Part One: Building a Virtual Infrastructure

Working collaboratively with people who are not in close proximity to each other is nothing new in today's workplace. Exciting communication technologies allow innovative minds to collaborate in virtual teams regardless of how geographically dispersed the participants are. The virtual team is a type of small group made possible and necessary by new forms and tools of communication, but it is not without its perils. A few rules of thumb should be followed to help a team achieve peak performance.

1. Negotiate a Contract. Members of a virtual team are required to transition smoothly into their new team roles to meet assigned task requirements. To ensure this happens, teams should dedicate time up-front to establishing mutual expectations about how they are going to work together. Roles, norms, procedures, and standards should be discussed and formalized. Particularly important are social protocols that describe how team members will interact (for example, the appropriate means and media to provide feedback, ideas, and criticism to other team members).
2. E-mail, IM, Telephone — So Many Choices! Many types of media can be used, depending on your particular needs:
1. Team members may communicate and collaborate via asynchronous or one-way media. E-mail, bulletin board systems, Internet newsgroups, routing and document management are examples of asynchronous technologies that are most useful for delivering products.
2. Team members may communicate and collaborate via synchronous or two-way media. Desktop videoconferencing, telephone calls, Web-based chat rooms, and electronic whiteboards are examples of synchronous technologies that enable team members to communicate interactively.

Virtual teams use these methods conjunctively and the appropriateness of each depends on the information being conveyed and the speed with which a response is required.

3. Create a "Paper" Trail. Team members need to have access to company information from wherever they are located. Product and customer databases, work reports, and other company files have to be indexed and easily accessible. On-line materials should be created so they can be easily manipulated, downloaded, and reproduced.
4. Take the Plunge on Equipment. Organizations that want to implement virtual work teams need to make the investment in the equipment to facilitate virtual work. Nothing is more frustrating to remote workers than unreliable equipment. Dedicated software, PC-based video cameras, and high-technology multimedia work rooms are just some of the requirements.

Virtual teams are heavily dependent on communication technologies to connect with their teammates. For technology to be received positively by those using it, the following conditions have to be met: 1) the appropriate infrastructure needs to be in place to support the team; 2) the system has to be reliable; 3) team members have to be sufficiently trained to use the technology; and 4) team members have to understand the utility and limitations of the technology.

Click here to read Part Two.