Implementing Virtual Teams: A Guide to Organizational and Human Factors

Citation

Auer, C. (2005), "Implementing Virtual Teams: A Guide to Organizational and Human Factors", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 26 No. 2, pp. 166-167. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730510582608

Acquiring a volume that will arm the organizational leader, human resource manager or team leader with the necessary guidelines for successful implementation of virtual teams is certainly difficult. That is until Gower published this book. The authors’ comment that “organizations across the world are constantly searching for better ways to plan and carry out their business” is a point that serves as a suitable launching pad for their four part work. The book is broken down into very reader friendly units, each providing essential analysis and guidance with objective citations of both pro's and con's regarding the virtual team concept.

Readers will gather a strong foundation regarding virtual working and virtual teams from Part 1. Specifically, Chapter 1 outlines how an organization should approach the possibility of virtual teams. Every organizational leader wishes to reduce time to market, increase organizational flexibility, minimize inefficiencies, foster innovation, retain staff and reduce production costs. All of these elements and more are addressed in terms of virtual teams. The authors provide succinct yet complete strategies for evaluating the appropriateness of virtual teams for particular objectives. The authors astutely set distinctions between service, project and process teams and how they each will uniquely evolve in the virtual world.

Part II begins with a ‘consumers guide’ to technologies utilized by virtual teams. One of the most useful tools is a graphic comparison of time vs information richness as it relates to the large menu of available technologies. A very informative discussion of the use full managerial paradigm of information richness is embedded within part two which will provide leaders a powerful tool when resouring virtual teams. The authors round out Part II with a strong series of success strategies in terms of management, communication, support systems and change management impacting virtual teams.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the book lays in Part III. After establishing a truly comprehensive foundation in virtual working, the authors take the reader through a series of case studies. Each case provides the reader with a different aspect of virtual team management and leadership. The analysis is candid and informative. Further, the case studies will afford the reader and their organization a quicker track through the inevitable learning curve of such innovation. The cases are generic enough to draw universal comparisons while being specialized enough to demonstrate the infinite intricacies of the subject. A truly artful usage of case study to empower the reader!

Part IV is a strong presentation of best practices and strategies for success. The authors go on to provide the reader a comprehensive list of annotated further resources to inform their leadership practice.

As organizations aim to meet the rapidly changing demands of the global market place, leaders will need resources like Implementing Virtual Teams: A Guide to Organizational and Human Factors.