Do Virtual Teams Actually Work?

By fastcreative | October 5th, 2007

I just read a study done by an IT professor at the University of North Carolina. He researched 54 global virtual teams in 31 companies and found some amazing results.

Virtual teams are usually made up of people who have never met. His investigation has shown that they are more  productive and amazingly more innovative than teams who work together face-to-face.

The professor states that “They make decisions faster with more input from others and develop policies that are implemented worldwide with fewer problems than conventional teams”.

His research finds these facts about virtual teams:

• High-performing global teams are measured on faster, better responses to rapidly changing environments.
• Team leaders check in on members of their team frequently. They mentor them, and establish and communication system.
• Team leaders also handle diversity and leverage it throughout the team’s life cycle.
• Global teams build trust through a planned team communication strategy without ever meeting face to face.
• Teams build trust and simulate intellectual growth by pairing diverse members into subteams that perform highly interdependent tasks.
• This is consistent with my experience.  Working virtually on certain projects is simply more productive and innovative.

There is still an old-fashion part of me that likes to have a group of people in a room brainstorming . . . of course once we come up a concept and a plan we can always put a virtual team on the tasks.

Fast Creative uses virtual teams for many projects and we embrace the diversity of cultures which brings innovation and insight into the mix.

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