

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Strengths of Virtual Teams

• Pool Expertise
• Avoids Limitations of Resource
• Supplier/Customers Relationships can become
  Partnerships
• Flexibility

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Weaknesses of Virtual Teams

• Leadership
• Ownership
• Visibility
• Time Differences
• Language Barriers
• Cultural Differences
• Division of Work
• Trust
• Isolation
• Consensual decision making can be slower/more
  difficult

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Strategy

• So can virtual teams be effective?

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Recommendations

• Include Face-to Face Time
• - At start of project
• - Project reviews (If possible)
• Keep Project Information Visible
• - Common Systems
• - Use IT Supported Co-operative Systems
• - Appropriate Information Availability/Security
  
• Recognise Communication Delays
• - Time Zones
• - Working Days
• - Agreed Response Times

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Recommendations 2

• Keep Team Members Visible
• - Common Calendar
• - Project Plan
• - Etc
• Communication
• - Document Conversation
• - Language Barrier
• - Augment Text Only Communications
• - Dont Rely on e-mail!!!
• - Back-up Communication Methods
• Establish Ground Rules (Working Methodology)
• - Trust

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Recommendations 3

• Project Reviews (Team Assessment)
• Recognise People
• - Achievements
• - Potential Conflicts
• Learn from Experience

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Conclusions

• Virtual teams can be very effective but
  limitations must be recognised.
• Technology makes virtual teams possible, but is
  not a perfect substitution for human interaction.
• Virtual teams can be used in some scenarios to
  improve inter-organisation relationships and can
  add competitive advantage.

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Questions